It is often the case that detailed scripting and dramatisation elements are called for when approaching a video product. In many other cases, however, talking-head video interviews prove to be a more effective format for conveying a message to your target audience and achieving your goals. It should be noted that the ‘prompted interview‘ approach is one that is generally taken when it comes to talking-head style interviews through video formats. This is because a ‘prompted interview’ technique facilitates the delivery of a message in a way that us humans, who are social creatures by nature, are most likely to engage with.
Prompted Interview Preparations
If you have been fortunate enough to have been granted the opportunity to participate in a prompted video interview, you are most likely starting to be stress out about the preparations you think you need to make. Cut it out! There is no need to worry. Here are some top corporate video UK interview preparation tips:
One: Stop Rehearsing
One of the worst things you can do when it comes to preparing for a prompted video interview is to over-rehearse. You don’t want your responses to sound robotic and insincere. It might seem a little bit counter-intuitive not to commit a range of responses to memory, but you really don’t want to appear ‘wooden’ on screen. Resist the temptation to over prepare. Your aim should be to make your responses sound as authentic and heartfelt as possible and that will be hard to achieve in the moment if you have memorised a script.
Two: Dress Appropriately
- Avoid wearing any clunky jewellery as every time you make natural gesticulations while talking, the studio microphones will pick up the sound of jangly, rattling, clinking pieces of jewellery like loose rings, bracelets, necklaces and even earrings.
- Don’t wear any clothes that have visible logos, picture messages, or slogans. You don’t want the audience to become distracted by your attire and thrown off when it doesn’t match the set’s branding.
- Research the moiré effect and understand the importance of not wearing busy patterns when in front of a camera.
Three: Trust the Interviewer
Trusting the interviewer can be difficult, but it is something you are going to need to do if you want to come across well on the screen. There is nothing more off-putting to viewers than watching an interviewee get thrown off by a change of direction in the line of questioning. Learn not to assign any ulterior motives to the interviewer; speak from the heart and go with the flow. The production team is there to make you look good, natural, and spontaneous, so trust their direction.
Four: Avoid Being Too Careful
Hilarious gems of insight and endearing anecdotes cannot spontaneously arise in an atmosphere of carefulness of words. Yet, those are the elements of a video interview that can engage an audience with your core message and make you memorable. While prompted interviews have general pre-planned direction, don’t be afraid, as the interviewee, to take the interviewer off on a wild tangent. It is the interviewer’s job to get the conversation back on track if the detour doesn’t lead to fruitful anecdotes, so stop stressing.
Five: Don’t Talk To Quickly
When under pressure to put on a performance, it can be tempting to start talking as fast as possible as a defence mechanism. Resist the urge to do so. Keep your speech patterns naturally paced and your message will reach more viewers.
Six: Remember To Smile
Smiles are inviting and they help viewers to relax enough to hear your message. If you don’t smile during the video interview, the audience is likely to be more on edge than you are and will consequently not absorb a word you say. Of course, you need to be careful not to use big, fake grins, as the insincerity of those will be noticed quickly.
Seven: Express Yourself with Passion
Don’t try to censor your emotional expressions when partaking in a video interview. Expressing your real emotions, passions, and drives on screen with help to endear viewers to your message. Keep in mind that the camera is more forgiving than you might imagine when it comes you becoming overly emotional.