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Keep Your Head in the Game

By November 8, 2017Blog

One of my favorite clips that I use in my workshops features the host of a popular show pitching to a commercial break. Her cohost says his bit and then tosses it to her. She smiles and says, “Well, white, blah blah blah, blake,” which produced a look of bemusement and befuddlement from her cohost.

What she was most likely trying to say was, “Well, right after the break, we will reveal one of the couples who is in the bottom two.”

No, she wasn’t struck by some medical malady, nor was she terrible at her job. What she had done was “mentally moved on.” Her thoughts were already in commercial, but her mouth was still required to form the words to get her there. The result was gibberish.

Stick it Out to the End

If you are getting to the end of a performance, you may be elated at the prospect that you are almost done and prematurely mentally check out. However, that moment of anticipation can disrupt your focus ever so slightly that you stumble.

  • Make sure you give each word, each concept, its proper value no matter where it is in your presentation.
  • Maintain your energy, conviction, and focus from the first sentence to the last.
  • Do not relax until the recording light is off.

If you found this information valuable, check out my book, On-Camera Coach: Tools and Techniques for Business Professionals in a Video-Driven World, now available from Wiley Publishing. On-Camera Coach aims to take the mystery out of communicating through the camera and provides specific tips and techniques that can make your message sing—and you, the messenger, feel confident in a job well done.