Fed up of making videos on your phone and never posting them? With interview club, you can record yourself looking and sounding natural – instantly.

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It's all very well having access to smart phones and YouTube. All the tech in the world can't make you sound natural on camera - because it's just weird to speak into the void, all on your own.

You press "record", you speak, then you press "stop".

Afterwards, you watch the recording you've made and decide it's flawed for some reason - there's always some reason - and start all over again.

Eventually you give up, meaning to do it another day.

Which would be fine except that the same problem will arise again each time.

Someone told me recently that his phone is full of videos like that.

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Not-so secret

There's a simple way to sound natural on camera: talk to somebody real, who actually cares about what you have to say. Someone who will really listen, and nod, and ask questions.

Even supposedly "tough" questions - because those can elicit the strongest replies.

Of course, you know this already, because you have seen a zillion documentaries on TV where someone asks questions off-camera.

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For most of us, it's impossible to find a willing interviewer to ask interesting questions and listen attentively.

Someone who will notice when we don't answer questions with a full sentence - making the recording useless.

If you can think of someone like that already - stop reading at once and give them a call.

Otherwise, you may like to hear about Interview Club.

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How it works

Each time we meet, on Zoom, I'll start the session with some ideas about interviewing.

I've done a lot of interviews, as a journalist on The Financial Times magazine, The Sunday Times and elsewhere.

We'll do live demos, in which you may be requested deliberately to do it "wrong" first - so that there's no need to worry - and even if you don't volunteer for that you'll learn, by watching, what to avoid.

Then we will break into pairs to interview each other, and make recordings to go into your social media, or on a website - or wherever you like, frankly.

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Life skills

As well as insights from journalism, I'll share ideas that became life skills, drawn from my extensive training as an executive coach, my experience as a patient in therapy (solo and in groups), and my training in theatrical impro.

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To be clear, Interview Club is not therapy. It's also not quite journalism or coaching. But as my reference to these things may suggest, you will gain a lot more than mere useful footage.

I think you'll learn things about yourself, just by having the chance to say them out loud.

Naturally, what you say in the group is confidential unless you choose to share it - and by joining you agree to respect the privacy of others, on the same basis.

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What people say

Here's a response from participants at the end of one recent session. I've kept it short, so you'll only hear from one of them, but you can see the others nodding quite a bit:

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Practice, practice

There aren't that many things to learn. Interviewing is not especially complicated. But it does take practice. That's what Interview Club is for.

I think you will like it. I want you to like it.

The first session is free. After that, pay what you like.

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IMPORTANT: Sessions are on Thursdays at 4pm UK on Zoom.

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Thank you.

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