Bite-Sized Blog

Using the right words doesn’t guarantee people will care about what you have to say.

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AT A GLANCE

• Scripted executive video often comes across as robotic and fails to connect
• Modern viewers have a low tolerance for corporate jargon and over-rehearsed delivery
• Q&A format produces more authentic, engaging results with the right preparation
• All key messages can still be included, just communicated more naturally
• Authenticity in leadership content builds audience trust and increases engagement

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THE PROBLEM WITH SCRIPTED EXECUTIVE CONTENT

Most marketers and PR professionals default to detailed scripts, teleprompter delivery and dense data points for executive communications. While this has its place, it's often not the only – or best – option.

Compared to a scripted, teleprompter-read executive video, a well-structured Q&A format with carefully crafted questions and bullet-point thought-starters produces more authentic, engaging leadership content.

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WHY AUDIENCES SEE THROUGH CORPORATE MESSAGING

Today's viewers are highly media-literate. Their radar for corporate jargon and over-scripted delivery is finely tuned, so when delivery feels rehearsed and impersonal, the audience disengages; regardless of how important the message is.

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THE Q&A FORMAT: A MORE EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE

Key elements of an effective Q&A video format:

• Carefully crafted 'leading' questions that guide the executive toward key messages
• Precise planning to ensure all critical information is covered naturally
• Bullet-point thought-starters rather than word-for-word scripts
• A skilled interviewer who can draw out real personality and clarity

We find Q&A works best for CEO/leadership comms, culture videos, brand story, testimonials and employee engagement / internal communications. Scripted can work well for regulatory disclosures and technical demos.

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With Q&A, all the important information can still be featured but in a way that feels natural and insightful – and this is what ultimately creates engagement with audiences. It’s where the true power of video lies.

Authenticity goes a lot further than you think.

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