Hey everyone, and welcome to alphatester. On this channel, we focus on technology, innovation, and digital lifestyle. And as part of this „Digital Lifestyle,“ it’s becoming more and more common to find yourself facing a camera. This could happen at work or at your sports club, whether you’re an expert in a specific software, a paper plane building record holder, or the face of a new division in your company.
With my media production company, rabbitfire, I’ve probably shot several hundred interviews, and for myself, it’s always exciting to meet people from various life and work environments. But no matter what your social status, your bank account, or your level of expertise, during an interview, there are some technical and linguistic rules to produce better and more engaging content. To help you master that trade, I’ve put together five tips for professional interviews on camera. Plus – one bonus tip. 🙂
TIP 1: SHORT ANSWERS
Well, there are exceptions, but in general, only small pieces of an interview are actually used. Short, concise sentences that don’t immediately blend into the next statement with an „and.“ Lower your voice at the end of a sentence and maintain eye contact with the interviewer. This brings us to our second tip.
TIP 2: EYE CONTACT
If you haven’t been in an interview situation before, it can be quite exciting. Bright lights shining directly on you, many unfamiliar people, one or more cameras with blinking lights, flickering monitors. So much to get distracted from. What should you focus on? Well – focus on the one asking the questions! Treat it like a normal conversation, as if all the technology and people weren’t there.
TIP 3: OUTFIT
I’m by no means a fashion expert; my system involves grabbing the top item in the closet. So, my tip is purely technical! Avoid all-black or all-white outfits, and nothing too patterned. Ideally, have at least two outfits in your bag; you can never predict if a particular outfit is going to fit with the background, the couch, the wallpaper, or other people in the frame.
TIP 4: REPHRASE THE QUESTION
In most cases, only the answer is audible, not the question. Therefore, it’s important to rephrase the question in some way. Incorporate the context into your response. If I’d ask you: „What was the weather like yesterday?“ and your response is only „Good,“ then this statement doesn’t really help my film. It’s better to say: „Yesterday, we had wonderful weather. We were sitting outside, having strawberry ice cream and whipped cream.“
TIP 5: HOMEWORK
If you’re asked to give an interview on a specific topic, prepare yourself as much as possible. What are your key points? What do you want to convey? What would you prefer not to talk about? Have your story straight. The more you know about the subject, the more confident you’ll appear.
BONUS TIP: ENJOY THE MOMENT
It may sound cliché, I get that, but it’s the best advice I can give. Someone has asked and invited you to step in front of the camera (unlike me here). So, someone already believes that you’ll rock it. Enjoy the excitement and the interest in you and what you have to say. If you follow my tips, especially if you’ve done your homework, the rest will flow naturally. And if the interview isn’t being live-streamed, you can always repeat an answer a second, third, or fourth time.