Dean and I had an opportunity recently to get interviewed, and, like any good business owners these days, we leapt at the chance.
Robert Dempsey Likes His New Coffee Mug
It was conducted by a friend and vendor of ours, Robert Dempsey of Dempsey Marketing. Robert helps his clients market themselves exclusively through online resources, partially because he is half-way around the world in Thailand, and partially because he’s an absolute master of online marketing.
So he scheduled us for this remote Skype interview, and I gotta tell you, the whole experience was a revelation for me in more ways than one.
The first revelation I experienced was, WOW. Technology has made shooting usable video REALLY EASY. Robert emailed out a few simple questions for us to mull in advance. Then, at the appointed time, we connected via Skype, we chatted for a few minutes, then he threw a switch and we got rolling. We shot the whole thing in one uninterrupted flow. He liked what he got, so we were done.
This is marketing footage, intended primarily to capture a flavor, a personality, not so much content or information. So it’s completely okay to use Skype cameras to capture stuff like this. (And believe me, Dean and I will be doing this in the near future — watch for it!) There’s just something very real and authentic about what it captures.
The content of the interview was very fun. Robert is a total character (can you tell from the photo above?), and he set the stage for a high energy give and take. The questions he had prepared us with were all about ourselves. And really, what’s more fun than to talk about yourself to somebody asking about you?
And this leads me to my second revelation: Preparation for video is a good thing, even when the mandate is to be real and conversational. We always work with our clients to get into that middle zone between completely scripted and completely “winging it,” but I didn’t exactly take my own advice this time around.
I thought about what I was going to say for no more than a few minutes. I had a general idea of the kind of stuff I wanted to cover, and Dean and I chatted about it briefly before we got rolling. And if you watch the video, you can tell. I took about a minute to find a groove. The good thing about it is that it’s real and authentically me, but the less than ideal thing about it is that it’s inefficient and a little wandering. The next time I do this, I’ll make sure I know exactly where and how to begin so that the rest can just flow.
We also didn’t test the sound quality of the room we were in. We were just using the mike on the computer so there’s an echoey sound to our voices that possibly could have been improved.
And the time-delay of Skype creates some interesting challenges, especially considering how Dean and I tend to follow up on each other’s points. There were several times when Robert clearly had something to say as one of us was winding up a point, but we weren’t seeing his visual cues until after the other one of us started the next point. This might have been managed better with a little more advance prep.
The third thing I realized is that, even after years of doing what I do, I really don’t like to watch myself on video. I watched for just a few seconds before turning it off. Every imperfection, both visual and performance-related, seemed enormous.
None of this really should surprise me because I say this to my clients all the time: No one likes to see themselves on video. I remember seeing Kim Basinger on David Letterman years ago. She was in the middle of the interview with him, then got distracted when she saw herself on a monitor. He asked her what was wrong, and she told him she hated to see herself on video. He paused and suggested she might not be in the right line of work.
Of course, she stayed on her career path, so I figure, if Kim Basinger has managed to soldier on looking at herself on video for decades, I can watch myself for the 15 minutes of this video.
And I’ve found that it’s worth it, for at least two reasons.
First, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to be aware of imperfections. A core part of the approach that Dean and I bring to our coaching and training is to focus exclusively on strengths because people naturally see their weaknesses and imperfections, and we want to shift their attention onto the good stuff so that we can build from a positive rather than a negative –It’s just quicker and easier that way. But I do find it be useful to be aware of a certain quality of performance because it gives me a baseline to compare myself to as I proceed. And being aware of growth and development is always encouraging and motivational.
Second and even more important, it’s good to find and recognize the strengths. We’re all our own worst critics because we so rarely experience ourselves from a third person perspective. It’s easy to spot what we didn’t expect or didn’t realize about ourselves, it’s harder to look past all that and identify the strength or the authenticity or the enjoyable personality that’s part of our delivery. It can be an act of will on my part to focus on that good stuff over the bad stuff, but I’m confident that that practice will indeed make the next performance better than the last.
All of this has been a useful lesson for me, or at least a useful reminder, because I’m usually on the safe end behind the camera, working with clients who are in the hot seat in front of the camera. It’s good to have to remember to take my own medicine and feel it work.
Take a look at the video below, and let us know what you think. What’s your response to it as a target audience member? How about as a professional who may have to face getting up in front of the camera yourself? Or how about as a business owner who might be interested in making videos like this to increase business yourself? We want to hear your thoughts!
Great tips and encouragement! I’ve added a couple of videos to one of my websites and want to add more, and what you’ve shared about your experience is very helpful. I think the video above works pretty well – the time lag gets less noticeable as time goes on. There’s also a sense of authenticity in your conversation that is appealing.
Thanks for your perspective, Kalli!
I’m with you Pete – I love talking about myself to, so this interview was definitely one-sided
First off it was great doing the video with you guys. It’s very different to have you both together on video and not on two separate phone lines. Your chemistry is obvious and I’m sure your clients have a great time working with you. I was super pumped after we spoke.
Secondly thanks for all the feedback. I’m used to doing video calls in the US and have been holding off because of Thai Internet. The feedback in this post will help me prep better for future interviews, so thanks for that.
Lastly I think you are your own worst critic. Videos like these don’t need to be, at least in my opinion, highly polished and produced. The goal of it was to showcase you guys, what you do and how you work, and to have fun at the same time. I think that mission was accomplished.
Thanks, Robert! And yes, I totally agree with the sense that this mission was indeed accomplished. Dean and I had a lot of fun!
I love it! It’s authentic, it’s a different way to market your business and it’s effective (authenticity brings credibility). The opportunity for people to hear the different situations to which your services have been applied is an effective marketing approach.
Robert is obviously very comfortable in front of the “skype camera”….good for you…the practice shows!
It appears, to me, that you accomplished your goal.
This is great to her, Nancy — Thanks!
Hey guys,
Excellent content. And I think that’s the most important thing to focus on here.
Yes it’s true that many of us aren’t used to seeing ourselves on the screen, but everyone else around us is accustomed to seeing our faces and hearing our voices without picking up on the little tics (visual and audible) that we get caught up with when we look at ourselves.
I’ve done these kinds of things before and, like you, I’m not accustomed to being the one on camera. I write live presentations for trade show exhibitors, and I’m comfortable with writing content–not delivering it. I did a seminar last year at the EXHIBITOR Show on “How To Create Effective Live Presentations,” and I had to remind my “class” that this (what we were engaged in) was not, itself, a presentation; it was a classroom environment, and as such, I was going to have my moments of imperfection like any teacher (contrary to what one would expect to see in a live, scripted and rehearsed trade show presentation).
When I see myself on video, I can easily focus on the circles under my eyes that I’ve had since childhood (that I wish weren’t there), but no one else is looking at that: they’re watching for content–”Can I learn something from this guy?” And in that way, you guys succeeded (as I believe I did in my situation), and that’s really all that matters. If someone comments on your choice of attire or the fact that the audio is a little “echo-y” then they’re not listening for content. That’s too bad, because what you’re doing (beyond promoting yourselves and your business) is really sharing information that should help people who may be prospects for what you do, do it a little better on their own.
I think that’s how you should measure the success of what you’ve done: “Did I pass on helpful material that people can benefit from?” not “Did I look and sound as polished as a professional presenter when I did it?” I think the distinction between the two is the same difference that exists when a performer or politician is presenting a scripted piece of dialogue or a speech, versus how they present themselves when they’re on the red carpet or in a press conference: in the former, they’re smooth and polished. In the latter, they’re “human,” and because they are, they might pause once in a while, take a moment to find their next thought, maybe even change their thought in mid-sentence. But no one decides they’re not worth listening to unless they’re presenting themselves perfectly. If that was the case, we wouldn’t have talk shows with celebrities or news conferences with politicians.
Congratulate yourselves on doing a great job.
Nice work guys!
Your topic and timing could not had been better. I am in the process of coming to grips with the need to get “Socially Connected” with my own business. Video has been my target for the last 6 months and I am looking for answers. I want my clients to get a real FEEL of what my company offers and WHO I am I didn’t realize how fast 16 minutes can fly by. Any good salesperson would die to have 16 minutes to tell their story. You accomplished this in a fun and informative platform. The extra benefit is I can rewind and watch it again!
Bravo!
Mike
Love the content, the stories, it’s a great promotional piece. I don’t like the quality of the video because it doesn’t look like you! Skype is tricky. in that when you are too close it flattens and distorts the image. Robert is further away from the camera, which helps. I’d love to explore this more! I also can hardly wait to get your book. Let’s talk!
Thanks for that feedback Cheryl. I’ll keep that in mind for future interviews.
Cheryl, thank you so much for sharing your perspective! We’d love to talk again soon!
Thank you for the inspiration to do a video, and to reinforce that it doesn’t have to be perfect. I agree with the previous comments that this is real and genuine. (I am an IAAP member of the City of Lakes — Pete, I’m SO thankful you took the time to be a speaker at our meeting and that I am now on your email list.)
Love the video guys. This really looks great. Keep up the good work.
I love watching you guys… it’s making me miss you! Great to see you and hear your story…again