Stand Out From Competitors Virtually

To gain an advantage in the virtual world, it’s not enough to be an outstanding presenter. You have to be an outstanding TV presenter to stand out from your competitors.

Much of our interactions are online, and that’s going to continue into 2021. It’s important to learn TV presenting skills.

This new mode of communication happened without any preparation or warning. People worldwide are thrust into the role of TV presenters without any prior training. On top of that, they also have to sort out their technical equipment. I still constantly see nightmare scenarios where the audio is poor, the lighting is bad and the framing is dreadful.

TV Presenting Skills Are Needed

Do you recall a TV presenter that you liked? You can probably identify 2 – 3 reasons why that presenter appealed to you. Maybe it’s their warmth or humour, their soothing dulcet tone of voice, or just how good they looked.

Now, everyone on screen is assessed according to similar markers. So you’d have to look good, sound good, be warm and have a great sense of humour.

How do TV presenters do that? With training and regular practice. That’s similar to any professional job that you want to get good at.

Many people don’t think about what they need to improve, what techniques will help them, and worse, they don’t practice. Even if they know that they have to speak slower. How many people actually practice that, daily? We need to breath to calm ourselves down before a big presentation. How many people actually practice and master calming breaths daily?

Here are some steps to take to begin the journey of being outstanding on screen.

How To Stand Out

Learn to get into your best state

All pro presenters have their way of calming their adrenaline before they go live. Some need to center themselves and collect their thoughts alone. Some need to expend nervous energy by talking to people. Some listen to music. Find yours.

Gain breath control

You can hear when presenters have good control of their breath. Those who don’t get breathless in the middle of a sentence. There are many breathing techniques for different purposes.

A shot of confidence

Looking good always gives a boost of confidence.

The people who say they don’t care about their appearance are either not being truthful to themselves, or have no respect for their audience. Grooming yourself to look good for others shows respect for yourself and others. If you insist on being a slob, it’s unprofessional and unappealing to watch. If you have no idea about style, ask for help.

Eye contact LINK

This is sooo important and I stress on this very often when it comes to presenting on camera. Look at the camera lens. Too many professional speakers are still not looking into the lens and into the eyes of their audience.

Build Internal Validation

Most speakers are used to seeing people’s reactions that they feel lost when they have to speak to a camera. I remember watching an online global summit in June, and the speaker was told that he was live. He was completely thrown off and complained that he can’t see anyone and doesn’t know how to start. All this was live.

Looking for reaction is looking for validation of the head nods and the mmms of agreement. Unfortunately, there’s generally none forthcoming on a zoom or webinar.

We’re not receiving cues that direct our responses so we have to guess and that uncertainty is disconcerting. Now we have to present in a void, especially when the participants have their cameras turned off.

Practice being inner directed as it gives you mastery on presenting your best, regardless of the audience.