The interview game

You've got the answers, but no idea how to phrase or organize them? Don't worry, Théophile will tell you how to become the world's best interviewer!

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Preparing an interview isn't as easy as it sounds. As our dear customer success manager, Théophile, so aptly puts it, " You can't improvise". So here are a few tips to help you prepare yours.

The format

The interview format is undoubtedly one of the most widely used formats in the world of corporate video. This journalistic device enables - or at least attempts - to obtain answers to questions that everyone is asking. It's just a question of identifying them.

Just imagine: you're face to face with Mark Zuckerberg - founder of the Facebook social network - you haven't prepared your questions, and once you're face to face with him you improvise. You start the dialogue. The discussion flows smoothly. You ask him how Facebook is doing, and about his latest partnerships. As the interview draws to a close, you realize that you've completely forgotten to ask him a single question about the controversy surrounding the storage of each user's personal data... A great opportunity missed because of an interview you let drift into a simple conversation.

So keep in mind that if the questions are well asked, chances are the answers will be crystal-clear. So clear, in fact, that you won't even have to include your questions - handwritten or oral - and you'll end up with a shorter, more dynamic video. All the more reason to write your questions well. Let's get down to writing.

Writing

Always keep a list of questions to hand when meeting someone in order to extract information. Now you've got it.

Beyond that, Théophile, like the rest of the Play! editorial team, advises you to write out any answers, in addition to the questions. Indeed, if you anticipate a few answers from your interlocutor, you can plan for bounce-back questions. These are "unplanned" questions that sneak into the discussion with your speaker to make sure you don't miss another opportunity to pick up some information.

The quality of your questions should also be rigorous. If you have a list of questions in the form of slightly barbaric notes, you run the risk of not finding the right words at the fateful moment. A poorly chosen or imprecise word can turn your interview into a drama. The announcer may take offence, or simply not understand the question, and so give the wrong answer... Still, it would be a shame to put so much preparation into being ineffective during that famous meeting.

Now you've got all the tools you need to make great interviews!

While we wait for our next article, here are a few videos that will teach you how to become a great director of corporate films.

The medium plan

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