I consider myself a pretty seasoned public relations professional. I’ve worked in this industry for well over 20 years, and have participated in hundreds of television interviews, either as the spokesperson myself, or standing right behind the camera, guiding and encouraging my client on.

Which makes it even more embarrassing to admit that I committed the number one mistake when it comes to media interviews…forgetting to assume that the microphone is ALWAYS on.

Don’t forget…the mic is ALWAYS hot.

In media training 101, the first thing I tell my clients is that you should always assume the microphone is on. Whether it’s a lavaliere clipped to your shirt or a hand-held microphone in the reporter’s hand, make sure you don’t say anything you don’t want the reporter to hear because that microphone could be live and recording. Makes sense, right?

Well, this morning, I forgot all my years of training and experience and committed this heinous public relations crime. The day started off well. I was thrilled because Fox 13 had decided to do a story on Kids and Canines, the nonprofit group I am volunteering with. They were interviewing Kelly, the Executive Director of the program. Right before her interview started, I whispered a last minute suggestion to her…and right into the lavaliere microphone clipped to her shirt collar.

“This guy is going to want to talk mostly about the dogs, so make sure you bring up the kids a lot,” was my last-minute reminder to her.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m going to ask about the kids as well,” came a male voice behind me from the guy holding the camera…the same guy who had an earplug in his ear, listening to our conversation.

Now, I could have played it cool and tried to be professional about the whole thing, but for those of you who know me, know that I’d rather laugh at myself than stand there in an awkward position. So, that is exactly what I did.

“I can’t believe I just did that!” I exclaimed to the videographer. “That is the number one PR no-no, and I just did it. At least I didn’t say something really embarrassing like I thought you were cute or something!”

That got everyone laughing and quickly diffused the situation. After that, the interview continued without a glitch and we even kidded about my embarrassing snafu a few more times that day.

The moral of this story. Nobody’s perfect and we all make mistake. What matters is how you handle that mistake and move on from it.

Oh, and the other moral of the story. Always assume the mic is HOT!

Want to see the finished product from the interview? Click here for the Fox 13 story.