CEOs often don’t enjoy being interviewed on camera. Big thinkers, brilliant strategists, these people are often ten steps ahead, thinking of the next idea so getting them to sit down for 20 minutes to record and interview can be quite a challenge.

Some CEOs are brilliant communicators who are difficult to keep on message, while others are dynamic business people, who are not good on camera. So, they’re often over-managed, which leads to a less than ideal performance on camera.

We’ve interviewed many CEOs and executives over the years, and we’ve found five tips that lead to a great CEO video.

1. Location, Location

Is your CEO really the most comfortable in their office or the boardroom? Does this make them look their best? It’s unlikely. We like to find out where they feel most comfortable – what location excites them the most about the business. For one CEO, we filmed him in the middle of busy restaurant, another was filmed at a power station in the middle of the Snowy Mountains.

2. Warm Up

We like to get to know topics that your CEO enjoys discussing; things they care about or stories they love to tell. We try to allow five to ten minutes to warm up by discussing a topic that has nothing to do with the business. Even if they’re experienced speakers, this period will allow them to get accustomed to communicating ideas in front of the camera and lights. Their body language will relax, and they will start to be themselves. Then we switch to business.

3. More Passion

The CEO will be ready to repeat facts and figures, and strategy but the viewers need more; they want to hear passion, they want some heart. We like to go a little deeper by asking a few quick questions that may spark an inspirational response, such as “What excites you the most about the business’ potential?” or “What do you think is the stand-out feature of people who work for the business?” or “What is it about the business that will delight customer in the coming year?”. These questions may not appear in the video but they may serve to draw out passion and lead to an engaging performance that the audience will remember.

4. Looking Natural

At some point, many CEOs forget how to be normal when on show. Often it is a result of improper media training. They come to see a film crew, even for internal purposes, as a treat; they become stiff and they overthink the concepts they need to talk about. That’s why we put effort in to make them feel more relaxed, more themselves. We shoot in a wide shot and encourage the executive to use their hands when they speak.

We sometimes use an eye-direct device that allows the CEO to look into the eyes of the interviewer, while appearing to look directly into the lens. This draws in the audience and is the most natural approach.

Often, it’s not the camera that makes a CEO uncomfortable, it can be the minders; the people in the room with their laptops, there to make sure he/she is on message. It is important to limit the amount of people in the room. We do everything we can to make the conversation as natural as possible.

5. The Words

Sometimes a CEO needs to hit specific points, using specific phrases. For this, an Autocue may be unavoidable, but the script may not need to be written in full prose. Sometimes it can be better to list bullet points on the prompter that the CEO can speak to the points, while using their natural speaking style and cadence.

CEOs are just people. They have the weight of the company on their shoulders. Anything we can do to provide an enjoyable experience will lead to a more successful video message.

ThinkFrame Media offers a range of pre-scoped speaker video packages that can be customised to suit your needs. Contact us today.