How Can You Be Aware Of Your Body Language And Insure You Are In Sync In A Media Interview?

Practice answering the questions out loud. Don’t just read them off your computer silently. Use your video device on your computer or phone to record your answers so you see and hear your responses and can self monitor. In my experience most journalists and producers have very short deadlines, sometimes only 4 or 5 minute deadlines before they have to move on to cover the next story, so you need to practice answering questions quickly for TV and Radio. You need to practice giving not only quick clear responses but also one sentence rather than a paragraph response. That is the part that I find is difficult for my media coaching clients. They want to explain their answers or add on to them and in a live broadcast there is not time for that. So if you haven’t practiced giving short answers you can get flustered as most hosts want to keep the pace of the show going and will interrupt you or jump in with a pithy comment if you don’t give them a high energy quick response. So practice responding to questions with one sentence and watch your mouth and eyes on the tape to make sure your expression and tone match the word message. Someone experts look to the host for feedback that they have done a good job or make a face if they feel they didn’t give a great answer or if they are interrupted. You need to make sure your face stays still or shows interest in the conversation when you finish speaking. I can’t tell you how many times I've seen a guests' face scrunch up after they finish talking.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

What's Your Advice For Getting Calm And Relaxed Before Public Speaking Or An Important Meeting?

One night when I was in Grad School I was nervously going over material for my first presentation to my body language professor. He was the expert in my chosen field and I kept imagining myself messing up, forgetting what I wanted to say and not being able to answer any of the professors' questions. My boyfriend, Michael, came in my office. He realized I was a nervous wreck, he said, “Patti, you know in college I sold books door to door in the summer and I was the top salesmen for the company. When I started, I imagined I was going to fail. I rehearsed my failure that I wouldn’t know what to say or not be able to answer questions, but I learned from my boss to visualize my success. Michael sat me down and had me visualize my presentation. I rehearsed my successful speech from start to finish, what I would do nonverbally, how I would stand, how brilliant I would sound, how the audience would smile and nod their heads, how brilliant I would be, how the professor would praise me and the audience would give a round of applause. From that day on, I have visualized my success the night before every single speech or TV interview. It makes an enormous difference in my confidence level. When I am traveling and giving a speech, I like to see the banquet room the night before so I can see myself and the audience in the actual room. When I am going on TV, I watch the show or ask the producer about the set where I will be sitting.


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

During A Meeting Or Media Interview, What Are Some Common Body Language Signs Of Discomfort Or Nervousness?

During a meeting or media interview, what are some common body language signs of discomfort or nervousness?
Closing off your body windows, self comfort cues, getting small.

What kind of body language exudes confidence and approachability in an interview or meeting? Prepare. Find out if you are going to be standing or sitting and if you’re sitting whether you will be on a stool, chair or sofa. Ideally you want your body to be relaxed and open. You want to show your confidence by taking up space, leaning backwards and forwards as the interview or meeting goes on rather than freezing or planting in one fixed pose.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

A Client Testimonial Letter

Here is a testimonial letter from a client after last weeks presentation to his group of CEO's.

Good morning Patti...

Thanks again for bringing value to my group...

You scored impressively from a tenured and tough grading group... here are their comments as taken from their evaluation forms:

Member Comments: … she is an expert … … good techniques … fully engaged the audience … awesome … great take home.

And based on your 7/8 presentation I am asking Super Scheduler by virtue of this email, to schedule you for my two other groups.

Bud
The world's largest CEO membership organization

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Julia Roberts On Aging

Julia Robert's on looking young. I have written quite a few posts on attractiveness and looking young and I have a program I give with a fellow speaker, Gail Geary, on "Always Looking Young", so I was so pleased at the wise words Julia Roberts shared on aging and beauty in this months Elle magazine. I love Elle's interviews and articles so it was particularly nice to have an interview with an actress over 40. Here is how other news sites quoted the article.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20012878-10391704.html

When it comes to Botox, Julia Roberts says the answer is "no."

And she's not much of a fan of cosmetic surgery either.

The 42-year-old actress told Elle magazine she thinks it's unfortunate that "we live in such a panicked, dysmorphic society where women don't even give themselves a chance to see what they'll look like as older persons."

That outlook seems to be a rare commodity in Hollywood. Actors over 40 who have had no work done are very rare, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.