How to Ace a Media Interview When You’re Doing It From Home or Your Office

Producers and editors are increasingly using Skype and other video-conferencing software to inject insights from authors, journalists, bloggers, documentarians and all types of other media folks into their daily lineup of discussions and debates (and discussions that turn into debates). Webcam interviews are good publicity for the interviewee and, for the outlets, a way to avoid comping guests’ pricey travel costs without sacrificing quality content. It’s a win-win on both sides of the screen, suggests Tracey Mills, principal public relations and marketing consultant with Mills Consulting Group in Washington, DC.

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“From the media’s perspective, you have an opportunity to get a live person rather than just writing an article. Audiences are reading less and want quick visuals, so webcam interviews can meet those demands,” she explains. “Producers also have the option to easily get interviews without sending camera crews, especially since outlets are scaling back on their number of crews, and studio time is limited and expensive.”

As great as that is, adds Brad Phillips, author of The Media Training Bible and the Mr. Media Training blog, it shouldn’t be a great surprise that the logistical benefits of webcam interviews can also be met with some executional challenges. “Eye contact can be a big problem for many people who aren’t used to gazing at an inanimate camera. Worse, the computer screen can be a distraction that too often pulls their eyes away from the camera. And,” he says, “people speaking into a camera usually lose the natural energy they would bring to an in-person conversation. That’s a mistake.”

The trifecta of convenience, savings and viewing popularity means the webcam interview phenomenon is going to continue to grow as the new media norm. Best to prepare for it now. Here are some nuggets of advice from experts who make clients look and sound their best, even across the sometimes-tricky, never-boring online platform.

1. Remember: you’re in control. For some starlets just venturing into public speaking, it can be much less intimidating to conduct an interview on home turf than the unfamiliarity of a host’s hot seat. “There’s nothing scarier than going to the studio and doing the lights, camera, action. You don’t have a lot of control over the environment in which you’re delivering the interview. But conducting it from your desktop or an area that you set up takes 50 percent of the jitters away,” offers Mills. “You can focus on what you’re talking about, especially for a more contentious interview. At the end of the day, the news outlet has control over the editing. But at least you can have control over your ability to deliver your message the best way you can on your own terms.”

2. Unleash your inner cheerleader. In order to connect with viewers, sell yourself as an expert and make your thoughts and ideas credible; your presentation has to have some zing. If you’re not enthusiastic about what you’re saying, no one else will be bothered to be, either. “Speak directly towards the microphone loudly and with energy.

The production team can always lower volume if necessary, but if they need to boost your volume it will add hiss and room noise,” advises Ken Molay, president of Webinar Success, a web-conferencing service specializing in speaker training, webinar consulting and webcast support. “Watch out for turning your head to think about something or to glance down at notes. If you have to look away, stop talking for a moment, then turn back to the camera and microphone and start speaking again.”

3. Eliminate distractions. Edit your background to avoid making the traffic flying by your office or the co-workers breezing past in the hallway the most interesting thing on your side of the interview. “Position the camera away from any windows or moving objects and remove anything from the background — photographs, for example — that may be difficult to make out on a computer screen,” Phillips reminds us. Larger objects like framed wall art, a lamp or even a house plant work better in a backdrop, so long as you’re not sitting directly in front of it and the leaves don’t look like they’re growing out of your head like a Chia Pet.

4. Put your chin up, arms down. Positioning your camera below your sight line can mean a sore neck for you and an unflattering view for your audience. “First of all, it gives you a double chin and it also brings down your energy level. Your diaphragm is crunched, your posture is crumpled, so your voice tone and your eyes go down,” Mills warns. Instead, she recommends placing the webcam at eye level or a little above, which ups your strength and energy. Just don’t let it tip over into frenzy. “In TV interviews, I usually encourage people to be a little more animated than they normally would be in everyday conversation so it looks livelier. But over the Internet, it can look choppy. The way that webcams pick up images is not always in real time, so if you wave your hands around, it’s going to look crazy. Keep still and don’t jerk around too much or make goofy faces.”

5. It’s OK to be a little dramatic. “Despite the fact that Skype or video conferencing feels unnatural, you still need to bring your strongest delivery to the interview,” Phillips adds. Imagine you’re hosting a party and two of your guests don’t know one another.

“Odds are you would put them at ease by warmly introducing them. That’s the tone you should use in your media interviews. You may feel like your delivery is over-the-top or even that you’re yelling,” but he assures, “most people are surprised to see that their somewhat exaggerated energy looks perfectly natural on the screen.

6. Do a mic check. Another challenge of webcam interviews: being your own audio/visual tech. An upgrade of your standard-issue equipment may make things easier. “Never rely on hardware built in to a laptop. The integrated webcam and microphone, which are notoriously low quality and will make you sound remote and disconnected, will always be worse than add-on hardware,” says Molay, who adds that good webcams — like high-definition cameras from Logitech — are less than $100 and work great. A shotgun mic on a stand and lavaliere or lapel microphone are also good choices.

One more A/V note: “Don’t use built-in laptop speakers to listen to your interviewer. They direct the sound straight ahead onto your body, which reflects it back to the microphone. You’ll get a feedback loop,” Molay adds. “Buy external speakers — even cheap, $10 ones are fine — angle them away from you and the microphone, and lower the sound until you can just manage to hear the interviewer. This will reduce chances of audible feedback.” If you hope or expect to make video interviews a regular part of your media repertoire, the extra equipment is well worth your investment.

7. Have your points ready. Media jackpots abound and the call from an anxious producer looking for your input can come quickly. Be prepared. Mills tells her clients, “You always want to have your messaging points ready. Get one of those larger Post-It notes that you can stick right next to the camera so you can subtly and naturally glance at your notes while you’re talking.

But you definitely don’t want to sit there and read them.” Create a little phrase with a key word that’s bolded or highlighted so you can glimpse at it. If you practice enough beforehand, all you’ll need is a word or two to remind you of your key points, which Mills says should be limited to three.

8. Be fashionably conservative. In general, the same rules that apply for TV are in play for Skype and webcam interviews, says Phillips. “Avoid entire outfits composed of reds, blacks and whites. Pastels work well, as do navy blues and grays. Don’t wear clothing with a small geometrical shapes, bold stripes or herringbone patterns, which can produce a ‘shimmy’ effect.” Makeup should be more understated than the TV studio version, since the fluorescent lights aren’t a factor when you’re looking at a camera attached to a computer.

9. Create your own spotlight. At the risk of feeling like a diva, be intentional about setting your stage with good lighting. “Sometimes people have whatever lighting that’s in the room as it is, whether it’s from a window or a lamp. Light the room — preferably overhead — and have some warm lighting hitting your face, like from desk or table lamp,” Mills suggests. The point, she says, is to make your face better lit than the rest of the room.

10. Speak up, then quiet down. Be mindful of not only what you say, but how you say it. “Watch out for trailing away volume at the end of sentences. You need to finish each sentence as strongly as you start it,” Molay cautions, adding that your interviewer should never be unclear about what you said at the end of your statement because your voice ran out of batteries. And, he says, “Be very quiet while your interviewer speaks. Don’t use typical conversational cues that show you’re listening, such as ‘mm-hmm’ or ‘uh-huh.’ Each person’s audio needs to be crisp and uncontaminated by the other speaker.”

In the rush to collect the most provocative and authoritative perspectives to push across the web, producers and editors are ever on the prowl for experts. Now you’re one of them. Practice, practice, practice your interview skills and graciously accept gigs as they come along, feeling empowered that your message and brand are growing each time you look into the camera.

Janelle Harris resides in Washington, D.C., frequents Twitter and lives on
Facebook.