Exercise: Critique This Interview

by Promod Sharma, CC

I was interviewed on camera for the second time. This was on Internet TV, which reduces the stress levels.

The interview was on the Qb money talk show. My previous experience was on Liquid Lunch, which uses the same studio.

The photo shows a green screen which allows a fake background to be inserted.

The Studio

The studio was surprisingly noisy. There was a constant hiss of static. Perhaps that dampens out other sounds? The filming area felt dead acoustically. Voices didn't carry far. While we were chatting at a table, it felt like we were talking from much further apart.

I couldn't tell what showed on camera, which meant I didn't know where to put my hands. I would have put them on the table but it was a little too high. I was also wired for sound. I didn't want to jar anything by moving around.

Your Review

For your critique, watch for several minutes (say in the middle). What did you like? What would you do differently? Next, leave your comments below. You can do the anonymously.

My Review

I thought the interview turned out better than it seemed at the time. Practicing impromptu speaking at Toastmasters (e.g., during Table Topics) is an effective way to practice.

I noticed that several sentences end with my pitch rising. That makes a statement sound like a question, which makes the speaker sound uncertain. That's not good if you're meant to be an expert.
I use "so" plus "and so" too often. This lead to run-on sentences. I also stretch out words like "aaannd" and "thennn". Pausing is better than filler. However, I found I had some ... unnecessary ... pauses which were not needed ... for effect. I also used duplicate words.

I rarely make these mistakes in my Toastmasters club, which is why I'm surprised that I do outside. This is another reason to always record yourself. Besides the official recording, I use an audio app on my Android phone. I had my video camera but didn't set it up. Because of the acoustics, the sound levels would probably have been low.

The overall experience is another reminder that practice is essential, especially in the real life environment which your club can't quite simulate.

Enhancements

I created a podcast from the video and made as many fixes as I could using Audacity. The background noise is nearly gone. The volume levels are levelized (sometimes the host was difficult to hear).

It was easy to delete "aaannd" because a gap usually followed. I could not easily remove "so" or "and so" because there was rarely a following pause.

I learned lots about my voice by editing the audio. The experience was worthwhile for learning.


direct download | Internet Archive page | iTunes

Links

• Interviewed on Liquid Lunch
• Interviewed on the Qb money talk show
• Speak better by looking at your voice with Audacity
• The how and why of Table Topics
• Tips on getting interviewed
• Get feedback from the right group
• Finding the right Toastmasters club for you

Promod Sharma ("pro-MODE") looks forward to more interviews and practicing at Goodyear Toastmasters.

Speak Better By Looking At Your Voice With Audacity

by Promod Sharma, CC

To improve your speaking, record your voice and listen to the playback later. You probably know this.

Recording is easy and inexpensive. You can use your smartphone or a portable recorder. A video camera is even better because you see yourself too.

Audio Only

When you speak in person , your physical presence helps communicate your message. Foibles get overlooked.

On radio or in a podcast, your voice is much more important. Mistakes become more glaring. Listening to yourself helps but watching the waveforms in your voice is even more helpful.

Be Audacious

Record yourself with Audacity, a free application that works on Windows, Mac and Linux. The installation is easy. If your computer doesn’t have a built-in microphone, you’ll need to get one. A desktop mic feels more natural than using a headset.A USB mic is easier to setup and has higher quality.

Record

You can monitor the audio while you speak but this can be distracting. Instead, record yourself for a few minutes. You could read one of your speeches or an article. If you’re good at speaking impromptu, simply talk.

In the beginning, the microphone may be intimidating. I'd forget to breathe. You'll get better with practice.

Watch

After you finish, watch the screen as you listen to the playback. You’ll be able to see when you take a breath. You’ll see if your volume decreases as your lungs run out of air. You’ll see if you speak louder at some points such as the start of a sentence.

Podcast

As you master recording with Audacity, start editing. This is good practice if you want to learn video editing later. What do you do with the recordings? You could to create a podcast.

Links

• Audacity homepage
• Introverts can speak
• Get a video recording of your speech
• Overcoming the chaos of English pronunciation and spelling
• Toastmasters and podcasting
• Mommy, learn to speak better
• Tips for telling stories

Promod Sharma records a weekly podcast, Riscario Radio. There are over 180 episodes. You’ll find them on the Internet Archive, iTunes or the Riscario Insider blog.

Behind The Scenes: Video of Building Trust With Podcasting (#pcto2012)

by Promod Sharma, President 2011-2012

When you’re presenting live, you may face hurdles. With practice, you’ll learn to overcome them. This session is an example.

The Hurdles

The main hurdle was getting ready. The previous speakers left no time for setup. As a result, the opening words weren’t delivered with the intended impact. Also, the camera could have been moved closer.

The room was wide and attendees were scattered from stage left to stage right. It wasn’t possible to look at everyone at once. I would have preferred to stand to the left of the screen, but that would have obstructed the view and put me further from the bulk of the audience.

Initially, the projector was showing a blank screen. The solution was to change the resolution on the computer from 1600x900 to 1280x800. Normally this adjustment occurs automatically. Presenters can’t rely on normal.

The Risk

About 75% of the session was unscripted participation with the audience. That’s risky but also rewarding for everyone. This audience was warm and participated actively. That was a relief. There are strategies to deal with tough audiences but they weren’t needed here. Let’s save them for another blog post.

The Video

What do you think? What would you have done differently?

The Editing

This video is the second time I’ve overlaid still images of the slides. The first time was a week earlier with Building Trust With Blogging. I made a mistake just before publishing. I moved the title slide. This caused the images to show several seconds earlier than planned.

If I could go back in time, I’d boost the audio volume. While editing, I was using high powered speakers and didn’t notice the levels were low. I was hoping that YouTube would have a setting to boost volume but I couldn’t find one.

Overall, video editing is easier easier. I got valuable tips at Podcamp Toronto from Craig Moore of Halifax-based Spider Video (spidervideo.tv and @spidervideo).

Links

• How to make your presentation better than a TED Talk
• Toastmasters, Podcasting and Podcamp Toronto 2012
• Podcasting resources

Promod Sharma keeps writing these blog posts to encourage other club members to get contribute text, audio or video. His own blogs are here and here.