If you’re about to conduct an interview on video, you’ll want to be thoroughly prepared. Here are some tips to get the best out of your video interview subject and create an informative video for everyone to see and share.
Before the interview:
Prepare open-ended questions that force the interview subject to actually explain something rather than provide them with an opportunity to simply say “yes” or “no”, which makes the interview boring.
Do as much research on the subject and the topic of the interview before the interview so that you can have an easier conversation with them – the more you know about the subject matter and the interviewee’s thoughts, the more friendly you can come off. This will make the interviewee will be more responsive in the end.
During the interview:
Stay relaxed and make eye contact. Try not to just sit and nod, but instead make facial expressions and engage in conversation with your subject if they say something unexpected.
Make the interviewee comfortable, and avoid outside distractions when possible.
Whether taking notes during an interview is a good idea or not is up for debate. On one hand, they allow you to keep the interview more on track and help you remember if there is anything else you need to look up after it is finished. But they also make the interview seem less authentic, as if you’re reading from a script. Not only that, but they take you out of the moment. It’s up to you whether you want to take notes.
Of course, if you don’t have the right video production equipment, editing software or lighting, your video won’t look professional or put together even though your interview was well-conducted.
Whether you’re conducting an interview for a corporate presentation, to showcase customer testimonials or to add expert knowledge and authoritative perspective to a project, consider using a professional video production company to perfect the video production while you perfect your interview.