And, if I’m honest, I found it surprisingly difficult! Which is ridiculous when you consider that I’ve played in bands for years and I am perfectly happy standing in front of a microphone singing. 

 

Give me a microphone and ask me to sing? No problem. 

 

Give me a microphone and ask me a question I wasn’t expecting? Apparently, that’s where my professional skills leave the building.  

 

Singing is easy. I know the words, I know the tune and, if I forget the words, I can generally mumble convincingly and hope nobody notices. 

 

An interview is a completely different beast. You’re trying to listen to the question, work out what the interviewer is looking for, remember the point you wanted to make, give a useful answer, sound natural, not waffle and somehow do all of that in about 30 seconds. 

 

Easy, right? 

 

And then comes the post-interview analysis…Did I answer that properly? Did I make any sense? Why did I say THAT? I should have said THIS instead! Why didn’t I think of that at the time?! 

 

Because apparently, my brain operates on a very helpful 20-minute delay. 

 

I also noticed my accent changes, something I’d never really thought about before. One minute I’m happily talking away, and the next I sound like I’ve suddenly been asked to represent the nation at a very important conference. 

 

It made me realise that there is a real skill in giving a good interview. Being able to take something you care deeply about and turn it into a clear, concise and engaging message, sometimes in just a few sentences, is something I’d like to get better at. 

 

Would I do things differently next time? Absolutely. 

 

Will I think of the perfect answer approximately 17 minutes after the microphone has been switched off? Almost certainly! 

 

But I’m learning that putting yourself outside your comfort zone is part of the job too. You do your best, learn from it, have a little laugh at yourself afterwards and hopefully get a bit better next time. 

 

So, thank you to RNIB Connect Radio and Coast & County for the opportunity to talk about our event and, more importantly, about sight loss and the experiences of the people we support across Ryedale. 

 

And if anyone needs me, I’ll be over here practising my 30-second answers…