So, you are preparing for a remote interview with a reporter, a prospective client or a potential employer. You know your key messages cold and have rehearsed answers to anticipated questions. But you fail to impress during the interview because you forgot that how you look on screen is every bit as important as what you say.
In remote communications, proper framing, body language and eye contact are crucial to successful messaging. Yet, even some broadcast professionals, such as political commentator Chris Matthews, can get visually sloppy during remote appearances. In an interview with Charlie Rose on the New York City mayoral race, Matthews has a lot to say. But his messages are diluted because he’s poorly framed, with the top of his head cut off, and he establishes little or no eye contact. Check out the clip below.
Did you get distracted by the sloppy visual? We certainly did. Matthews should have made sure he was framed chest high in the center of the screen with a little headroom. He should have looked into the camera most of the time instead of looking up. Eye contact, even in remote interviews, establishes a connection to your audience and makes you appear more confident.
The lesson here is that visuals are just as crucial in remote settings as they are in live ones. It’s fine to appear approachable. But a casual, sloppy look hurts your credibility. And no communicator wants that.