Tips for a Successful Video Interview

I enjoy connecting with other business people via a video interview to strengthen or build an online relationship.  It doesn’t have to be complicated or take up a large amount of time.  

This is a Win-Win strategy for both myself and the other person.  I get content for my YouTube channel that is original and can be turned into a blog article.  They get exposure to a different audience and are positioned as an expert in their field.

Over the years, I’ve done quite a few video interviews with many different people in different industries for my company and for client accounts.  

Google Hangouts are my video platform of choice because I don’t have to edit and the video is immediately live on my YouTube channel.  Each time I get someone onto a Hangout, I go through my list of what to do and what not to do.
 
Here is my list.  Please leave a comment and add to it.

What to Wear

• Don't wear flashy or noisy jewelry and bright hair ornaments.
• Avoid print, plaid or checkered clothing.
• Don't wear white or bright red colors.

The Chat Feature

• If your audio is not working, chat is a helpful communication tool.
• Chat gives you the ability to share content and links
• During a live session, the public cannot see the messages.
• Make sure before starting the hangout, you open the chat feature.

Mute microphone

• During a live presentation, if you are NOT speaking, try to MUTE yourself.  The “big screen” jumps to the person speaking - or making noise. If you cough, the big screen is on you, even if you are not the presenter.
• Distracting noises.  Ambient noise can be the air conditioning turning on at the wrong time. Do you have a bird in the house or a dog?
• If you join a hangout that has several people already in it, you’ll come in muted. Unmute to talk!

For best results

• Put the computer on a solid, flat surface.  (Not your lap)
• Do not walk around while someone else is speaking or the “big screen” jumps to you and we can see you moving around.
• If you are prone to nerves and you twitch, do not touch the desk, keyboard, or any area around the computer. It will vibrate with you.
• Check to see what is behind you.  Move to an area that does not have distractions in the background.  
• Lighting.  Make sure to have plenty of lighting from the front.  Sit in front of a window or have a soft light placed in front of your computer.  Do not sit with a window behind you.  The light from behind causes a problem for the viewer.
• Have a set of earbuds handy.  Sometimes a laptop causes reverberation noises during the presentation because the built-in microphone and camera are too close.  Inserting earbuds fixes that.  If you don’t have earbuds, mute yourself when not speaking.
• Wifi video quality is slightly less than when a computer is hard-wired into the internet.  If at all possible, try to use an ethernet cable and hard-wire your computer to the internet.
• If your computer “dings” when you receive a message or email, turn that feature off during the hangout.  It affects the sound quality and is distracting.

Finally, if there is a flub or mistake and we need to do a “do-over”

• You can only be on one hangout at a time.  If we need to re-do the hangout, you need to close out of the one we are in and click the link to open another session.

Leave a comment and add to this list of what you've experienced when video interviewing someone.

I'm open to doing a video interview with others who want to create interesting content so message me.