I was interviewed by Lanka Monthly Digest—Sri Lanka’s premiere business publication—on November 4th, 2012, as part of their series about ways to increase tourism in Sri Lanka. It was my first video interview…
Here are five things I learned from the experience. OK, I already knew them—and you do too—but seeing the video drove them home:
- Insist on knowing the questions ahead of time (unless you’re exceptionally quick on your feet). Although the questions were not difficult, the few seconds I took thinking about my response (while talking) were a little distracting.
- Sit still. (Grandma was right.) Big gestures are fine—they add energy. But smaller gestures can look fidgety, especially if they’re quick. And please, no rocking.
- Dress appropriately. (Mom was right.) If I’d been a talking head in this interview, my appearance would have been fine. But my bare arms were distracting. (Gosh it was hot in Sri Lanka in the afternoon. I couldn’t have worn a jacket. And at the time, I couldn’t imagine wearing long sleeves.) Also, the clip-on mike pulled at my neckline in a distracting way.
- Warm up. I had just met the interviewer, and we started right in. I think the later part of the interview was better, because I was a little more relaxed.
- There are some things you just can’t control. Did you notice the way the camera pulled back to show my whole torso when I was talking about how much I loved Sri Lankan food, and speculated about how much weight I might have gained while eating it?
I’m looking forward to my next video, which will be better! Hope yours will be, too, and that you can learn from my experience.
