Jan D'Arcy's Blog

Tips For TV Appearances July 23, 2009

I wached my council meeting presentation on tv. Was chagrined to find that everytime I turned to comment on slides, it was difficult to hear my voice. Yes, my most important audience was the 7 council members who could easily hear me but I could have had more impact with viewing audience.
Lessons learned – have someone else manage slides or only speak when facing stationary mike. Shorten remarks so you don’t appear rushed. Be more aware of talking to tv audience- visualize them in your head.
On the plus side, the Council responded favorably to my points and are going to initiate a design/code review. I reached my objective. But the presentation was set up by a lot of prior e-mailing and presenting evidence to council members. If you want action taken in a meeting or from a tv appearance, you need to consult with your audience beforehand and set the stage for acceptance. It won’t happen in 3 minutes.