When trying to better your skills for media interviews, it pays to listen to great interviews. Some people really know how to get their point across succinctly with vivid language and descriptions. For radio it’s especially important to use strong visual language and to project confidence to engage the audience.

None of this happened on ABC New Radio yesterday.

Australian Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, was questioned about the role of the Federal Police at Sydney Airport on the weekend. In the lobby of the domestic terminal two rival motorcycle gangs had a fight. One man was bashed to death with a metal stanchion in front of horrified passengers. This was metres from the check-in desks. Four of the assailants made their get-away by taking a taxi from the rank downstairs. From the time the attacks started until the Federal Police arrived was 15 minutes according to witnesses.

In this interview, Minister Debus says a thorough investigation is called for:

ABC News Radio: Home Affairs Minister BOB DEBUS has told Marius Benson there will be a thorough investigation.

What’s so wrong? Debus fails to use language that cuts through to the audience. He never takes any responsibility. His government takes its time responding to issues and he won’t comment until there’s an investigation. He is unclear of the facts. He is wooden in his delivery. He doesn’t believe there’s any reason to apologise or accept wrongdoing. Others are talking of witness accounts and he fails to comment.

All in all this is a very poor interview that reflects very poorly on the Federal Government and the Home Minister.