For immediate release Contact: Ed Barks
Thursday, April 7, 2016 (540) 955-0600
Broadcast news outlets are leaning increasingly on remote interviews held via such online services as Skype. Barks Communications President Ed Barks contends that this new approach poses a challenge even for veteran news sources.
He has just published a tip sheet titled, “Skype Interview Etiquette” to help his clients and others deal with this new phenomenon. “Many news sources have participated in satellite media interviews,” Barks points out. “While there are similarities between satellite and online exchanges, new twists exist, too. This means that even the savviest of interview subjects have some different skills to sharpen when talking to reporters on services like Skype.”
The new tip sheet includes such advice as:
- Practice—a lot, given the relative newness of Skype interviews.
- Maintain solid eye contact with the camera on your PC or mobile device.
- Assume you are always on camera.
- Pay attention to your lighting, backdrop, and any potentially distracting background noise.
Why the shift to this new format? “Much of the reason for moving to Skype interviews is financial,” Barks adds. “It is far cheaper for a network or TV station to talk with you online than it is to rent a studio.
“No question that the technical quality suffers, but tight budgets are a sad fact of life in today’s newsrooms,” as he explains in the new “Skype Interview Etiquette” resource.
Ed Barks zeroes in on the messages and skills that executives need on a daily basis in order to persuade and inform their publics. They gain an enhanced reputation, more confidence, added opportunities for career advancement, and realization of long-term business goals. The former radio broadcaster is the author of The Truth About Public Speaking: The Three Keys to Great Presentations, and community organizer at The Media Training Blog. As President of Barks Communications since 1997, he has taught more than 5000 business leaders, association executives, and other experts how to succeed when they deal with the media, deliver presentations, and testify before government officials.
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