Q. Hi Jordan,
I’m in a position at work where I will soon have to interview authors for videos that will be posted on facebook, youtube, blogs, etc. I do not feel comfortable on camera, especially when I have to be professional and appear intelligent. My mind just won’t allow me to relax. I always obsess over what I am going to say before I say it, and I never know when to look at the camera. Anyway, my question is how do you do it? When you interview someone how do you make it look so easy and fun? How do you keep the conversation going and appear engaged? How do you avoid it not looking like you are reading questions off a piece of paper?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! My first interview is May 3rd – *scared*.
Thanks,
Julia
A. Hi Julia,
First: it’s tooootally normal to be uncomfortable on camera when you’ve never done it before. And second: trust me when I say that performance anxiety is absolutely something that you can get over.
While I may be comfortable on camera nowadays, it definitely wasn’t always so. In fact, I went through a period in Los Angeles when my nerves were so bad that any time I had to speak in front of people (which is an unfortunately frequent occurrence when you’re an auditioning actress) my voice and legs shook, and I developed a horrible red rash across my neck and chest. I strongly considered leaving the entertainment industry altogether, because my anxiety was destroying my ability to perform, my confidence, my ability to trust myself…everything. I remember once auditioning for Jada Pinkett Smith – for a part that I was absolutely perfect for – and being so nervous that I could barely get a word out: I just turned to Jada and the other producers, said “I’m sorry. I can’t do this”…and ran out of the room. It was a majorly low point in my career. The point: if I was able to get over my nerves, you can too.
It’s really helpful to remember that no matter how nervous you are, the person you’re interviewing is probably much more so. They likely view you as the on-camera expert, so help them relax; focusing on helping someone else get over their nerves can really reduce your own anxiety. Before you start the interview, try chatting a little with your guest; keep things light, give them a sense of what you’ll be covering (if that’s okay with your producers), and maybe offer a couple of tips (which you’ll totally be in a position to give after you’ve done just a couple of segments). You could even let your guest know that being on-camera sometimes makes you a little antsy; that way you’re both in the same boat.
During the interview itself, it’s best to look at your guest, and to encourage your guest to look at you. Check out this early “Domestic Bliss” episode: I forgot to tell the people I was interviewing to talk to me and ignore the camera, and it ended up looking a bit awkward. Generally, the only time you should speak directly into the camera is during your “intro” (“I’m here with…”) and your “outro” (“Thanks for watching!”).
When it comes to making sure to ask the questions you want to ask while still looking natural…here’s the thing: I firmly believe that you can never be too prepared for an interview, but when the cameras start rolling, it’s important to let all that go and trust yourself. Actually, there’s a lot more pressure on the person who’s being interviewed – you just have to keep them focused and move things along. Really listen to them, rather than obsessing over the next thing to ask: if you keep your focus on your subject, the right question will often pop into your mind naturally. Have a couple of solid questions at hand in case there’s an awkward pause, but the best interviewers let their guests take the lead. You’re there to make them shine.
Be sure to let us know how it goes! I bet you’ll be brilliant 🙂
xo
