Most of us are Zooming/Skyping/Microsoft Teaming in this time of Covid-19. I prefer Zooming with clients and to teach my grad school class “Media Strategy and Skills.” But most people are still framing these videoconferencing shots wrong. The result: your image can distract from your message. And you want nothing to distract from your message.

Here are two quick tips

#1 Put your camera at eye level.

Place your laptop on a stack of books, or a box. The platform ought to be stable so you can use your keyboard if necessary. I plug an external mouse into my laptop when participating in a videoconference so I don’t have to hold my hands at an uncomfortable angle when I need to share my screen or mute my mic.

Placing yourself at eye level also makes it easier to make eye contact with others on the videoconference. More importantly, you will engage with other participants when at eye level. And they will want to engage with you. Alfred Hitchcock shot upward to make his villains appear more sinister. Don’t be a villain from a Hitchcock movie. And besides, no one wants to see the inside of your nostrils.

And look right into the camera. Pretty soon the camera will become like speaking on a phone – it’s only a conduit to connect with others. You will forget it’s there, and you will become animated and engaged with others on the conference.

#2 Frame your camera shot with your nose in the middle.

This one is easy. Don’t cut off your chin, or the top of your head. Nose in the middle.
How wide should the camera shot be? Your head and shoulders ought to be in the frame. Think how most TV anchors are framed. Aim for that. You can go tighter if you are joining from a smartphone (See first photo below labeled “Right”).

Lighting, environment, microphone and sound, background, body language and colors are also important. For a complete best-practices session on videoconferencing, give Nikitas Communications a call or shoot us an email. We’ll be happy to help. And you will become more engaged, and more productive.

Google The Reporter

After you agree to a media interview, take a minute to research the reporter you’ll be speaking with. Google the reporter. The communications or PR staff at a larger entity may do this homework for you. The information gleaned is essential. How long has the journalist been reporting? Have they been at it for a long time? Or do they appear younger and less experienced? Do they have a defined beat such as health care, crime or cybersecurity? Or are they a “general assignment” reporter? If experienced, have they been employed by the same outlet for a long period of time? Or have they jumped around among many outlets?

Check examples of their past reporting, whether TV, radio, print or online. Does their work appear to be fair? Do they usually attempt to include all sides of a story? Is their style inflammatory or sensational? Do they frequently pit their interview subjects against each other?

Finally, check out their current employer. Does the news outlet have an obvious bias in its approach?
Does the reporter have an interesting personal history you can chat about?

The answers to these questions are clues to guide your approach during the interview.

Learn Their Name

Even if you don’t have time to do this basic recon on a journalist, at the very least take time to learn their name. On several occasions in my news career, a guest was seated at a TV set with me, and just before the interview, he or she would say, “Now what’s your name again?” I never took this personally. But it was annoying. I had prepared – researching them and the topic of our interview. But they had not done the same. It was evidence this guest wasn’t treating their interaction with me, or more importantly, the audience, with respect. The result: I was always more aggressive with a guest like this.

So take a minute. And Google me.

For comprehensive media training – individuals or groups, one time or ongoing, contact Nikitas Communications.