This is a question that I often get from my clients: “TJ, I am involved with message development for my colleagues and I am not doing any interviews, so why should I practice on video?” In fact, why should anyone practice delivering their messages on video?
Here is why you should do that: you can write and write messages that look good on paper or a computer, pass inspection from a legal department or the investors department, and everything seems to be looking good. But then you say it out loud and you listen to it and you end up thinking, “Hmm. That third message sounds like baloney”. Or maybe you realize that despite saying a lot, you have failed to address the main concern of the report.
I believe it is great to test your messages out loud. I prefer video, but just doing audio is certainly better than doing nothing at all as well. Listen to your message: does it sound believable, real, and comprehensive? Does it sound like what you want the world to know?
So if you are in the communications function of your organization and you are not the one doing the interview, you should still practice the messages out loud and listen to them. As a communications person, you should also be able to get comfortable with the spokesperson before he or she does the interview. By practicing yourself, you can relate to them better and know how they feel. In that way you are not just putting a piece of paper in front of them.