How To Approach A Video Interview
Reflecting on some past interviews I’ve done (at old jobs) makes me feel kinda guilty. Not because I did anything bad, but because I know a lot of those times I was so focused on my “job” and “getting it done” that I treated the people I was interviewing as volunteers that were helping me produce this story.
If you’ve been following me and my work for a while, then you know I do a lot of testimonies and a LOT of interview-based video and films.
I’ve learned a heck of a lot of best practices when it comes to interviewing and how to create a safe space for your interviewee. But I’ve also learned a lot about how to approach and treat my interviewee’s.
There’s definitely an incorrect way to approach an interviewee, and that’s the JOURNALISTIC APPROACH.
THE JOURNALISTIC APPROACH
This is where you think of this as your job, and it’s your “job” to get this interview to fit into the narrative of your organization’s agenda.
You approach the interviewee as a subject who is helping you complete your task. You ask only the questions you want answers to, and lead them to answer with specific key words or in a way that ticks all the boxes of your preconceived narrative.
You rarely truly listen because you’re just trying to get your job done as quickly as you can. You want your interviewee to say just the “right” things in the “right” way so your boss isn’t disappointed in your interview.
You don’t necessarily have bad intentions, but this is your job, you’re always pressed for time, so you just want to get it done.
Guess what, I’m talking about myself here, and I feel bad about it. I've been there and done it in this way when I was working for a church. No one on the team had bad intentions, but the interviewees were seen as people to help complete a task. We had them word things in a way to fit the perfect narrative, even if it wasn’t exactly what happened. And if we missed “key words or phrases” from their interview, we’d have to go back and have them voiceover very specific sentences.
I’m still wrestling with that. I could definitely tell in a lot of those moments they (the interviewees) were uncomfortable with that ask.
Thankfully I don’t have to do that anymore because I work for myself! :) But I know this approach is common, and it happens to the organizations and people who have the best of intentions.
So what’s the right way to approach an interviewee?
AS A FRIEND
With this approach you view the interviewee as a human being with feelings. You’re there for them, not the other way around.
A friend will ask and listen without limitations. They want to know how this interviewee felt throughout their story. A friend will react, empathize, and respond to what the interviewee is saying.
A friend doesn’t lead their answers or ignore parts of the story because it doesn’t fit the “perfect narrative.”
And most importantly, a friend CARES. They care about this interviewee who is being vulnerable about their story. They care how this interview affects them and they care about them as human beings.
BUT WHY DOES IT MATTER?
First of all, because the way we treat people MATTERS A LOT. That’s reason enough!
But if you need a second reason, because it allows for an open and authentic interview which means it’ll be a GREAT INTERVIEW.