Tips for Asking Questions During a Video Interview
In this video we share a few essential tips for conducting interviews to use in a video. Remember, whether you’re filming a client testimonial, company video, or other project, your goal is to make the interviewee feel comfortable and create a natural, authentic atmosphere.
First, make sure you prepare your interview questions ahead of time. These questions give you a roadmap for the interviews and ensure you don’t miss any key talking point. Keep the questions open to avoid yes or no answers. You want to give the interviewee a chance to talk about their experiences.
While it is important to have a list of questions, you don’t have to follow it too strictly. Sometimes an interviewee’s answer might prompt a series of follow-up questions that provide important content to the video that you would have otherwise missed.
Which leads into the next point, in order to ask those great follow up questions, be an active listener. Don’t look down at your phone or papers while the interviewee is answering a question. When you’re not focused, the interviewee can lose focus too and produce less authentic answers and reactions. Plus, you don’t want the interviewee looking directly into the camera, so maintaining eye contact helps them and shows you are engaged.
One caveat to being an active listener: don’t verbally respond while the interviewee is talking. It is natural for many of us to give affirmatives while someone speaks to validate that we’re listening. However, while recording a video interview we don’t want the interviewer’s audio to be captured, since we won’t be able to remove crosstalk picked up by the microphone. So instead, you can nod your head and make facial expressions, like smiling, to acknowledge you are actively listening.
Final tip: don’t immediately start talking after the interviewee has finished an answer. This will feel uncomfortable since most people find the silence awkward, but it’s crucial for two reasons. One, that silence at the end will make the audio much easier to edit in post-production. Two, and more importantly, the interviewee might provide valuable content after that pause. It could just be a facial expression that is a good wrap up for the video, or that silence might provoke them to keep talking and enrich their answer.
If you have any questions about interviewing people during a video interview, feel free to send us an email.
We’re Spoken Frame Media -
A story-driven video production company serving the greater Madison, Wisconsin area. Focusing on company overviews, client and employee testimonials, and careers page videos, we’re experts in helping you communicate your message to the right audience.
With our specialized production teams, we’ll bring your project to life using premium equipment, professional expertise, and a stress-free production environment so you’re sure to make the best first impression.
Looking to collaborate with a video production team you can trust? Get in touch with us today.