Covid Media Advice - Prep for Online Media Interviews

Covid Media Advice - Prep for Online Media Interviews

3 April 2020

You may have noticed that since the lockdown in New Zealand, lots of media interviews have been with people sitting in front of their computers at home. This is quite unique for lots many, but will become more common.

How is it different?

The big difference is in the preparation. Those regularly in the media will be used to people coming to their place of work for these interviews. When that happens, the camera work and sound is all organised by someone else. But at home, it’s up to you.

The first thing you must do is raise your webcam to be in line with your eyes. If you’re like me, you would have seen up a few noses over the past week as people look up to the camera. You need to be in line with it.

Secondly, lighting is important. You need to have the light in front of you so you are the focus. Lighting behind you can make you look dark and always remember not to have a light showing in the background. That will draw everyone’s attention away from you.

You will also have heard various qualities of sound. This is because some computers have great audio, and others not so great. This can be fixed by attaching a good one to your computer, but it may be hard to purchase one in the next few weeks.

It’s also a good idea to have something beneficial to you in the background. The last thing you want is to show a messy home office, but a professional logo is often a great idea.

The best advice I can give you is to practice with someone first. You can then adjust things for the real interview. Good luck.

If you'd like to refresh your media skills or learn how to grow your profits through the media, get the free download at PeteBurdon.com

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Filed under Crisis Communication

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Written by Pete Burdon

Pete is a leading New Zealand media trainer and regular blogger for his company, Media Training NZ . He has helped leaders from all sectors of society communicate with the media and other stakeholders. Pete is a former daily newspaper reporter and press secretary in the New Zealand government. From these roles, he understands the media process from both sides of the camera.