How to Prep Your Team for an On-Camera Interview

There's a moment that happens on almost every interview shoot. Someone sits down, looks at the cameras and lights, and says, "Just so you know, I'm terrible on camera."

That's normal. Most people we interview aren't actors. They're engineers, executives, technicians, and employees who've never had a camera pointed at them before. We don't expect them to know how to be on camera. That's our job.

If you've got a shoot coming up and you're worried about how your team will do, don't spend the week turning them into presenters. Spend it helping them feel comfortable enough to just be themselves. Here's what actually helps.

Clementine’s Creamery Founder prepping for magic.

Don't make them memorize anything.

Give your team the topics, not a script. If we're interviewing your head of engineering, it helps for them to know we'll be talking about a specific problem and how the team solved it. What doesn't help is a page of approved answers to study beforehand.

Memorized answers make people stiffer, not more polished. You can watch it happen: their shoulders tighten, they reach for words they'd never actually use, and halfway through they realize they forgot the next line. We're not looking for the perfect answer. We're looking for the honest one, in your own words.

For the same reason, we usually don't send the exact questions ahead of time either, unless there's technical or legal material that genuinely needs prep. Knowing the topic is enough. Knowing the exact question just gives someone time to rehearse a performance instead of actually thinking.

Tell them what the day will feel like.

Nerves mostly come from not knowing what's about to happen. So tell your team plainly: there will be a crew, some lights, and maybe a mic clipped on. Then they'll sit down and have a conversation with a person.

That last part matters most. They're not giving a speech to a camera. They're talking to whoever's asking the questions, usually sitting right beside the lens. No camera voice required.

Let them wear what they already feel good in.

Shoot day isn't the day to reinvent anyone's wardrobe. If your team normally wears jeans, they don't need to be in suits because a camera showed up. We'll flag a few practical things beforehand: tight patterns, certain colors, and jewelry that can click against a mic, but otherwise, comfortable beats formal every time.

Club Elite CEO bringing the energy.

Give them a few minutes before and after.

If someone's interview is at 10:00, don't schedule a call until 9:58. Give them time to walk in, see the setup, grab some water, and realize nobody's about to interrogate them. Rushing in already stressed is a hard place to start, and it shows on camera.

Remind them they don't need to nail it on the first try.

This is the one thing I wish every guest knew walking in. You can stumble. You can stop and restart. You can say "that sounded off, let me try again." None of that ends up in the final video. We're collecting pieces, and an editor builds the clean version afterward. Sometimes the sentence we use comes from someone's third attempt. That's just how it works.

If you're watching, don't coach from the sidelines.

If you're the one sitting behind the monitor and you notice something missing, don't interrupt to correct them mid-answer. Jot it down, and we'll circle back before we wrap. Interrupting just teaches your team to watch you instead of talking to us, which is the opposite of what we're after.

That’s a wrap on a 2-day business coaching course capture.

Before shoot day, that's really it.

Tell your team what the video's about and why they were asked to be part of it. Give them the general topics. Let them know nothing needs to be memorized. Help them pick something comfortable to wear. Protect a little time around their slot so they're not rushing in or out.

And tell them the actual point: we want to hear from them, not a polished version of them. Real people usually beat actors at being real people. Our job is just to help them feel comfortable enough to prove it.

Have a shoot coming up?