There is an old saying: “Those who can’t do, teach”. That is definitely true for me when it comes to live television. I’ve spent my entire career working behind the camera, first as a news producer and now a publicist. I’ve helped coach dozens of spokespeople and studio guests on how to present themselves in front of the camera, the best strategies for getting across their key messages, and how to interact with reporters in a personable way. But put me in front of a camera for a live broadcast showing to hundreds of thousands of people?? No thank you!
One of the publicists on our team recently appeared on live TV to assist in a placement for a client, and I have to give her credit because I don’t think I could do it! I have the same rational fears as most people appearing on TV: What if I forget what to say? What if I stutter and sound incompetent? What if I’m having a bad hair day!?!
Now don’t get the wrong impression from this post. Just because I’m not personally comfortable appearing on TV, doesn’t mean I’m not a good teacher for others. Our publicists watch and study live television interviews every day. We’ve seen both the home runs and the complete bombs, and we learn from each and every one of them. We want our guests and spokespeople to succeed, and so we are more than happy to spend time going through media training and practice interviews to make them feel comfortable in front of the camera. We want to you be a superstar, and the result is a win-win-win situation: for you, our team and our client.
