I was live-interviewed on Zoom in December 2020 by award winning columnist Suzette Martinez Standring on her cable access TV show, All Write With Suzette, about my book Practice, Practice, Practice: This Psychiatrist’s Life.

Being a bit of a hermit, I’m at my best one-on-one. Public speaking gives me an electric, prickly feeling of doom, like that time I stepped off the edge of a coir mat, twisted my ankle and fell like an axed tree, in slow-mo. Suzette is a wonderful interviewer and I had a great time.

Still, experience has taught me that feeling good about how I did is not a reliable indicator of how I actually performed. I have bombed many tests I thought I’d aced, and vice versa. Many weeks later, when I finally worked up the nerve to watch the interview with an objective eye— whew! I’d done okay for a newbie. Yay me.

Why leave it at that? There’s always room for improvement. Let me tell you what I learned.

Here’s what I did right:

Pre-interview prep: We scripted the interview—Suzette’s questions and my answers. I timed myself speaking to make sure I didn’t ramble. I’m especially glad I practiced telling a story from the book. That proved surprisingly difficult to do without notes or stumbling.

Tip 1: Don’t skip this. Practice builds confidence.

Lighting: As per the cable TV tech guy, I set up indirect lighting behind the desktop monitor by placing a table lamp on a twelve-pack of tissue boxes. The screen camera confirmed that worked: no goth-girl eyes or bozo nose, and I couldn’t see that zit by my lip. Good enough.

Tip 2: Do what tech support tells you to do.

Costuming: When it comes to clothes, I’m a grab what’s on top of the drawer or in the laundry basket minimalist. However, I understand the value of theater. For the interview, I wore a really nice dress, earrings and make-up. And while unnecessary, hose and pumps, too. Why skimp? Fan feedback: “Dang, but you clean up good!” and “You looked so polished and professional.”

Tip 3: Dress for success, to show your best.

Here’s what I did wrong:

Setting: I used my home library, with its floor to ceiling bookcases and desktop computer, as the Zoom room. I propped a large poster of my book’s cover against a bookcase, so it was clearly visible behind me on screen. That was good. However, my library doubles as a guest room. The neatly quilted bed was also clearly visible. Woops. Too intimate. My sister agreed and asked, “Why didn’t you use your clinical office?” Why didn’t I? Didn’t occur to me… to leave the house during the pandemic, even to a virus-free zone. Next time.

Tip 4: Consider what your viewers will see in the background. Don’t skip this step.

Chair: The library has a wooden floor. I sat in the wheeled desk chair for the interview, wedged between the bed and desk. I am an animated speaker, especially when nervous. With every gesture, wriggle and intake of breath, the chair rolled, amplifying my movements. Of course, I didn’t realize that. Until I watched myself bouncing around like a carnival bumper car.

Tip 5: Use a straight-legged chair, no wheels.

Looking at the camera: Suzette instructed me when speaking to look at the green camera light at the top of the desktop. It was a tad high for me to make natural eye contact with. That showed on the tape. My gaze was rarely direct. In future, since I can’t lower the desktop, I’ll sit on that stack of textbooks Hubby won’t part with. Even if it makes me feel like a toddler in a booster seat. It’s not easy being short.

Tip 6: Check your line of sight with the camera before filming.

Phumphering: Speaking fluently without notes requires vigilant nipping of meaningless and repetitive sounds, words and phrases. Well. Guess what I usually began with? Well. Then there were the ums, uhs and you knows.

Tip 7: Slow down. Speak more slowly than feels natural. Maintain a slight lag between thought and speech, to catch those empty fillers before they escape.

Please, feel free to add more tips in the comments. Zoom interviews aren’t going away any time soon, if ever. I need all the help I can get. How about you?