《大学英语读写》课程教学资源（A）Ⅱ_大学英语读写（A）Ⅱ_口语活动指南（如何设计问卷问题及访谈）7 tips for writing a great survey

7 tips for writing a great survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/writing-survey- questions/?program=7013A000000mweBQAQ&utm_bu=CR&utm_campaign=71700000059189 235&utm.adgroups=58700005410222821&utm_content=:39700049736551248&utm_medium=0 pc&utm_source=adwords&utm_term=p49736551248&utm_kxconfid=s4bvpioju&gclid=CjwKCA iwztL2BRATEiwAvnALcmwrTI59WqWBH37K8kV3ObNDRUGcFJZW9S897 vmG1KO4M9GqZY2bh oCOLEQAVD_BwE 1.Focus on asking closed-ended questions Open-ended questions (also known as free-response questions)require more effort and time to answer than closed-ended questions.So when thinking about how to write a great survey,you should consider minimizing the use of open-ended questions. In general,when writing a survey,you should try not to ask more than 2 open-ended questions per survey or poll,and if possible,put them on a separate page at the end.That way,even if a respondent drops out of the survey,you're able to collect their responses from the questions on previous pages 2.Keep your survey questions neutral Putting an opinion in your question prompt(or asking a"leading question")can influence respondents to answer in a way that doesn't reflect how they really feel. Say you asked the leading question: "We think our customer service representatives are really awesome.How awesome do you think they are?" The question seems to convey an opinion that you want respondents to agree with.You can make the tone objective by editing it as follows: "How helpful or unhelpful do you find our customer service representatives to be?" 3.Keep a balanced set of answer choices Along the lines of our last point,respondents need a way to provide honest and thoughtful feedback Otherwise,the credibility of their responses is at risk. The answer choices you include can be another potential source of bias.Let's assume we included the following as answer options when asking respondents how helpful or unhelpful your customer service reps are: Extremely helpful Very helpful

7 tips for writing a great survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/writing-survey￾questions/?program=7013A000000mweBQAQ&utm_bu=CR&utm_campaign=71700000059189 235&utm_adgroup=58700005410222821&utm_content=39700049736551248&utm_medium=c pc&utm_source=adwords&utm_term=p49736551248&utm_kxconfid=s4bvpi0ju&gclid=CjwKCA jwztL2BRATEiwAvnALcmwrTI59WqWBH37K8kV3ObNDRUGcFJZW9S897_vmG1KO4M9GqZY2bh oCOLEQAvD_BwE 1. Focus on asking closed-ended questions Open-ended questions (also known as free-response questions) require more effort and time to answer than closed-ended questions. So when thinking about how to write a great survey, you should consider minimizing the use of open-ended questions. In general, when writing a survey, you should try not to ask more than 2 open-ended questions per survey or poll, and if possible, put them on a separate page at the end. That way, even if a respondent drops out of the survey, you’re able to collect their responses from the questions on previous pages. 2. Keep your survey questions neutral Putting an opinion in your question prompt (or asking a “leading question”) can influence respondents to answer in a way that doesn’t reflect how they really feel. Say you asked the leading question: “We think our customer service representatives are really awesome. How awesome do you think they are?” The question seems to convey an opinion that you want respondents to agree with. You can make the tone objective by editing it as follows: “How helpful or unhelpful do you find our customer service representatives to be?” 3. Keep a balanced set of answer choices Along the lines of our last point, respondents need a way to provide honest and thoughtful feedback. Otherwise, the credibility of their responses is at risk. The answer choices you include can be another potential source of bias. Let’s assume we included the following as answer options when asking respondents how helpful or unhelpful your customer service reps are: Extremely helpful Very helpful

Helpful You'll notice that there isn't an opportunity for respondents to say that the reps aren't helpful.Writing good survey questions involve using an objective tone.This means adopting a more balanced set of answer options,like the following: Very helpful Helpful Neither helpful nor unhelpful Unhelpful Very unhelpful 4.Don't ask for two things at once Confusing respondents is equally as bad as influencing their answers.In both cases,they'll choose an answer that doesn't reflect their true opinions and preferences. Acommon culprit in causing confusion is the"double-barreled"question.It asks respondents to assess two different things at the same time.For example: "How would you rate our customer service and product reliability? Customer service and product reliability are two separate topics.Including both in the same question can push the respondent to either evaluate one or to skip the question altogether. Fortunately,there's an easy fix here.Simply separate these two topics into their own closed-ended questions: "How would you rate our customer service?" And. "How would you rate our product's reliability?" 5.Keep your questions different from each other Imagine if someone asked you the same question over,and over,and over again You'd probably get annoyed,right? That's how respondents may feel if you repeatedly ask questions that use the same question prompto answer choices.It leads respondents to either leave your survey or,equally as bad,engage in "straightlining"-answering your questions without putting much thought into them. You can proactively address this by varying the types of questions you ask,how you ask them,and by

Helpful You’ll notice that there isn’t an opportunity for respondents to say that the reps aren’t helpful. Writing good survey questions involve using an objective tone. This means adopting a more balanced set of answer options, like the following: Very helpful Helpful Neither helpful nor unhelpful Unhelpful Very unhelpful 4. Don’t ask for two things at once Confusing respondents is equally as bad as influencing their answers. In both cases, they’ll choose an answer that doesn’t reflect their true opinions and preferences. A common culprit in causing confusion is the “double-barreled” question. It asks respondents to assess two different things at the same time. For example: “How would you rate our customer service and product reliability?” Customer service and product reliability are two separate topics. Including both in the same question can push the respondent to either evaluate one or to skip the question altogether. Fortunately, there’s an easy fix here. Simply separate these two topics into their own closed-ended questions: “How would you rate our customer service?” And. “How would you rate our product’s reliability?” 5. Keep your questions different from each other Imagine if someone asked you the same question over, and over, and over again. You’d probably get annoyed, right? That’s how respondents may feel if you repeatedly ask questions that use the same question prompt or answer choices. It leads respondents to either leave your survey or, equally as bad, engage in “straightlining”—answering your questions without putting much thought into them. You can proactively address this by varying the types of questions you ask, how you ask them, and by

spacing out questions that look similar. 6.Let most of your questions be optional to answer Respondents may not know the answers to all of your questions.And there may be some questions they simply don't feel comfortable answering Keep both of these things in mind when deciding which questions to require answers to.And when whether to make acerain question en on making it optional We've found that forcing respondents to answer your questions make them more likely to quit your survey or select an answer at random 7.Doatest drive As a survey creator,there's no worse feeling than finding mistakes in your survey once it's already sent. Prevent the situation from happening to you by sharing your survey with colleagues,friends,and others in advance.A pair of fresh eyes can be all it takes to spot mistakes in your survey Writing a good survey means asking questions in a way that lets respondents answer truthfully.At the same time,it means providing respondents with a quick and easy survey-taking experience. The better your surveys get,the better your responses become.So apply these best practices when writing your questionnaire today!

spacing out questions that look similar. 6. Let most of your questions be optional to answer Respondents may not know the answers to all of your questions. And there may be some questions they simply don’t feel comfortable answering. Keep both of these things in mind when deciding which questions to require answers to. And when you’re unsure whether to make a certain question optional or required, lean on making it optional. We’ve found that forcing respondents to answer your questions make them more likely to quit your survey or select an answer at random. 7. Do a test drive As a survey creator, there’s no worse feeling than finding mistakes in your survey once it’s already sent. Prevent the situation from happening to you by sharing your survey with colleagues, friends, and others, in advance. A pair of fresh eyes can be all it takes to spot mistakes in your survey. Writing a good survey means asking questions in a way that lets respondents answer truthfully. At the same time, it means providing respondents with a quick and easy survey-taking experience. The better your surveys get, the better your responses become. So apply these best practices when writing your questionnaire today!

The 9 Most Important Survey Design Tips Best Practices https://blog.hubspot.com/service/survey-design When creating a survey,keep in mind the three Cs:clear.concise.communicative.These are the core factors that influence your survey's design 1 Clear Are your survey questions easy to understand?Does each one elicit a specific answer?Will you participants understand the point of each?If questions seem random or out of place participants will lose focus and may not complete your form. 2.Concise How long is your survey?Is it the ideal survey length?Is it less than 30 questions?Are your questions worded succinctly and only asked once,not re-phrasedor asked in multiple ways?Pay lose attention to these details as the length of your survey is one of the most important factors that influence its completion rate. 3.Communicative Will the questions help you achieve your main goal?Does each one hold weight in producing meaningful insights?Be sure to remove any questions that are irrelevantor may distract participants If you're looking to master survey design,read on for more tips and best practices. 1.Set a goal for your survey. Before designing your survey.you should come up with a goal or set of goals that you'd like to achieve. Without this benchmark,it's easy to get off-topic and lose sight of your survey's purpose. Your goal should be simple but specific.Rather than,"I want to evaluate employee satisfaction," consider a more precise goal like,"want to understand what's causing rapid turnover on our customer- facing msThis will provide you with srveys esignmaking determine its questions and how to order them. 2.Lean towardsclosed-ended questions. Closed-ended questions are questions that include pre-determined answers created by the survey's designers.Typically,these questions come in multiple-choice or checkbox format and participants choose their favorite option from the set of answers provided.Close-ended questions are preferr because they produce quantitative results,which are easier to respond to as well as analyze

The 9 Most Important Survey Design Tips & Best Practices https://blog.hubspot.com/service/survey-design When creating a survey, keep in mind the three C's: clear, concise, communicative. These are the core factors that influence your survey's design. 1. Clear Are your survey questions easy to understand? Does each one elicit a specific answer? Will your participants understand the point of each? If questions seem random or out of place participants will lose focus and may not complete your form. 2. Concise How long is your survey? Is it the ideal survey length? Is it less than 30 questions? Are your questions worded succinctly and only asked once, not re-phrased or asked in multiple ways? Pay close attention to these details as the length of your survey is one of the most important factors that influence its completion rate. 3. Communicative Will the questions help you achieve your main goal? Does each one hold weight in producing meaningful insights? Be sure to remove any questions that are irrelevant or may distract participants. If you're looking to master survey design, read on for more tips and best practices. 1. Set a goal for your survey. Before designing your survey, you should come up with a goal or set of goals that you'd like to achieve. Without this benchmark, it's easy to get off-topic and lose sight of your survey's purpose. Your goal should be simple but specific. Rather than, "I want to evaluate employee satisfaction," consider a more precise goal like, "I want to understand what's causing rapid turnover on our customer￾facing teams." This will provide you with a roadmap to your survey's design, making it easier to determine its questions and how to order them. 2. Lean towards closed-ended questions. Closed-ended questions are questions that include pre-determined answers created by the survey's designers. Typically, these questions come in multiple-choice or checkbox format and participants choose their favorite option from the set of answers provided. Close-ended questions are preferred because they produce quantitative results, which are easier to respond to as well as analyze

Open-ended questions can be used for qualitative data,but since they take longer to fill out and review it's best to only include them when looking for specific feedback or when working with smaller audiences.In these cases,place the questions towards the end of the survey as they take more effort to complete and can sometimes overwhelm the participant.The best place to put them is about three quarters into the survey before participants experience survey fatigue. 3.Avoid biased and leading questions It's easy to include biased or leading questions in your survey.For instance,asking."How wonderfu was your experience with our customer service team?"is a common example of a leading question-a question that encourages the researcher's desired response. Questions like these undermine the validity of your results.You can't trust your data's accuracy because participants have been subjectively influenced by your team. Instead,you can ask this question by saying."How would you rate your experience with our customer service team?This maintains an unbiased attitude,encouraging respondents to answer honestly. 4.Pay attention to your vocabulary and phrasing. On a similar note,the validity of your data can be jeopardized if your questions are too vagueorto limited.Using absolute words participants to completely agree or disagree with your questions,which can make some people hesitant to answer.For instance: Do you always shop with our company online? A.Yes B.No The above question limits your responses.After all,some customers may shop online occasionally and in-store at other times.With the answers they're given,it forces them to choose one which decreases the accuracy of their response. Additionally,double-barreled questions-questions that ask participants to respond to two separate sentiments at once-can affect validity as well.For example.asking."What do you like best about ou website and social media?forces participants toanswer based on their view of either your website your social media.You won't know which one they chose,making their response relatively useless 5.Utilize response seales Response scales show the intensity of one's attitude towards a specific topic.These types of responses provide in-depth feedback on how your audience feels without using open-ended questions

Open-ended questions can be used for qualitative data, but since they take longer to fill out and review, it's best to only include them when looking for specific feedback or when working with smaller audiences. In these cases, place the questions towards the end of the survey as they take more effort to complete and can sometimes overwhelm the participant. The best place to put them is about three quarters into the survey before participants experience survey fatigue. 3. Avoid biased and leading questions. It's easy to include biased or leading questions in your survey. For instance, asking, "How wonderful was your experience with our customer service team?" is a common example of a leading question - a question that encourages the researcher's desired response. Questions like these undermine the validity of your results. You can't trust your data's accuracy because participants have been subjectively influenced by your team. Instead, you can ask this question by saying, "How would you rate your experience with our customer service team?" This maintains an unbiased attitude, encouraging respondents to answer honestly. 4. Pay attention to your vocabulary and phrasing. On a similar note, the validity of your data can be jeopardized if your questions are too vague or too limited. Using absolute words like "always," "every," or "never" force participants to completely agree or disagree with your questions, which can make some people hesitant to answer. For instance: Do you always shop with our company online? A. Yes B. No The above question limits your responses. After all, some customers may shop online occasionally and in-store at other times. With the answers they're given, it forces them to choose one which decreases the accuracy of their response. Additionally, double-barreled questions - questions that ask participants to respond to two separate sentiments at once - can affect validity as well. For example, asking, "What do you like best about our website and social media?" forces participants to answer based on their view of either your website or your social media. You won't know which one they chose, making their response relatively useless. 5. Utilize response scales. Response scales show the intensity of one's attitude towards a specific topic. These types of responses provide in-depth feedback on how your audience feels without using open-ended questions

Rather than fering Yes/NorTrFalseeps,you can 5-point or 7-point Likertse Participants are presented with a series of statements then asked to rate their opinion using a scale tha has opposite extremities.For instance,rather than asking."Do you come to our stores often?"you could phrase the question like this. How often do you come to one of our stores? A.Very Frequently B.Frequently C.Occasionally D.Rarely E.Never This format gives you specific feedback on a topic while maintaining a quantitative,closed-ended response 6.Keep the wording simple Remember the first"C"that stood for "Clear?"You want to make sure that what you're asking participants is user-friendly,comprehensible,and leaves no room for miscommunication.A good way For instance.rather than asking."What insights did you procure from your conversation with ou customer service reps that ultimately impacted your decision to transition from acquisition to advocacy?"try asking."How did your experiences with our customer service team help you remain loyal?The language is simple,every participant will understand it,and it isn't a run-osentence. 7.Use images and videos to clarify information. Sometimes,no matter how well-worded your question is,it still might not be clear to respondents.In For example,if you want to ask participants how they'd feel about a new product,it may not be enough to describe the concept using only words.Rather than writing a long description,you could include an image that participants can evaluate like the example below. Consider the following image before answering the question below

Rather than offering Yes/No or True/False responses, you can use a 5-point or 7-point Likert scale. Participants are presented with a series of statements then asked to rate their opinion using a scale that has opposite extremities. For instance, rather than asking, "Do you come to our stores often?" you could phrase the question like this: How often do you come to one of our stores? A. Very Frequently B. Frequently C. Occasionally D. Rarely E. Never This format gives you specific feedback on a topic while maintaining a quantitative, closed-ended response. 6. Keep the wording simple. Remember the first "C" that stood for "Clear?" You want to make sure that what you're asking participants is user-friendly, comprehensible, and leaves no room for miscommunication. A good way to do this is by using casual language with your target audience. For instance, rather than asking, "What insights did you procure from your conversation with our customer service reps that ultimately impacted your decision to transition from acquisition to advocacy?" try asking, "How did your experiences with our customer service team help you remain loyal?" The language is simple, every participant will understand it, and it isn't a run-on sentence. 7. Use images and videos to clarify information. Sometimes, no matter how well-worded your question is, it still might not be clear to respondents. In these cases, it's best to accompany the question with images or videos to clear up any confusion. For example, if you want to ask participants how they'd feel about a new product, it may not be enough to describe the concept using only words. Rather than writing a long description, you could include an image that participants can evaluate like the example below. Consider the following image before answering the question below

ThemFlection-Survey-Design Source:ThemeFlection How much would you be willing to pay for this smartphone? A.$0-199 B.$200-399 C.$400-599 D.$600-799 E.$800-999 This format is much cleaner than a block of text that some participants may not read.And,it lets you ask a series of questions based on one distinct image 8.Explain questions that may seem unnecessary or intrusive. For some surveys,you may have to ask questions that could seem unnecessary or personal.For example, tolearn more about your target audience,you may have toask demographic questions about ethnicity income,gender,etc.Some participants are sensitive to these topics,so it's important to explain why you're asking for this information. If people feel uncomfortable,they might skip your question or worse.abandon the survey altogether.To make it clear why these questions are being asked,provide a short description explaining why they're

ThemFlection-Survey-Design Source: ThemeFlection How much would you be willing to pay for this smartphone? A. $0-199 B. $200-399 C. $400-599 D. $600-799 E. $800-999 This format is much cleaner than a block of text that some participants may not read. And, it lets you ask a series of questions based on one distinct image. 8. Explain questions that may seem unnecessary or intrusive. For some surveys, you may have to ask questions that could seem unnecessary or personal. For example, to learn more about your target audience, you may have to ask demographic questions about ethnicity, income, gender, etc. Some participants are sensitive to these topics, so it's important to explain why you're asking for this information. If people feel uncomfortable, they might skip your question or worse, abandon the survey altogether. To make it clear why these questions are being asked, provide a short description explaining why they're

important to your research.Let participants know that the responses will be confidential and used only for research purposes.And,of course,follow through on your word. 9.Test your survey. Once you've designed your survey,you should test it before sending it out to stakeholders.After all,you want to make sure the survey is effective and that it'lcolect the data you're looking for.Conductinga test-run on a small sample size or internal employees can help your team catch overlooked errors. Getting fresh eyeson the survey will ensure there are nomissing questions.misspelled words.or biased wording that you may have missed.It's best to find these problems now rather than discovering them after the survey's been distributed. Also,use this opportunity toobtain feedback on the survey's design.Is it too long?Is it boring?Are any questions confusing,or repetitive?Did the questions make sense? Use this feedback toedit your survey.then test it again.Keep going through this process until you geta positive response from your participants and are prepared to send out the final draft. Now that you've created an effective survey,learn how to analyze survey results

important to your research. Let participants know that the responses will be confidential and used only for research purposes. And, of course, follow through on your word. 9. Test your survey. Once you've designed your survey, you should test it before sending it out to stakeholders. After all, you want to make sure the survey is effective and that it'll collect the data you're looking for. Conducting a test-run on a small sample size or internal employees can help your team catch overlooked errors. Getting fresh eyes on the survey will ensure there are no missing questions, misspelled words, or biased wording that you may have missed. It's best to find these problems now rather than discovering them after the survey's been distributed. Also, use this opportunity to obtain feedback on the survey's design. Is it too long? Is it boring? Are any questions confusing, or repetitive? Did the questions make sense? Use this feedback to edit your survey, then test it again. Keep going through this process until you get a positive response from your participants and are prepared to send out the final draft. Now that you've created an effective survey, learn how to analyze survey results

How to Make an Interview Video https://www.vidyard.com/blog/interview-videos/ 1.Define Your Purpose Define your purpose.Explain a complex topic,gain brand awarenessor ead a movement within you industry.Narrowing down your purpose will help you make all the other decisions to come. 2.Choose the Right Interviewee Pick someone who will represent your purpose. Ifyour purpose iseducation.you might choosea subject matter expert to explain a complex topic.To share a success story about a recent event,choose someone directly involved like a product manager or event organizer.If you're looking to lead a movement,choose industry thought leaders. No matter who you choose.make sure they are well-spoken,confident,and able to speak to your purpose 3.Do Your Research As the interviewer,a good grasp on subject matter will help you feel confident that you are asking intelligent questions.It will also help you rephrase the question or add context when necessary. 4.Plan Your Questions Interviews can take unexpected turns,so prepare questions in advance.This will guide your interview and ensure you don't forget any key information. Once you have a list of questions,order them in a cohesive flow.Start out with some easy ones,(Wh are you?What do you do?)and then move on to the more in-depth (How did this affect your business? What are your plans for the future?). 5.Choose the Right Setting Here's a tip:don't shoot an interview in front ofa beige wall unles you're trying to bore your viewers to death!The location and what appears in the background will affect the tone of your video. If you have an in-house video studio,take the time to design and deco rate your set.Include branded design elements where appropriate and give thought to what appears in the background (what film nerds and French people call the mise-en-scene). If you are shooting on location,choose a spot that says something about your subject.For example,If you're interviewing amusic producer,shoot in their studio.At times when you have less control,like a a conference,find a spot outside,or at the very least,somewhere interesting.with good lighting 6.Light Your Subject

How to Make an Interview Video https://www.vidyard.com/blog/interview-videos/ 1. Define Your Purpose Define your purpose. Explain a complex topic, gain brand awareness, or lead a movement within your industry. Narrowing down your purpose will help you make all the other decisions to come. 2. Choose the Right Interviewee Pick someone who will represent your purpose. If your purpose is education, you might choose a subject matter expert to explain a complex topic. To share a success story about a recent event, choose someone directly involved like a product manager or event organizer. If you’re looking to lead a movement, choose industry thought leaders. No matter who you choose, make sure they are well-spoken, confident, and able to speak to your purpose. 3. Do Your Research As the interviewer, a good grasp on subject matter will help you feel confident that you are asking intelligent questions. It will also help you rephrase the question or add context when necessary. 4. Plan Your Questions Interviews can take unexpected turns, so prepare questions in advance. This will guide your interview and ensure you don’t forget any key information. Once you have a list of questions, order them in a cohesive flow. Start out with some easy ones, (Who are you? What do you do?) and then move on to the more in-depth (How did this affect your business? What are your plans for the future?). 5. Choose the Right Setting Here’s a tip: don’t shoot an interview in front of a beige wall unless you’re trying to bore your viewers to death! The location and what appears in the background will affect the tone of your video. If you have an in-house video studio, take the time to design and decorate your set. Include branded design elements where appropriate and give thought to what appears in the background (what film nerds and French people call the mise-en-scene). If you are shooting on location, choose a spot that says something about your subject. For example, If you’re interviewing a music producer, shoot in their studio. At times when you have less control, like at a conference, find a spot outside, or at the very least, somewhere interesting, with good lighting. 6. Light Your Subject

Speaking of lighting.Try to have your subject facing natural light,or use a three-point lighting system. For more information on lighting head to our Video Production Guide. 7.Test Your Sound Whether you are using a lavalier mic or a USB mic for a remote interview,make sure to test your sound. Bring some good headphones to isolate the recorded sound from the in-room sound Be careful of clothing rustling up against the mic and popping p's.Interviews are mostly about the spoken word,so sound is importa 8.Make Magic Happen in Editing Edit together the best parts of the interview and create a flow from question to question.It'sok to leave footage on the cutting room floor if it's not serving the main purpose or goal of your video. This is where you can get creative.Add music.visuals,text (like a lower-third with the subject's name and title).and anything else to make this interview shine. Interview Video Best Practices Go Off Book To get the best on-camera performance,it's best not to let your interviewee followa script.One way to avoid this is to withhold the questions from your guest.You them anoverview in advance.bu hold on to the exact questions until the day of.Ifyour guest's answers sound roboticor rehearsed.try rephrasing the question to get the same answer in a different way Warm-Up Wondering how to interview someone on camera?Warming them up is key.Before you even turn the camera on,make your guest feel comfortable!Alittle small talk can go a long way.Your interviewee like water and snacks available on set will also help your guest feel at ease on camera. Use B-Roll B-roll is the term used to describe any footage outside of the interview.It's used to add visual interest illustrate the subject matter,and help the editor make smoother transitions.B-roll also includes produc shots.visual aids like graphs and charts,and even texton the screen.You might insert the questionsa text on screen between each answer Take a Breather To make it easier in the editing room,avoid run-on sentences by ask your guests to pause before switching subjects or changing the topic.You might need to ask them to repeat a specific part of their answer ifyou detect the crash of two trains of thought

Speaking of lighting. Try to have your subject facing natural light, or use a three-point lighting system. For more information on lighting head to our Video Production Guide. 7. Test Your Sound Whether you are using a lavalier mic or a USB mic for a remote interview, make sure to test your sound. Bring some good headphones to isolate the recorded sound from the in-room sound. Be careful of clothing rustling up against the mic and popping p’s. Interviews are mostly about the spoken word, so sound is important. 8. Make Magic Happen in Editing Edit together the best parts of the interview and create a flow from question to question. It’s ok to leave footage on the cutting room floor if it’s not serving the main purpose or goal of your video. This is where you can get creative. Add music, visuals, on-screen text (like a lower-third with the subject’s name and title), and anything else to make this interview shine. Interview Video Best Practices Go Off Book To get the best on-camera performance, it’s best not to let your interviewee follow a script. One way to avoid this is to withhold the questions from your guest. You can send them an overview in advance, but hold on to the exact questions until the day of. If your guest’s answers sound robotic or rehearsed, try rephrasing the question to get the same answer in a different way. Warm-Up Wondering how to interview someone on camera? Warming them up is key. Before you even turn the camera on, make your guest feel comfortable! A little small talk can go a long way. Your interviewee will be more relaxed on camera, and the answers will flow in a more natural way. Having small comforts like water and snacks available on set will also help your guest feel at ease on camera. Use B-Roll B-roll is the term used to describe any footage outside of the interview. It’s used to add visual interest, illustrate the subject matter, and help the editor make smoother transitions. B-roll also includes product shots, visual aids like graphs and charts, and even text on the screen. You might insert the questions as text on screen between each answer. Take a Breather To make it easier in the editing room, avoid run-on sentences by ask your guests to pause before switching subjects or changing the topic. You might need to ask them to repeat a specific part of their answer if you detect the crash of two trains of thought