It always amazes me how easily a mediocre media interview or public presentation can become a memorable one.
My client was very competent. She knew her stuff backwards. She was attractive, articulate and poised, but she forgot two things. First, she forgot to smile and, secondly, she forgot to have a good time.
It can take a mountain of work to land a TV interview and you have the opportunity to reach thousands of people with your message. But, as I tell clients over and over again, your audience won’t remember most of what you said – but they will remember how you said it. Television is all about image and the more positively you present yourself, the more accepting viewers will be to both your image and your message.
And yes, it’s easy for me to sit here and tell you to smile while you’re in front of thousands of people with four TV cameras staring at you and studio lights blazing. Surely, under those conditions, it’s difficult enough for you to focus on what you want to say without having to remember to smile while you’re saying it.
Well, there’s a simple solution to both problems: Relax! When you’re on TV, on radio or presenting to a large group of people, relax and enjoy yourself. The more fun you have, the more fun your audience will have and the more they’ll accept and value what you have to say. Besides, if you relax, those all-important key messages will be much easier to remember. And you really can relax and enjoy yourself; all you have to do is see it as a positive experience, put everything else out of your head, treat it like a visit with friends and have a good time! And the smiles? They’ll come naturally.