On Tuesdays, we watch talks or interviews with artists and designers and discuss how to present our work clearly and with confidence. Today we’ll look at an interview with luxury interior designer Sophie Paterson.
As you watch this interview, consider these questions: Does the designer speak clearly and with confidence? Does she use gestures and intonation to emphasize her points? Does she smile and look at the camera? Does she use professional vocabulary?
Let’s begin by talking about what this designer does well. She speaks with confidence and she has good eye-contact with the camera. She gestures in a way that makes her responses more engaging, and she avoids using filler words. Her volume and speed are both good, and she is easy to understand.
What could she improve? At the beginning of the interview, she is sitting on a couch with her legs crossed and one arm across her lap. Although this is considered a polite way for a lady to sit, it also implies a lack of confidence. Whenever possible, it’s good to choose a more open posture for interviews or presentations, but this is a little difficult when sitting on a couch. She uses some vocal variety, but a little more wouldn’t hurt. Also, she doesn’t really smile much and that would make her feel a little more relaxed and engaged as well.
She uses a lot of professional vocabulary in her interview. She talks about how she designs her rooms around star pieces, and that she likes to create dim, cozy, inviting spaces. She also says that some designers tend to overcompensate for difficulties in their spaces, but instead, she uses those elements to emphasize other aspects of the room. She also talks about how lighting can make or break a room. This is a phrase that means there is nothing between success and failure. For example, the lighting will make the room, and it will look great; or break it, and it will be a disappointment.
Toward the end, she also talks about her lux-haves, which is a combination of must-haves and luxury, to mean the luxury items she must have. While she does this, she talks about how she is obsessed with certain items like cashmere and candles. She uses the word obsessed and obsession several times in the same segment, and it’s a little redundant. Alternatively, she could have said she is crazy about candles or a huge fan of cashmere to add more variety to her answer.
What do you think of this interview? Do you agree with my comments? Do you have questions about the vocabulary? Do you want to suggest a piece for me to discuss next week? Leave a comment below!
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 LuxDeco on April 11, 2014, click the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=-YIgF4yAKKA