Back to basics
Some TV people have asked us for tips on how to improve their performance, either to boost their career prospects or to better serve the viewing public. Some of our suggestions are quite basic:
Quite a number of on-cam TV talents don’t even know how to read written spiels or “idiot boards” properly.
The rule is: Do it as naturally as possible, without calling attention to the fact that you’re reading words somebody else has written for you.
Alas, many TV talents can’t even pull this basic feat off, so they end up looking—we won’t say stupid, but—unable to think and speak for themselves?
Another basic flaw or gaucherie is some talents’ ignorance of proper microphone handling.
With hand-held mics, the rule is to not shout into it (it already amplifies your voice, right?), but to keep it two inches away from your mouth.
An even worse mistake is committed by talents who laugh loudly into the mic they’re holding. The rule is, when you laugh, you keep it far away from your mouth, so the poor listener’s ears aren’t “blasted” by your loud and amplified laughter!
A final note on microphone handling is related to the now fashionable use of lapel mics or those attached by a thin metal or plastic “arm” reaching right next to your mouth.
Many talents are so thrilled to be “in” and trendy this way that they keep “adjusting” the tiny mic when they’re speaking. The rule is, with this new kind of mic, you don’t touch or adjust it at all, and leave the volume and sound balance completely in the hands of sound technicians.
More basic tips: Scripted spiels are OK for starters, but all TV talents should make it a point to learn how to ad-lib and eventually think and speak for themselves, thus making the insultingly called “idiot boards” obsolete.
So, all TV talents who want to do well and rise up to the top have to become increasingly less dependent on scripted spiels.
This isn’t easy to do, because some on-cam talents have made it mainly due to their looks, not necessarily their education, intelligence and ability to confidently, succinctly and interestingly express themselves.
So, a talent who is perceived to be limited in this key area needs to take extra lessons, workshops, tutorials, follow-up courses, etc., to solve the potentially career-limiting problem!
Even clever and well-connected talents who are able to “act” their way out of this cul-de-sac are eventually shown up by their on-cam performance for the limited people they are.
So, wise up and learn how to—speak for yourself!
