BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour

In my professional life, I’ve briefed and trained dozens of senior politicians, business leaders and researchers for countless appearances on TV and radio. Last week I was the one behind the microphone, talking about Red Duchess on Woman’s Hour (a long time ambition of mine as it’s a show I love). From all the media training sessions I’ve led and sat in on, these were the tips which I found most useful:

• PPPPPP (or Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents Poor Performance; the military sometimes add another P....). I’m probably the world’s leading expert on the life and work of the Duchess of Atholl, but that means I know almost too much for a ten minute radio slot. Over previous week I practised ways of distilling her work into a few short sentences, and thinking about what the WH audience would be most interested in. However much you know about a topic, you mustn’t be tempted to wing it.

• Breathing. It’s been a long time since I’ve sung regularly, but the importance of slow and deep breaths to anchor your voice stayed with me. I used box breathing techniques while in the green room.

• Nerves. You can’t predict how nervous you’ll be. I’ve seen lots of studios so I’d be fine, right? I was incredibly nervous, surprisingly so. Thankfully the two above points helped me to disguise that and to use it.

• Being in the studio. This interview was during the school holidays, but thanks to the kindness of my son's godmother I was able to go into the studio rather than do the interview over Zoom. I won't always be able to do this as I live in Cambridge, but I do think if you can physically be in the studio it's always preferable. Not just because of the better sound quality, but because you can have a better rapport with the interviewer if you're in the same room (and I got to meet Eve Myles in the green room, who was lovely).

• BBC. Not just the broadcaster but also Bottom in the Back of the Chair. Sit back and ensure you’re fully supported, rather than perching on the edge.

You can listen to my interview with Nuala McGovern on the BBC Sounds website here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002http