BRILLIANCE IN PERFORMANCE
or... "IT" Talks!
Originally published in ShopTalk on 10/19/98
The article entitled "Competant vs. Exceptional;
What's the Deal" discussed the "IT" factor. What is IT - do you have IT -
what can you do to get closer to IT? Having covered the importance of the voice
in that piece, we'll mention a few other aspects.
Even if you have "IT" lurking around in there somewhere,
there may be factors getting in the way of anyone seeing IT in you clearly.
Pesky details such as appearance: makeup, wardrobe, hair, etc. all need to be
handled. Hey, it's a visual profession. And for better or worse, it's also the
first thing anyone looks at. More than simply avoiding unsightly distractions,
your appearance should enhance what you have going for you. If you need
professional help in this department, get it! If you can't afford it but need to
upgrade, start looking in makeup books, magazines and books on how to dress for
the image you want to convey. Look at how others you admire - and others who
have similar features as you - "put it all together". Teach yourself, by any
means possible. This is key, because "IT" people usually look pretty good.
Next, even beyond the sound of your voice; there
can be vocal delivery style issues that distract from ITness. Do you talk in a
sing-songy manner? PUNCH too MUCH? Have repetitive repetitive vocal vocal
patterns patterns? Sound too much the same from one story to the next? Stop
it this instant! ;)
IT delivery, even whilst being done in suitable style for
news, also sounds believably natural, has some flexibility in it and
seems to effortlessly paint a picture of the story being told.
Here are a couple of ways to school yourself and have some fun in the process
(everyone gets so serious!):
The first one is a test for your "realness" level
(IT-casters always sound real) and is pretty entertaining besides. Begin by
speaking a couple of lines from one of your stories the way you always do it
on-air. Next, imagine saying it just that way to a normal person - like a friend
or someone you know well. From that perspective, does the first way sound
natural... or weird? If you speak to your friend just the way you delivery the
news, would they be tempted to shake you desperately in hopes that you'll snap
out of Stepford News Delerium and sound like yourself again?
If so, this is not a good sign. To battle unsightly
"News-ese" (i.e. sounding like a reporter), you need to be able speak your
script to anyone in any situation and sound believable. To give
yourself a little stretch, try this: imagining delivering sections of your
script in different scenarios (during a romantic dinner, to your child, to your
best friend over coffee) and see if you can make the subtle changes necessary to
be believable in that situation. Doing this seemingly simple little
exercise helps you hone your "IT" skills of being sensitive and attuned to both
the subject of your story and your audience.
An extension of the same game is to interject parts of
your script into everyday conversation. The goal: have the person you're talking
to NOT know you did it. Why do it? Because if you can slip in and out of news &
information stories seamlessly enough to not get pegged doing it, it means
you're being conversational. In news today... that's something you'd best
be good at. All the IT-sters are.
REMEMBER THIS: I'm not saying that one should
always go on the air talking as loosey-goosey as you might with your friends
(unless your venue or the story calls for it). This is simply another way your
everyday life can help you develop crucial on-air delivery skills. You need to
be more conversational? Extract that natural ability from your real life and
transpose it into your delivery. Done right, it works like a charm!
In a rut with your inflections? Then you need to develop
your "ear". A simple exercise is to make up three different ways of saying
anything. They all have to make sense and be appropriate - in fact, the idea is
that you could use any one of them in everyday life - but they have to be
really different from each other.
If you get good at that, try it on the beginnings of
three consecutive sentences. Or on sentence endings. For instance, if you always
start a sentence high and go low; try switching to starting low and going up. Or
begin at mid-range and go higher or lower from there. Record yourself - it's
often easier to hear the differences on tape.
Awareness... and continually breaking patterns are key to
keeping your delivery fresh - and annoying habits at bay.
It's the IT thing to do!
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