What I didn't know until I met Public Speaking Expert – Mike Corcoran at the COWORK LOCAL

Read more to find out a new way of working and pitching your business.

During a 1:1 business support consultation, Michael Corcoran talked to me about how I can make my online interview video recording more engaging.

Here is our conversation:

“In my interview, four UK-based coaches and mediators will share our experiences with UK Newcomers about how to transition to UK life. How do we make this online Zoom interview video recording engaging to the audience?” Mike assures me that this video project is worthwhile, and he offered some tips from the audience’s point of view.

“Storytelling is engaging. For example, I opened my own public speaking session by asking the participants to tell their worst public speaking nightmares… this engages people’s imagination and gives us the contexts.” Mike continued to share his experience.

“Maybe I could ask my interviewees to talk about their worst relocation experience?”. I asked Mike and he agreed that this will be a great opener.

“This shows everyone that we are normal human beings and not superheroes. We tell people that we have been there, dealing with our problems, and we come back here to help others overcome their problems.” I said and Mike nodded.

“Should there be a script for the rest of the interview?” I thought having a script was a good idea because I want to control the flow.

“No, you want the conversation to be genuine. If it is prescribed, it becomes predictable and loses the element of surprise. The brain is more engaged when things are unpredictable. You could use a structure to guide the conversation, such as having a few key questions and agreeing on how to signal to each other when a speaker wants to join the conversation.” Mike spoke gently as I drank in his advice.

“Will your interview be conducted in English, and do you want subtitles?” Mike opened his Zoom account and show me how to set up subtitle transcription on Zoom. This is a built-in function that can save a lot of time for editing because it’s much easier to work with a transcript that is 95% done after the video is recorded.

“Let me show you a picture on the board.” We walked over to the whiteboard and Mike drew two Zoom views. The first one is the speaker in the middle while the rest of the speakers are in small windows on one side. The second one with the whole screen split equally in 4 quarters, with all the speakers in equal size.

“Which view do you prefer?” Mike asked.

“This one enables me to see the reactions of everyone when someone speaks”. I pointed at the second view with 4 speakers of equal size.

“I agree with you. It seems like they are in the same room with you. It’s more natural”. Mike explained.

“The first view would be more suitable for a presentation, not for an interview.” I nodded in agreement when Mike revealed his opinion.

“You also want to have a rehearsal, to test everyone’s microphones. Check their light source and make sure that everyone can be seen. Avoid a shadow by not sitting with your back against a window”. Mike ensures he shares every detail so that the audience will feel like they are in the same room with us.

“In the end, I always have a Call For Action. The brain is engaged when it is prompted for a response. Prompt a question from time to time. The brain is engaged every time when a question is asked. Think ahead of time about how you would like your audience to respond. They could click the like button, join in the chat box, leave a comment below the video, and contact you by email… the options are limitless. Starting a conversation is often the first step of your audience’s journey with you.” Mike shared.

Towards the end of our conversation, Mike and I talked about projects that we are involved in, and how our common interests align. We will certainly have a bigger conversation in the future to discuss potential collaboration.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank Elwyn Edwards, Community Manager of COWORK LOCAL, who is passionate about building a community and sharing resources and expertise. Anyone could be a part of this supportive business community and experience new ways of working. Don’t miss out on this great business support system they have many locations all over the UK. Visit COWORK LOCAL to discover your journey.