Yet another Zoom meeting, and more importantly, it’s a video recording with a journalist and you want to be on your ‘A’ game. Time to think about your conference call etiquette!
So, you tidy yourself up, comb your hair, make sure you’ve removed traces of lunch from your teeth, and booted up the link they’ve sent you. That’s enough, no? Er, well no, not really.
There’s a little bit more thought that needs to go into a recording for broadcast, because that in effect is what it is – a broadcast. It is easy to get a bit complacent, and think, it’s just another conference call or it’s just me in my kids’ bedroom or under the stairs and I’m sure they’ll understand, but remember, this is for posterity.
These video links don’t go away. By the nature of the request, the journalist thinks you are worth listening to. You are probably an expert in your field, respected and trusted. As such, you just have to think about the image you are portraying.
Here are some tips on presenting yourself to the camera for a broadcast videocast with a journalist:
Conference Call Etiquette – Our 14 Tips
If you have any questions or queries about how to show up for a “video interview” or indeed would like to book a series of videocasts with our team, we would love to hear from you. We research the content and can create animated logos, overlays, insert images and clips into videos we produce for you. We can also research other industry experts to interview for a video/podcast series you might want to run for your own company PR outreach.
ONE
First things first, what are you wearing? We’ve seen those hilarious images online, where the CEO is sitting with a shirt and jacket on, while wearing pyjamas and slippers beneath the table out of view of the laptop camera. A good tip though, is to get yourself dressed properly, head to toe (OK you can kick your shoes off), it will make you feel ready to speak professionally and put you in the right mindset. Make sure your neckline is tidy, your collar isn’t tucked in. Ties aren’t worn much now, but it’s up to you and how you feel you want to be portrayed. If you are needing to deliver an important announcement or possibly even sharing bad news, then imagine how you might present yourself if you were at a real press conference – that should give you a steering on what to wear. Stripes are not always a good idea as they can look fuzzy on camera, so plain colour is the preference, slightly darker so you don’t look huge even if you’re not. The camera always makes you looks bigger if you are wearing white.
TWO
What can you see behind you in the camera? Assuming you have managed to switch on the camera, you can do a dummy run before the interview, or if the interviewer is nice (which likely they will be as they want the best footage they can get), ask them what they can see in the frame where you are. You might think you’ve removed everything, but your laundry smalls might still be visible or the toilet door might be open behind you! Work with them to help remove anything that might compromise your image or distract the viewer from what you are saying. Even Emanuel Macron isn’t beyond being embarrassed by background activity, when his adopted dog decided to pee in the fireplace behind the meeting he was holding!
THREE
What did you have for breakfast, is lunch still visible on your desk? Are there crumbs on your shirt or worse between your teeth? A cursory tidy up around you will go a long way to prevent a cringeworthy video playback when you are back at work and your colleagues won’t let you forget the sultana tooth you sported on your BBC interview.
FOUR
Having said that, some backgrounds are positive. Maybe you have a map of a world on the wall behind you, giving the impression of an international presence, or you have a pop-up banner. Some Zoom virtual backgrounds can work really well, depending on the nature of your business. If your background is REALLY bad, consider maybe a corporate office background, or create a branded jpg in your corporate colours. Origin Comms can help create those for you if you need them.
FIVE
Maybe test the sound, simply by checking your microphone and speakers, and video on Zoom, or whichever platform you’re using beforehand, not only to check your computer does work with the platform (Teams, gotomeeting, etc) but to avoid any #epicfails. You may have seen the hilarious case when a US attorney appeared on a virtual court hearing as A CAT! It brought light relief to all of us working from home but was a mammoth fail on the part of the professionalism of the US judiciary system! So, make sure your daughter or partner haven’t left you with a crazy filter or weird background that will pop up when you start the interview. As in all things, preparation is key!
SIX
One small but important point. Broadband speed. Do you have other people in the house? Are you uploading a video in the background? Check the “load” on the broadband as a lot of data going through the wifi and broadband pipeline will cause your picture and sound quality to dip. You can put your phone on airplane mode or switch off the wifi on devices lying around, so they don’t also drain the speed. You don’t want your iPhone downloading an update of Candycrush while you’re trying to get your point over to News at 10.
SEVEN
On the point of other people in the house, maybe if you can lock the door, or put a sign on it to let others you share your home with that you are on a video interview. You may have seen the cute children coming in to play while their Dad, Professor Robert Kelly, is being interviewed on the BBC LIVE! Was cute, but a) he couldn’t concentrate, and b) I gave up listening to what he said as I was too busy looking at how much fun the kids were having!
EIGHT
Are you going to need to share slides or anything on your screen? Again, do a dummy run, find out how to do it. You can share just a certain window or make sure the frame of the video conference screen is filling your desktop before you share your screen. You don’t want the lively beach party photos of you in Ibiza two years ago that your best mate sent you to be in full view of the tabloid journalist who is recording the interview, do you!
NINE
Relax and move your body before you sit down. You might be embarrassed, but if you are on your own anyway, take a moment to shrug your shoulders, open your chest, if you can, recite a poem out loud or your notes to loosen up your voice. Once you’ve done that, just give yourself a final check over. They say if you sit on your jacket that will give you a straight line, depends on your build, but generally tuck in your shirt at the front to give you a smooth line as you present to camera.
TEN
Sit up straight, and smile. You’ll be surprised at how your tone and delivery changes when you speak ‘through a smile’! Prop your notes up in front of you if you need them. Ideally so they are in your line of vision, maybe scroll through them on the screen. If you are very nervous, push your thumb into the palm of your other hand, as they say it is a stress relief pressure point. If it turns out that’s mumbo jumbo, it gives you something to do with your hands anyway to stop them shaking.
ELEVEN
Try to avoid any unnecessary distractions, such as slamming doors, barking dogs, or rattling windows. Try to make sure there are no additional external sounds. Closing the window will prevent next door’s lawn mower invading the recording for instance. Make sure your mobile is on silent (and not on vibrate as it will be heard on the recording if it’s on your desk), email and other alerts are off. Close the door and give notice to those around you that you should not be disturbed.
TWELVE
Where is your camera? Are you looking at your camera or at yourself on the screen? Frame yourself so you are in the centre of your screen. If you are using the laptop camera, likely that is fine as the angle of your head is looking down at the screen and it’s not too difficult. Just make sure the camera isn’t zooming in on the side of your head and having a nice view of your ear if it’s not built into your computer. Also make sure your cat isn’t about to usurp the frame too.
THIRTEEN
If you wear glasses, just be conscious that the reflection might show more than the screen itself, it may also show what’s behind the monitor, so bear that in mind if you have a lit area behind the screen and your partner thinks it’s funny to dance naked in the kitchen while you’re on the call you might want to think about that. Of course, you could just be reflecting the pile of ironing on the bed behind the laptop, but you get what we are advising! Of course the activity might be going on behind you!
FOURTEEN
Most importantly, have fun and try to relax. Chat to the interviewer at the beginning, we do this with all our interviews. Small talk, or industry talk to relax both of us! Ask any questions you need about the format of the interview: do you need to repeat the questions in some way if there is an audio podcast that will go separately for instance. We are all in this together, just be confident that the journalist knows what they are doing and will show you in the best light they can.
And remember EVERY video interview is important. We are on a planet of social sharing, you have absolutely no idea where these videos go. So, while you might be interviewed by your son’s friend about your job for a school project, or a quick piece to camera for a composite video release, these videos could end up going viral and having thousands of views. Don’t let lack of preparation come back to bite you as you go for your next promotion or go for a new job. You never know what you might want to do in the future. Always make sure you are the best you can be.
We hope you enjoyed our conference call etiquette advice! For more from our PR team you can call us on 020 3814 2940 or email us at team@origincomms.com