GoSkills
Help Sign up Share
Back to course

Body Language for TV Interviews

Compact player layout Large player layout

Locked lesson.

Upgrade

  • Lesson aboutAbout
  • Transcript
  • Notes

About this lesson

Tips for looking and sounding your best in television interviews.

  • 00:05 So what sort of body language do you need for television interviews?
  • 00:08 For most business people, this is the most stressful situation.
  • 00:14 It's the most stressful type of presentation because you don't know
  • 00:16 who's watching it.
  • 00:18 And if you say something stupid, this could be the first thing people
  • 00:21 find when they Google you or they go to YouTube for the next 20 years.
  • 00:26 So you want to get it right.
  • 00:28 It's natural to be nervous about TV interviews.
  • 00:32 or even video interviews where a blogger is holding up a cell phone capturing it.
  • 00:36 It's totally normal to be natural and to be scared and freeze yourself but
  • 00:43 here's what happens when your nervous on TV, you become a little bunny rabbit.
  • 00:50 You become scared, yes sir, no sir, yup, nope and you look horrible.
  • 00:57 So let me go through step by step what you need to do.
  • 01:00 For starters, when you're sitting for a TV interview, what most of us do,
  • 01:05 is we're told hey, it's TV, you wanna be relaxed and comfortable.
  • 01:09 If you sit back, double chins come out.
  • 01:12 You're gonna look a lot heavier.
  • 01:14 You've heard TV puts 20 pounds on you.
  • 01:17 It does if you sit back and you relax.
  • 01:20 You don't ever wanna sit back when you're on TV.
  • 01:23 It's horrible body language.
  • 01:25 The next thing you don't wanna do is sit up perfectly straight.
  • 01:28 Hi, my name is TJ Walker and I help people have perfect posture on TV and
  • 01:32 look relaxed.
  • 01:34 Is that believable, no you look stiff, scared,
  • 01:38 uncomfortable it you have perfect posture.
  • 01:42 The best way to be on TV is to hold yourself up high.
  • 01:46 Lean forward about 15 degrees into the camera.
  • 01:50 Now you don't see a double chin.
  • 01:52 Now the focus isn't down here in the gut, it's more your face.
  • 01:56 That's what you want.
  • 01:57 So this is the best way to sit.
  • 02:01 Hold yourself up high lean forward about 15 degrees.
  • 02:05 Now, if you're looking at me from the side it doesn't look particularly natural but
  • 02:10 that's not the angle.
  • 02:12 From the stand point of the camera you'll look best holding yourself high
  • 02:17 leaning forward.
  • 02:19 That's the first step.
  • 02:21 Now let's start at the top of our head and work our way down.
  • 02:25 The eyes.
  • 02:27 The eyes are much more important on television than in speech or
  • 02:30 presentation or one on one talk.
  • 02:33 Because in a one on one meeting with someone,
  • 02:36 if you occasionally look up, think, reflect, look down, it's fine.
  • 02:39 But on TV, if your eyes are darting around,
  • 02:43 they become the most noticeable thing.
  • 02:44 How does this look?
  • 02:45 Hi, I'm TJ Walker.
  • 02:46 I'm very trustworthy and honest.
  • 02:48 I'd like for you to send your pension find and
  • 02:50 your kid's college education to my offshore account.
  • 02:55 I become literally shifty eyed.
  • 02:59 You don't wanna do that.
  • 03:02 Best thing to do when you're doing any kind of TV interview is to look at
  • 03:06 the reporter, the talk show host.
  • 03:09 Don't even look at the camera.
  • 03:10 Look at the host, reporter talking to you.
  • 03:13 If there's no reporter around, if you're being interviewed by Satellite or Skype.
  • 03:18 Then look at the camera is if you're talking to one person.
  • 03:23 So that's what you need to do with your eyes.
  • 03:26 Look at the reporter, you can't go wrong.
  • 03:28 If there's no reporter look at the camera.
  • 03:30 If you have to look away look down for a second.
  • 03:33 If you look up, the white around your eyes is so noticeable,
  • 03:38 it looks like I have no idea.
  • 03:39 Let me make up something.
  • 03:40 Let me lie.
  • 03:41 You don't wanna look up.
  • 03:45 The next thing that's important for your body language on TV,
  • 03:47 your facial expressions.
  • 03:49 Now most of us, when we're listening to someone talk or
  • 03:54 ask us a question, our face goes blank.
  • 03:57 Well imagine I'm being introduced on a major national TV show and
  • 04:00 the viewers are hearing all these wonderful things about me but
  • 04:03 here's the first image they see.
  • 04:09 Is that impressive?
  • 04:11 I don't think so.
  • 04:12 People tell me that looks flat, boring like I'm practically dead.
  • 04:16 So on TV in order to look relaxed in order to look your best,
  • 04:21 in order to come across comfortable, confident and relaxed.
  • 04:24 You need a little bit of smile on your face.
  • 04:29 Not a gigantic jack-o-lantern smile, but just a little bit of smile,
  • 04:33 you don't even have to show teeth.
  • 04:36 Just a little bit of an upturn, you'll look more relaxed.
  • 04:40 More comfortable, more confident.
  • 04:43 Let's put some of these elements together.
  • 04:46 Tell me what you think.
  • 04:46 I'm gonna hold myself up high, lean forward 15 degrees, little bit of a smile,
  • 04:51 good eye contact.
  • 04:52 Hi, I'm TJ Walker at Media Training Worldwide.
  • 04:55 We coach business executives how to have strong body language.
  • 05:00 What's wrong with that?
  • 05:03 Something was clearly off.
  • 05:05 What was wrong?
  • 05:06 Well, nothing was moving except my lips.
  • 05:11 Everything was frozen.
  • 05:12 That makes me seem canned, it sounds like I'm reading something.
  • 05:15 It sounds phony, not believable at all.
  • 05:19 So let's add another element.
  • 05:21 Hi, I'm TJ Walker at Media Training Worldwide.
  • 05:26 What do we do? We help people communicate more
  • 05:28 effectively with their body language and their messages.
  • 05:32 What was different?
  • 05:35 I moved my head when I spoke and
  • 05:37 without even trying my voice started to sound a little more natural.
  • 05:40 It had more ups and downs.
  • 05:43 Let's add another element.
  • 05:45 So the big challenge at Media Training Worldwide is really helping executives
  • 05:50 figure out, what to say and
  • 05:52 how to say it in a way where they seem comfortable and confident and relaxed.
  • 05:58 So what was different that time?
  • 06:00 I moved from the waist up.
  • 06:03 That's what human beings do when they're confident and relaxed.
  • 06:07 So let's add another element.
  • 06:10 Hi, I'm TJ Walker At Media Training Worldwide, we help executives figure out
  • 06:14 what are their key messages, and then how do they bridge back into them again, and
  • 06:17 again, and again throughout the whole interview.
  • 06:19 And how to seem completely relaxed.
  • 06:24 What was different?
  • 06:27 I moved my hands, can't we all move our hands when we talk.
  • 06:31 You may think you don't, I'm telling you, you do.
  • 06:34 When you're comfortable you move your hands.
  • 06:38 You don't have to move your hands when you're on TV, but I'm telling you,
  • 06:42 you'll come across much more comfortable, confident, authoritative.
  • 06:45 You're not gonna be seeing all flippy, floppy around and distracting.
  • 06:49 That's only in the sitcoms.
  • 06:50 So I highly recommend that you move your hands when you speak.
  • 06:56 It will free up everything else make you come across more natural,
  • 07:01 more relaxed, more believable.
  • 07:04 Cuz you can have a great message, if you're tense as a board and
  • 07:08 completely stiff, no one is going to believe you.
  • 07:12 Now, here are some tips on how to come across your best for standing interviews.
  • 07:18 It's not that different.
  • 07:20 I recommend you have one foot forward, one foot back.
  • 07:23 Because if you have your feet shoulder width apart and
  • 07:26 you're a little nervous you can sway and make everybody sea sick.
  • 07:30 If you have one foot in front of the other you can't really walk sideways.
  • 07:34 If you rock and back forth a little bit it's much less distracting.
  • 07:39 Have your hands out not touching or doing this or this, but
  • 07:43 just elbows bent out and moving when you speak
  • 07:49 rather than clasped in front of you, in the figley position or behind your back
  • 07:54 that looks like you're about to be handcuffed and taken off to prison.
  • 07:57 When you're speaking, for standing interviews or
  • 08:01 seated interviews, you want your hands moving.
  • 08:05 The other thing that's a little bit different about television
  • 08:09 is you do need some makeup.
  • 08:11 Now if you go to a big fancy network they're likely to make you up.
  • 08:14 But if a reporter comes to you they're not going to.
  • 08:18 It doesn't have to be fancy.
  • 08:20 I have makeup on right now.
  • 08:22 All you really need is a mosaic powder.
  • 08:25 That doesn't change the color of your skin.
  • 08:29 And by putting it on, it helps reduce the shine.
  • 08:33 Everyone else on TV has makeup on.
  • 08:36 And I already have some, but it is getting a little warm here in the studio.
  • 08:41 And by putting on some powder it just absorbs the shine,
  • 08:46 and makes you look more natural.
  • 08:50 And that way people can focus on what your saying and
  • 08:53 getting a good feeling about you in the pit of their stomach and not,
  • 08:57 oh why is this guy nervous and sweaty and slimy, I don't trust him.
  • 09:01 You want people trust in you with every aspect of how you look,
  • 09:05 how you move and how you sound.
  • 09:07 Do that, and you'll make a great impression in your next TV interview.

Lesson notes are only available for subscribers.

Advanced Body Language Tips for Public Speaking
09m:08s
Become Fluent in the Body Language of Business
04m:36s
Share this lesson and earn rewards

Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Email

Gift this course
Give feedback

How is your GoSkills experience?

I need help

Your feedback has been sent

Thank you

Back to the top

© 2023 GoSkills Ltd. Skills for career advancement