Choosing the best video spokesperson for your company is a little tricky. In fact, it’s almost easier to decide who is not the best spokesperson for your video! However, since the title is the former, let’s tackle that question first. There are several considerations when deciding whose mug you’re going to put in front of the camera, here are 3 biggies:
High Energy
Job one is to find someone who has high energy and can transfer that energy to video. There’s an old saying in television news about presenting on camera and it’s this: you need to deliver twice the enthusiasm to deliver half the effect. In other words, you have to deliver with double the energy, just to make sure the recorded message conveys enthusiasm. This is one reason why you have so many cheesy television personalities. However, if your spokesperson tries to deliver the information with his or her normal office voice, there’s a good chance the presentation will be flat and uninteresting.
Speak clearly
In most cases, even though it’s online video and not the 10 p.m. news, you get one chance to communicate your message — and if people can’t understand you, they’ll go elsewhere. Sure, it sounds obvious, however, it’s interesting how often people select on-camera people that are hard to understand. Remember, if it takes you two or three times to understand what someone is saying, you may need to find another spokesperson — even if they have high energy!
Visually interesting
I’ve always believed that the spokesperson has to appear visually interesting. Notice, I didn’t say “attractive,” because it’s not that. There are plenty of engaging people on camera who are not entering and winning “Best looking person on the planet” awards. There are a number of ways to be visually interesting. Consider people who have wonderful facial expressions, they wear interesting clothes, or perhaps the backdrop is noteworthy. Regardless, as visual creatures receiving information in a visual medium, it’s a good idea to make sure whatever is on camera looks good, or interesting.
To turn the table, here are some people who are often not the best spokespeople:
Your boss
Of course, your boss may fit all of the above criteria, but if your boss is essentially a boring, stuffy “suit,” we recommend not having them as a primary spokesperson. Aside from potentially coming across flat, people tend to connect with people like them. Of course, if your video is for other CEO’s or a board of directors, your boss or CEO may be the best person to speak in your video. However, we like regular people sharing their stories more than the “suits.”
Your co-worker who hates being on camera
This sounds silly and obvious, yet you’d be amazed how often people will say, “oh let’s have Peter do it. He hates this stuff but he’s really the best person.” Really. Well, if Peter doesn’t want to be in the video because he gets anxious, nervous, and scared, there’s a really good chance that will come across in the video. Go with the “gamers” who want to put their chops on camera!
The Rambler
If you can avoid having the person who doesn’t know when to stop talking, do it! The Rambler is the person you ask one question and they take 20 minutes to answer the one question. There are two problems with this character, First, they will chew up a ton of time and if you’re paying a production company by the hour, this is a real drag on your budget. Second, when someone talks that long, it will also take a long time to find the right or best sound bite. They can also be extremely difficult to edit since their stories often run into each other.
Of course, there are so many additional considerations when picking a spokesperson for your video. However, if your on-camera “talent” can pass this sniff test, you’ll be off to a good start! Good luck!