Are you comfortable in front of the camera?
No one, really no one is ever comfortable in front of a camera unless you’re a professional actor or actress. Add a microphone dangling over your head, some extra lights and large panels and you can’t possibly feel at ease. But that all changes if you’re simply sitting with me to chat, and that’s what we’ll be doing; simply talking between ourselves. It’s by far the best way to have a conversational tone of voice and say the most sincere phrases . It’s my problem, not yours, to make you feel at ease.
When I can completely control an interview (sometimes the client does the interview and, well, they ask questions and expect answers) I get the whole set prepared before the person we’re talking with arrives. Everything is ready and rolling, all you have to do is sit down with me and we’ll begin chatting. Little by little, we’ll work our way through your feelings and ideas and have an interesting discussion.
Our discussion revolves around your interests and thoughts, not mine. Asking why you do things or think things in a certain way helps us both get to the root of your feelings and why you do or think the way you do. That is the best way to have an interview. In reality, I’m interested in understanding the things you’ll be talking about, I’m really interested, which is why I have chosen this type of work, I enjoy listening to what people have to say.
So don’t be afraid of an interview with me. There’s really nothing to be afraid of. And, by the way, the people who are usually the most reticent come from C-level management. Directors and high-level managers are used to controlling everything, that’s mostly their job, so being a little out of control, not knowing how you look or sound can be unnerving. But being natural and even making mistakes makes us human and, above all, it makes those who listen open to what we’re saying and empathetic to who we are. That is the key to good communications: empathy and authenticity. People like following and listening to people who are genuine even in their flaws. It makes us all human.