Some years back I was invited to be a guest on Business Connections Live The UK’s leading online business television channel.
And I won’t lie … I was nervous!
Over the past few months, a couple of our clients have been presenting in studio for programmes to be aired in- house and for TV channels with much larger audiences!
And I won’t lie … they were nervous!
When I first set up Partners With You (over 22 years ago) I can honestly say that the chances of you being in front of a camera as a business person were very slim.
However, these days, even without the proliferation of television channels all looking for commentators, interviewees and experts, you will definitely find yourself on a Zoom or Teams meeting, creating videos for your website or even being invited to present at a teleconference or hybrid meeting.
It’s so true that the fear of the unknown is much worse than the fear of the known, so if you haven’t been in a studio but might be, I would thoroughly recommend that you find a studio/media company who offer training in situ. Just knowing what a studio is like and having seen yourself on screen in an interview situation can lower the fear factor when you do it for real.
If you don’t have a media training company Business Connections run a course in the studio they use for their television programme and you can either team up with a few other business owners or invest in getting a team of people from your office trained up; they have more information here.
Of course, everything you need to consider when presenting stands true whether a camera is involved or not; however below are five additional tips I would add when presenting in a studio or in front of a camera:
- Be aware that the temperature can be very variable so arrive in layers that you are comfortable to be seen in. Avoid patterns; keep the colours plain but not green or white in case there is a green or white screen as your background.
- You will be able to see what the camera is looking at on a screen. Don’t look at yourself while being introduced. It will reduce your credibility and make you look as though you’re new to being interviewed on camera.
- Concentrate on breathing deeply while being asked questions – this will help you to think on your feet and reduce your nerves. It will also help to slow you down if you tend to gabble when nervous.
- Don’t be afraid to pause – it will feel longer than it is and the temptation is to “umm” to fill in while you are thinking. This will again affect your credibility.
- Nerves are often visible in the face so if you can, do some exercises to loosen your jaw and work out your tongue, lips and facial muscles; you won’t look as nervous and you will sound more articulate.
There are more presentation tips in the interview itself so grab a coffee and watch the edited highlights. I used all the techniques I’ve learnt from our team of actors … you’ll see I haven’t quite mastered tip number 5 but I’m improving!
Are there any tips you think I’ve missed?