On Tuesdays, we watch talks or interviews with artists and designers and discuss how to present our work clearly and with confidence. This week we’ll hear from Andrew Green, part of the game development team that worked on Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.
As you watch this interview, consider these questions: Does the designer speak clearly and with confidence? Does he use gestures and intonation to emphasize his points? Does he smile and look at the camera? Does he use professional vocabulary?
What does Green do well? He speaks with confidence and looks at the interviewer/camera when he speaks. His speed and volume are good and he is easy to understand. His posture is good, he gestures, and his face is very expressive. He uses a lot of vocal variety and uses professional vocabulary while still keeping the tone of the interview very casual.
What could he improve? The only thing I think Green could improve in this interview is his use of filler words. He uses the words and phrases: like, you know, and um, very frequently. These are called filler words because they fill in the empty space when we are trying to think about what to say next. Everyone uses these occasionally, especially in an interview when you don’t know what questions will be asked. Usually, it’s better to pause a moment and think, than to use a lot of filler words.
What professional vocabulary does Green use? He begins by talking about creating characters and how the players drive the story, which means they decide what will happen in the story. He gives some examples of this, such as choosing who will be your friends or enemies, and which spells to use. The professors and other students will give you choices too, as you try to solve the mystery of your brother’s disappearance. Next, he talks about how you can choose what your character’s personality will be like – will you be a mischief maker (a person who causes trouble), a paragon (a person who is a good example to others), or a rebel (a person that breaks the rules)? He also talks about the story and says it is one of the richest narrative adventures you’re ever going to play. Finally, he tells us the game is coming out in spring 2018. Coming out is a phrasal verb that means something will be available.
It can be difficult to know what to say in an interview, but the more you practice thinking about and talking about your work, the easier it will become.
At Artglish, we help artists and designers to speak confidently about their work. We coach you to speak professionally using the best vocabulary and correct pronunciation. If you’d like to learn more about what we offer, click here to get exclusive content, or check out our Courses page.
I’ve chosen 5 words or phrases for you to focus on today. They are in bold. If you don’t know them, look up the meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and other forms of these words. You can find links to Merriam-Webster dictionary sites at the bottom of this page.
To see the original video, posted by Inside the Magic on January 29, 2018, click the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWDJNdV2KtU