MADE for U of T | Ep. 14 | Confidence and authenticity on camera

Laura Hepes (LH): One of the first things I do is I always have to know a little bit about the person, and a little bit about the topic, or as much as I can. I like to say that I’m a jack-of-all-trades, master of none, because in my career, I’ve had to interview people on a variety of topics I know nothing about, so I’ve had to learn quickly. But you do have to know a little bit in order to follow the conversation along, and to make sure that you’re able to ask follow-up questions. So, research is important, right off the bat, and knowing what you want to get out of the interview. And then, you know, to start, I definitely do a bit of casual small talk, whether that’s the weather, or how long their drive was, or their coffee order. I just want to get them grounded, I want to get them to a place where, they don’t feel sort of that anxiety once the camera comes on.

I actually do that not even in front of the cameras. So, behind the scenes, you know, I’m chatting with the person, and then I bring them into the set, and once you’re on set, you know, I mean, depends on how large the set is, it can get pretty intimidating, the lights, the cameras, everything in your face. And so I start with sort of warm-up questions for people. These are questions that I may or may not use, or they’re practical questions. They know the answers to these questions, so it’s not like they’re trying too hard, to think about what is it that they’re trying to say. And I always tell people, you know, there’s no perfect answer here, this is your story, this is, you know the answers to these, don’t feel like you have to perform in any way, and that I just want you… I always say, I just want you to tell me a story as if we were, longtime friends, we haven’t seen each other, and we’re sitting at a bar together. Because that really disarms people.

Inga Breede (IB): I love that!

LH: Yeah, like, we’re just a couple of friends, we’re having some, drinks at the bar together, just tell me as if you were telling me, and try to ignore all the noise around you. So that’s sort of the base. I don’t generally suggest scripts, although I do understand in sort of a more academic background, you will need data and information, so that’s important to get correct and to sort of have nearby, but hopefully not reading it word for word.

Scripts or scripted lines, or, sort of memorizing something that you’re trying to say will make the person feel stiff and uncomfortable. And so, I always say, okay, you know the information, let’s put the paper down, let’s just look at me and tell me that as a story. And the story part is also something that I try to get out of people. It’s always more engaging to have them not tell me specific data points, but rather tell me information as if it was a story. So, it’s always going back to that. I’m always trying to get them to engage with the story and sort of break it down.

Simple language is another thing, like, try… try to be casual with them, so that hopefully there’s, they become more casual with you. Again, breaking it down, not using, sort of, very technical or theoretical jargon, will make the story more engaging.

IB: So what are some common mistakes people tend to do when they’re interviewing on video, and how can they be avoided?

LH: Maybe the biggest one is, people don’t listen carefully. When I’m speaking with someone, I definitely try to stay as engaged as possible. I do it in my body language, I lean in, I, you know, make sure I maintain eye contact, (laughs) I sometimes feel foolish at, you know, just sort of, like, the nodding and the constant smiling or agreeing with them that I’m doing, right? Yeah? But I think that helps people keep going. Like, it gives them that acknowledgement that “Oh, I’m on the right track, I’m saying something right, this is sort of what they’re looking for, so I’ll keep going in that direction.”

So, I think it’s just listening really intently. You’ve written the questions, so you know what you’re trying to say. You have them, you know them in the back of your mind. If you’re constantly looking down and then going, oh, question number two, right? And then do question number two, it will interrupt the flow, so just keeping it really conversational that way, and so, there’s also no hard rule that you have to go through all your questions, right? Sometimes I write 20 or more questions, and I get through half. And that’s okay, because I know that the conversation flowed naturally, I’ve been able to ask follow-up questions on things that they’ve said, and so that feels good. Like, that’s always the best, when it’s sort of, like, an organic, flowing conversation like that.

IB: I also feel like not only are you answering my questions, but you’re reassuring me, because I, in fact, do have a set of questions, and I’m following them in order. And I feel like you’re telling me, “Inga, it’s okay. You don’t need to ask all of them, or in the same order.” I’m like, thank you, thank you for letting me know that. I feel better. But, it does lead me to my next question about how you prepare those to get authentic, responses from the interviewees.

LH: I always know a bit about the topic or the person, so I do a lot of research on them. And I always have a plan on what I want to get out of the conversation. So, I’ve done potentially thousands of interviews with people, I don’t know, definitely hundreds. And so, I always go into it saying, okay, these are my goals, these are the kinds of things I need that person to say. Because when you’re doing media production, or really anything, you know, you do have a story in mind that you’re trying to put together, and so I do need to have a sense of, okay, they’re gonna talk about X, Y, and Z here, this person, and then the next person is going to tell me A, B, and C, right? And so having that plan guides me. And then I write my questions, and then I pare it down, because I know I won’t go through them all, and that’s fine. And then make sure that you’re asking definitely open-ended questions, you know, the conversation can definitely go down the drain if you’re going to give them questions that can be answered with a yes or no. That’s pretty, that’s pretty plain. But also I try to ask questions that sort of elicit some sort of feeling or emotional response out of them. So I’ll ask, you know, take me through that thing that happened, or describe to me what that situation felt like? Or even a simple, okay, how did that make you feel after they tell me something? And so that sort of triggers, another level of depth to the conversation. And, you know, I like that. That works for, for television. I think, I think it works definitely in the scientific community, too.

IB: We’re working with educators who might possibly be either interviewed, or appearing on camera to present some content, whether it’s a presentation, videos that are part of an online module. Sometimes they’re also bringing in special guests, people from industry. Like, recently, we did a panel discussion. The instructor was interviewing a panel of industry experts. So, in those sort of scenarios, when the educator, the instructor, is doing the interviewing, what you’ve said so far, I mean, it sounds like all of that applies, but is there anything specific that you might want, like, advice you’d want to give to an educator to help them capture strong, clear explanations from their subject matter experts.

LH: Yeah, I think as much as possible, break it down into, sort of short or simple complex, less complex problems. So, whether that’s, a real-world example that you can give. There’s definitely an opportunity, too, to always capture data and, sort of, knowledge points that are important, but those can also bebroken into simple sentences, right? I think if a person is, able to just be a bit more casual, right? It elicits… people… people speak in a different tone and manner. You know, people gesticulate, right? What do I do with my hands? You want to exude confidence, but also you want to make sure that you’re able to just sort of, like, give a presentation in a manner in which it’s well received, right? So, so I always say, you know, stand up straight, good posture, right? Some people like to, you know, slouch in the chair that they’re sitting in, but I’m always reminding them, okay, make sure you’re sitting up nice and tall, make sure you take some deep breaths before you start. Make sure you smile. You know, the topic can be serious, and of course, it matters where you smile, right? But even just, like a deep breath and a smile before you start, it just grounds you, it just helps you sort of center yourself and sort of go into it. Also, I think it’s important to sort of know what you’re trying to say, or at least know the first sentence of every, sort of, new segment or new idea that you’re trying to say. If you land that, then you’re able to, you know, lead the conversation better.

IB: And so you talked about, like, keeping your answers sort of, like, succinct, simple, not too complex. Are you also thinking about, the length of an interview? Like, are you thinking, like, okay, this is gonna be a long one, I already know I’m gonna need to chunk this into, like, smaller videos, or if you know you’re just producing one video, how do you kind of keep it within a time frame that you know someone’s actually going to watch or listen to the whole thing?

LH: It happens all the time. People do like to talk more, and sort of ramble on, and so, you know, I have a tendency to do that too.

IB: I mean, I’m not complaining, because everything you’ve said so far has been amazing, so…

LH: I think, yeah, that’s always in the back of my mind, so when I, you know, I do an interview that’s maybe 15-20 minutes long, and I know that I’ll need to make a 3-minute video out of it. It is a process after the fact to sort of pull out the best information that they said, and, you know, package that together in a way that it flows in a story. That’s part of my job, that comes with experience, right? I don’t know if I ever quantified the time that it takes, but I always think of it that if it’s a 15-minute interview, I definitely have enough good content for 3 minutes worth.

IB: That’s interesting. But you know you have enough to work with when you’ve had that much.

LH: Exactly, yeah.

IB: Okay, so, now, if the educator is being interviewed, what are some tips that you’d have for them to come across more naturally and confident on camera?

LH: Be mindful, I mean, just have some water near you. Simple, simple trick, right? Be mindful of the area where you are doing the interview, so have a quiet space. That works for both of them, right? Just less distractions, less things that they’re gonna be, like “Ooh, what’s happening over there?” And then you know, even something as simple as what you’re wearing. If you’re wearing an uncomfortable piece of clothing that you maybe have never worn before, you’ll feel a little more stiff in it, right? So just wear something that you’d like to be represented in, but I don’t suggest wearing your brand new shoes. Shorter sentences. Don’t get in your head too much about. I always repeat something, you know? That’s okay. Oftentimes, it’s not live. It can be shortened, it can be cut out for the person that’s doing the interview, right? So don’t get in your head, like, oh, I’ve already said this. Try not to say, as I said before, because it doesn’t matter if you’ve said it before.

IB: But also, as a producer, do you ever tell them, like, if you make a mistake, you can redo this, you can answer it again? Does that help?

LH: Absolutely, yeah. And it’s totally fine to re-ask a question, ask them to reframe it or rephrase it in some way. There’s always… depends on… depends on what you’re making, but I always like to say, “Can you please put a little bit of my question back in your answer?” So that whoever is then going to edit that interview is going to understand what the question was, and you can then just pull a nice full sentence. So, succinct sentences, but full sentences are important. And then, you know, don’t get in your head that, oh,I’m sure you all speak wonderfully. I have a tendency to say “and like” too much, and so, it gets in your head that you’re like, oh, I just did that. Don’t worry about any of that. All of that can be edited out, and all of that is just a more natural way of how people talk. Don’t talk too fast, and i f you have a tendency to naturally pause in between to, you know, consider your thoughts, that’s totally okay as well. In fact, I think some of the best, most confident speakers have a tendency to sort of, like, l eave space for the people to realize what they’ve said, and… and, you know, that’s great.

IB: Thank you so much, Laura. I feel like, again, this interview has not only just been helpful for the knowledge that you’re sharing, but I feel like during this interview, you were, like, telling me, it’s okay. Just go through it, take your time, Inga. I’m like, thanks, Laura. Thank you so much.

LH: I’m sure that’s not the case with you.

IB: Well, thank you, Laura, for taking the time to, answer these questions today. I really appreciate it. It’s so great to, like, see you again, and to hear about all the amazing work you’re doing, and how it can be applied in the work that we’re doing.

LH: Lovely to see you as well.