Getting Ready for Your Closeup — 10 Tips For Keeping Cool On-Camera

For even seasoned tech leaders, media interviews can be nerve-wracking. Our media trainers have compiled 10 essential tips to help you look and sound your best so you stay cool, confident, and in control during your next media appearance. Whether you’re gearing up for a live broadcast or a high-stakes recording, prepare to deliver your message with authority and personality. Ready for your closeup? Let’s dive in.

Appearing on camera used to be a rare event. Today, with omnipresent smartphones and live streaming and video conferencing, we’re all used to seeing ourselves on screen — sometimes to the point of fatigue. Answering questions on camera, however, can still prove challenging for even the most savvy influencer. In addition to speaking clearly and staying on message in response to tough questions, interviewees must also be mindful of nonverbal communication, appearance, and posture.

Here are a few tips for creating polished screen appearances so you can feel more confident, comfortable, and ready for your closeup.

Before the interview

1. Rehearsing. Using a stopwatch while looking in a mirror as you practice your key messages will help to reduce “ums” and “you knows” during the actual interview. For example, in the movie Michael Clayton, Tilda Swinton’s character’s rehearsals in the bathroom led to eloquent delivery in the boardroom.

2. Preparing soundbites. Journalists tell stories for a living. You can help them do their job by offering short examples and anecdotes. Clever soundbites can frame important ideas or messaging. If you have a good soundbite to offer, try to include the company name in a “for example” dependent clause.

3. Choosing your look. Being on camera can be uncomfortable both figuratively and literally. (FYI, studio lights let off a lot of heat.) To ward off flop sweat, wear comfortable clothing that makes you feel confident in your appearance. Solid colors, especially blues, look best for broadcast because stripes, patterns, and high-contrast combinations can produce strange visual effects on TV. However, avoid solid white (it can strobe) and solid green unless you want to become meme fodder like Queen Elizabeth’s “green screen” dresses!

4. Appearing your best. Video captures everything, especially posture, energy, and facial expression. Try taking a brisk walk shortly before going on camera to increase brain activity and create a healthy glow. While TV studios will supply makeup, most executives with high media visibility carry their own translucent powder to minimize blemishes and unwanted shine on the forehead and nose. (Richard Nixon’s infamous sweaty pallor in the 1960 televised presidential debate was widely considered to have contributed to his election loss, and Joe Kennedy’s excessive lip gloss sabotaged his message.)

5. Removing distractions. Be completely "present" by banishing anything that might divert your attention. Silence your phone, remove coins from your pockets, ditch pen and paper, and tidy your desk or background area so nothing confidential is visible or distracting to viewers.

During the interview

6. Staying on message. Key messages are your best friend. Acknowledge any questions you’re asked, but always bridge back to your key messages during the interview. Rephrase long questions before answering. Also, reiterate your messages if you’re asked to provide a sound check or give a closing thought or summary.

7. Leaning in. Whether sitting or standing, try not to slump. If you’re sitting, use a fixed chair rather than one that swivels or rocks. Lean forward around 20 degrees to open up your diaphragm, increase your air supply, and signal interest in the discussion. If you're wearing a jacket, sit on it so that the shoulders don’t hunch up.

8. Locking eyes. When face-to-face with an interviewer, focus on the person asking the questions, not on the camera. If the interview is via webcam, look directly into the camera and not at the face of the person on the screen, as your eyeline will be skewed. Nervousness leads to rapid blinking, so be mindful to slow your blinking. And if you pause to think, it’s better to look down than up, to avoid appearing to roll your eyes.

9. Keeping loose. Nervousness leads to looking stiff. To keep from appearing frozen or having “resting b—- face,” hold your lips in a slight smile. It will show in your eyes, too, oozing confidence and signaling attentiveness. You may want to practice that look in a mirror before the interview to make sure it’s a smile and not a smirk!

10. Wetting your whistle. Try to drink plenty of water throughout the day leading up to your interview, as it increases brain activity and enhances mood. During the interview, you will want some water on standby in case of dry mouth, but try not to drink during filming. If you must, sip only when the focus is on the interviewer.

There's no way to anticipate everything that may happen — an interview is a conversation, so roll with it and keep your cool. But if you take these recommendations to heart, you’ll surely come across better than Albert Brooks did in the 1987 classic Broadcast News — still the comedic gold standard for on-camera fiascos.