Preparing is always a good idea. Rehearsing usually isn’t the best way to prepare for camera. On screen, your tone and presence say more than your words. When you rehearse, you trade showing who you are for getting the words exactly right.

Know your message, not your lines

Think through your overall message: what you offer, what makes you different, and what you love about the work. If you know those three things, the words will come. They’ll sound like you, because they are you.

Skip the backstory, say the point

A short video doesn’t have time for a full story. Think about how the story ends, and what that says about you. Then say that.

Restate the question

Your interviewer’s questions get cut from the final video. So start each answer by restating the question. If the question is “What do you offer?”, start with “What we offer is…” That way, every answer works on its own.

Trust the editor

Your job is to give us the raw materials. Our job is to make you look and sound good. Stumble on a sentence? Stop, take a breath, and say it again. Nobody sees the restart.

Stay positive

It’s tempting to describe yourself by comparing yourself to your competition. But once people start thinking negatively, they stop being inspired and start weighing pros and cons. It moves them out of their heart and into their head. Talk about what you do well, not what others do badly.

Bring energy for a room of 15

A shoot can feel like an empty room: just you, a director and a camera. That quiet pulls your energy down, and the camera flattens it a little more. Talk the way you would to 15 people at a team meeting when you have good news.

Talk with your hands

Talking with your hands is a great way to connect with your audience. It brings energy into your voice and your face, too. If you talk with your hands at lunch, talk with them on camera.

A woman in a black blazer and pink top talks with both hands open during an interview

The short version

Know your message, not your lines. Say the point, restate the question, and stay positive. Then trust us with the rest.

More on getting ready: What to wear on camera.