Interview: Cooking with Blueberries

Media outlet: Global TV Calgary, Alberta

Expert guest: Kristyn Hall, MSc, RD; Food, Nutrition and Culinary Coach, Nutrition and Culinary Solutions; @kristynhall

Air date: July 12, 2016

Reviewers:  Interview self-reflection by Kristyn Hall; and interview review by Gina Sunderland and Sue Mah, Co-Founders, Media Training Boot Camp

Interview Rewind:  As always, we are happy to review your media interviews upon request. We were thrilled that Kristyn reached out to us to share her self-reflection based on what she learned from our media training workshops and webinars! An important element of professional development in media training is the ability to watch yourself and reflect on your own performance. Thanks Kristyn for sharing your valuable thoughts and inviting us to add our comments too!

Watch Kristyn’s interview: 

Topic Key Messages and Interview Flow

  • This interview provided ideas for creative ways to use blueberries featuring two breakfast recipes: a breakfast blueberry rice bowl and a blueberry bar.
  • Kristyn enthusiastically shared key messages at the beginning of the interview, “Blueberries are a family friendly flavour that most people like to eat, and they are a naturally sweet way to power-up your busy summer day!” This friendly introduction is a great strategy to engage viewers to tune in.
  • Kristyn also delivered a great sound bite early into the interview. When making the breakfast blueberry rice bowls she stated, “They (blueberries) are so sweet they are just like nature’s candy!” Great way to start an interview. Engaging and friendly!
  • She had a beautiful smile and excellent eye contact with camera throughout the interview right from her introduction and with host.
  • She engaged the host to assist with the recipe preparation.
  • There was a nice exchange and sharing of information between Kristyn and the host throughout the interview.
  • Kristyn had excellent energy in her voice, enthusiasm and friendly body language throughout the interview.
  • Our suggestions: state the full name of the blueberry bar recipe so it can easily be found on the bcblueberry.com website. Also consider sending the recipe link to the television station producer ahead of time, so they can show the link on the screen while the recipe is being made.

Kristyn’s Review of Her Interview

Kristyn reviewed her own interview and reflected on five areas for improvement. Here is Kristyn’s self-reflection in her own words:

1) Not wearing dangly earrings which I found to be distracting.

2) I noted that I bopped my head back and forth a bit too much. Our suggestions: practice key message delivery in front of a mirror to be more aware of your body language. Being mindful of our own small movements can be challenge for even the most experienced media dietitian!

3) I chose 2 very complicated recipes to demo in a short segment. I should have chosen one simpler recipe to go along with one difficult one.

4) I used a Burnbrae Farms (branded) 1/4 cup measure.

5) I am somewhat repetitive in my use of “filler” words. I didn’t do the “umm” but did use a few “filler words” when describing the recipe – which perhaps detracts from the interview.

Visuals

  • Kristyn beautifully displayed the finished blueberry bars and her food display looked colourful and enticing!
  • Our suggestions: consider having a large glass bowl of blueberries as part of the focal point of the food display or show them in a large wine glass to elevate them and add height to the food display. The bowl of blueberries was visible, but was set-off to the side and not as visible to viewers.
  • Consider using clear glass bowls to show recipe ingredients as you did when combining the ingredients for the blueberry bars (or for example cooked brown rice would be easier to see in a glass bowl or clear container than when in a pot) and for the finished “hero” rice bowl recipe too. If showing ingredients in a pot, hold pot at an angle towards the camera so that the viewers can see the contents of the pot before stirring or pouring it (the host did this with the cooked rice).
  • Consider the props set-up as it seemed a bit awkward to reach over to get the pot for the second recipe…maybe rethink the recipes so that recipe #1 uses the cooked rice in a pot and recipe #2 could have had the syrup sauce in a clear measuring cup nearby.

 Wardrobe

  • Kristyn looked fantastic on camera in her red top and western style blue jean jacket, to reflect the celebration of the Calgary stampede! She smiled throughout the interview and her make-up looked professional. Her top had a small pattern throughout it and looked a little fuzzy on camera, as patterns often do.
  • Our suggestions: Consider wearing a plain, red top or blouse to accompany your blue jean jacket.

Overall, a great interview Kristyn with a nice colourful range of visuals and lots of fantastic, practical tips for the viewers!