Back in our in house TV studio for a fair about of work lately.
We're blessed to have the facility, and in these days of social media and short attention spans it's getting more of a workout than ever before. I get called on a lot to anchor chat show style conversations because of my background as a journalists. The average marketer seems terrified of the prospect of interviewing someone on camera. And, I must admit, I've seen some mighty wooden attempts.
Here are my three best tips for being an on camera interviewer.
One. Prepare the right questions. You must distance yourself from the corporate line or any underlying agenda. This almost guarantees boring interaction. Instead, consider what your subject is best at talking about. Then think about the questions your audience would most want to explore. Combine them.
Two. Keep it short. Don't be afraid to cut your interviewee off when he starts to drone one. You can be polite about this ... look interested and inject a follow up question. Keep your questions punchy and direct, so that they encourage short, direct answers.
Three. Ignore the camera. I know it's hard, but you must do it. Imagine it's just you and your subject. Have a chat. Enjoy yourselves. Let the camera capture it. The results will be far better than if you try to hard.
