Media Training: Stand for Phone Interviews

For years I have encouraged clients to stand when doing a phone interview, for two reasons:

1. Standing--and often moving--enables you to project more energy in your voice. The reporter will perceive you as more interested in, and committed to, what you're saying.
2. Since most people don't stand when making calls, standing is a reminder that you are in an interview with a reporter, not chatting with a friend or colleague. You are more alert to staying on message.
   And now, after finding an old memo today while clearing out some files, I have a third reason:
3. You'll be able to react faster.

The memo was written by Andrea Meyer, a researcher for

CareerTrack seminars in 1988. Here's the text:

Recent studies done at USC have found that "individuals' information-processing speed accelerates 5 % to 20% for several tasks that involve rapid decision making when they are standing as compared with when they're sitting." In short, standing or moving stimulates brain centers associated with reactive capacity, so you react faster.
In the experiment, subjects were asked to stand or sit before a computer monitor that registered their response times to various requests. Subjects responded faster when standing.
The take-away is, if you want to be quick on your feet, it's best to be on your feet.