5 Tips To Great Physician Interviews

For over 10 years we have created physician profile videos that healthcare marketing teams for use on their websites, social media platforms or as part of their advertising strategy.  There are so many critical components that go into the production of a video – we selected some of our key insider tips to ensure we capture your physicians in the best possible light.  

1. Comfort Is Key
Some doctors walk into a room with lights and a camera and think "What have I gotten myself into?" They are out of their comfort zone. While our videographer is adjusting the shot and setting the sound levels, we engage the physician in conversation. They soon realize the interview experience is not going to be painful. Physicians tend to open up once they find out our goal is to learn more about how they help their patients.  

2.  Surprises Are Good
There is an old saying among lawyers: Never ask a question in the courtroom if you don’t already know the answer. The idea is to avoid surprises. That's fine in the legal world, but we take the opposite approach when it comes to interviews. Nothing leads to a better conversation than an answer to a question that you did not expect. Our reaction, response and genuine interest often expands the conversation and results in a better interview.

3.  Set The Pace
It can be easy for an interviewee to get nervous and feel like they have to rush their answers. This will inevitably lead to rushed dialogue that is hard to edit. We ask questions in the speed in which we wish to get a response. We have found that subjects will mirror our body language and vocal speed. The same is true when it comes to volume, especially with people who are soft spoken.

4. Evoke Emotions
Some of our best answers are when we asked each physician to talk about a personal experience that strengthened their passion for medicine. An effective interviewer will trigger emotions by asking how they ‘feel’ about a topic or a certain issue.

5. Stay Away from Yes or No
Consider the difference between these two questions.

A) Do you like being a physician?
B) What do you like best about being a physician?

Question A gets you a yes or no answer…and nothing more. Question B gives you insight into a physician's personality. As you can imagine, the answer to Question B is much more likely to be provide content that can be used in a physician profile video. 

We love all of the details that lead to such a powerful end product – it’s what sets apart a good video from an amazing, high-quality video.

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