Hello Terrific Talker,
I recently worked with a public speaking client who is being featured in an upcoming documentary film about her business achievements, and I want to share her “A-Ha” moments with you.
These tips will help you when you are featured in a recorded interview.
Although my client has experience speaking to large groups, this was her first filmed interview, where she traveled across the country to be filmed in a professional studio for a large-scale production, which was completely new territory for her.
Here are the main takeaways from her interview experience, highlighting the challenges she encountered, such as nerves and surprises, as well as her ultimate success in sharing her story with poise and confidence.
Her story will help you feel prepared and confident for your own interview.
1. 🗣️ Use the Prepared Spontanaity Method for Interviews:
My client had eight question prompts to prepare for her interview, so the first thing we did was practice her answers for the spoken word, rather than the written word, since her audience would be listening rather than reading.
We simplified her script, which helped her sound more natural and feel more comfortable sharing about herself.
Next, she moved from reading her scripted answers aloud to responding more spontaneously.
Having a clear beginning, middle, and end to her answer structure was an effective strategy for remembering her responses without needing to memorize them completely.
🔑 #1 Key Takeaway: Don’t overload your brain with memorization, especially when you have a camera, lights, and a whole crew watching. Instead, use clear bullet points for the beginning, middle, and end of your answers. I call this speech exercise "Prepared Spontaneity," and it’s useful in interviews or live events when you’re unsure how they will go.
2. 🪷 Develop Calming Techniques Before Your Interview
Besides conducting “mock interviews” to help her become more comfortable, we identified the calming techniques that work best for her to feel at ease before and during her interview. Most people experience speaking anxiety before the interview, known as anticipatory anxiety.
A helpful way to reduce anticipatory anxiety is to find calming methods that work for you. Since everyone is different, it’s good to experiment and discover the techniques that help you most. Some effective calming methods include:
Breathwork
Visualizations
Mantras
Stretching and Shakeouts
Mood-Boosting Playlists
Calming Frequency Playlists
Meditation
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Medication
Dancing
Humming
🔑 🔑 #2 Key Takeaway: Consistently practice the calming techniques that work for you, starting well before your interview. Having a calming plan will help reduce anticipatory anxiety, allowing you to feel more at ease during the interview process.
3. 📝 Understand Your Appearance Release Form
A film production should give you an Appearance Release Form to sign. These forms vary depending on the project scope, but outline the agreements upfront about your compensation, your rights to approve your participation, review your recording before it's released, and understand how your recording will be used for promotional purposes.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions or have a lawyer review your release form to ensure your appearance and likeness are protected, especially in today's era of AI. For example, my client had a clause that allowed her to request two rounds of edits so that she could approve her final interview.
An unexpected issue came up when the production sent over thirty additional interview questions just a day before filming. Had we known this in advance, she could have set limits on the interview questions and topics.
🔑🔑🔑 #3 Key Takeaway: I told her to concentrate on her prepared answers and only respond to additional questions she felt comfortable with. She did exactly that and felt more confident about the last-minute change. Remember, you always have the right to pass on a question you prefer not to answer in an interview.
🔥 The Final Takeaway:
During our debrief after filming, my client shared that, although being filmed was definitely a stretch, she found these coaching strategies helpful to feel more prepared for her filming day. She went from camera-shy to outspoken!
🎬 🎬 Join us Thursday for our 30-Minute Workshop! 🎬 🎬
If you want to learn more about interviews, I’ll be holding a workshop in the Love Your Voice Community, titled “How to Speak Confidently for a Filmed Interview,” this Thursday, 9/25, at Noon PST here on Substack. We’ll go over the key points to help your interview go smoothly. Feel free to bring your questions for the live chat—we're here to support you!
Join Thursday’s 30-minute workshop at noon PST HERE:
Let’s help you feel fully camera-ready to share your brilliance.
Stay Calm & Speak On,
Jessica
Speaking of being filmed, I recorded a new video for my communication archetype quiz. Let me know what you think!
You can watch it below, and if you have not already done so, take the quiz here: