Interview Tips, Part 2 of 2: Conducting a Video Interview

In Part 1, I covered tips for prepping your subject for their video interview. I find those tips serve a twofold purpose. First, establishing your competency and professionalism as a video production company and interviewer. Second, putting your subject at ease and feeling prepared for their on-camera moment.

With this article, I'm going to share my time tested tips for the actual interview.

The Meet and Greet

Despite your best efforts to prep your interviewee in advance, some folks will still be nervous. They could be camera-shy or maybe they had a hectic morning and are arriving "on-set" a bit frazzled. Others will arrive ready to seize the day.

Either way, the meet and greet sets the tone for the day.

If they are coming to us: My first questions upon arrival are, "Can we get you anything to eat or drink?" and, "Do you need to use the restroom room before we take you to the green room?" Trust me, those two go a long way. So many people have said, "Yes, I'd love to run to the restroom before I get settled in."

If I am going to them: Exchange general pleasantries, introduce my team and ask to see potential filming areas so that we can all agree on an ideal setting and the team can get started setting up.

Next steps are to go somewhere private/quiet to discuss any questions they have about talking points, review and discuss wardrobe options, provide a timeline on when we'll be ready to get them in the chair for lighting/sound checks and advise them that we'll have one final chat about the interview before we roll.

Settling into the Chair

Engage with your subject and let them know what's happening every step of the way and keep them at ease. It can be daunting to have the lights, camera and mic pointing at you, and crew buzzing about.

Give them affirmation that their outfit, hair and general appearance are good and no further adjustments are needed. Let them see that you're taking a close look at their hair and clothes and are paying attention to the little details. That not only helps put them at ease, but ensures you don't miss a crooked tie/necklace, some lint or stain , or other little detail that will blatantly stand out when you review your footage.

Sometimes it helps to show them a phot of themselves via the viewfinder/monitor but make sure they can't see themselves during the interview.

Don't forget the all important final talk-through checklist:

• Remind them that you are there to make them look and sound great. You will guide them throughout the interview to ensure they come off well and will flag anything that needs to be repeated.
• Advise them to keep it conversational rather than presentational.
• Don't worry about stutters, ums and ahs because those get cleaned up in post-production.
• Don't worry about repeating yourself. Some questions may call for you to repeat something you already said and that's fine. We can never have too much, but we can have too little.
• The viewers won't hear my questions so start your replies by repeating some of my question for context.
• If you lose your train of thought, don't like what you're saying or misspeak, just stop and start over. Let us know if something is incorrect or shouldn't be used and our editor will make sure to disregard. Feel free to start over as many times as needed. We want you to be happy with your answers and are here for you.

During the Interview

Start off with some soft questions that you know won't be used in the final video, and let them know that is what you are doing. Unless someone is camera savvy, it can take them a good 5-10 minutes to get into "the zone" and forget about the lights and camera.

Keep eye contact with your subject and quietly react with your face and body to what they are saying. Your engagement and body language affects their confidence, relaxation and focus.

Pay attention to what they are saying.

• If they lose their train of thought, they may ask, "What was I just saying?", and you better know the answer.
• They may touch on something unexpected/golden that warrants follow-up questions.
• The topic they are discussing may get bogged down in industry jargon or complexities and it is on you to flag that with them and try to get it closer to layman's terms.
• Have a notepad in your lap to jot down reminders on "circle back" items.

Really listen to how they start and finish their responses. Are they giving you some context from your question at the top and are they giving you a solid ending? If not, ask them to do it one more time and explain why. Guide them into an ideal delivery. It doesn't always require doing the full response. You can solely redo the open or close to tidy things up.

Be diplomatically honest, but not brutally honest, with your subject if they feel like their delivery could use some work. If they feel something is off (and you agree), replying with, "oh no, it's all great" is the wrong move. They'll know you're not being genuine, lose faith/trust in you and the interview will go downhill. A bit of diplomatic honesty and some guidance from you may help them, or it may not. As long as they feel like you're being genuine, they'll endeavor to give you their best.

Before you cut camera, have a think about whether it's worth revisiting the first two real questions you asked . Now that they're warmed up, you may get some additional gold.

In Closing

The above practices have helped me immensely throughout 15 years of conducting interviews. Some of these tips I learned the hard way, others I learned through watching others or reading articles.

One caveat, all of the above has successfully helped me 98% of the time. The other 2% were interviewees that provided unprecedented challenges and were practically beyond hope. But that's an article for another time.

Thanks for reading!