A professional broadcaster says I’m nasally and gives me other useful feedback.
The Backstory
When David of The Rise to the Top interviewed me, I mentioned that I’m not a showman and wished someone with experience could show me how to improve my on camera performance. I got this email soon after. How do you think I could improve?
The Feedback
Here’s Vicki Kunkel:
Good morning, Andrew.
First, your overall demeanor and “camera personality” is very pleasing.
Please DON’T try to become a showman: It would conflict with your personal brand! Too many people in TV think they need to have a Tony Robbins-like presentation style. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your TV style should be a polished and perfected version of your NATURAL style! Also, your posture is excellent, your appearance impeccable. You have no distracting mannerisms, which is also good.
Two things you could do to increase your appeal to TV audiences:
(1) Reduce or eliminate nasality.
You have a slight nasal tone which, according to a lot of research I have compiled over the years, causes listeners to form a subconscious impression that you may not be as intelligent as you would like people to believe. (NOTE: I am not saying this is true; I am only saying that this is the subconscious perception the human brain makes when it hears (and processes) a nasal tone. This is based on research–not my personal opinion. :))
How to eliminate a nasal tone:
Assuming your nasality isn’t caused by allergies, a cold, or a medical condition, you can eliminate it easily in a couple of ways:
– Open your mouth more widely when you speak. I noticed that when you speak, you tend to hold your mouth in a bit of a stiff, more closed position. When you do that, the air cannot escape through your mouth, so the excess escapes through your nose–causing the nasality.
– Bring your tongue closer to your teeth. A second cause of a nasal tone can be holding your tongue too far back in your mouth when you speak. This usually happens when people are self-conscious about speaking, and the person’s tongue literally is like a “nervous, guarded tongue.” If you hold your tongue back away from your teeth when you speak, the air cannot escape past the hump in the tongue that is formed when the tongue is pulled back in the mouth. Once again, the air cannot escape through the mouth, so it goes through the nose, causing a nasal tone.
(2) Assume a more powerful body language position.
You tend to hold your arms very close to your body when you speak. Most people won’t notice this—at least on a conscious level. But it makes a big impression on the subconscious mind. When someone holds his body too stiff or his arms too close to the body, the impression sent to the subconscious minds of viewers is that he isn’t confident and is not powerful. As an interviewer, you want people to believe you are confident, and in control of the interview. (“Control” is what is meant by “power.” I’m not saying you want to come off as a power-hungry person, but you DO want people to feel “safe” in that the interview is in good, capable, competent hands.)
Myriad research studies have shown that people who take up more space in meetings are perceived as more competent, more in control, and more confident.
How to demonstrate a more powerful body language position: Take up more space.
I don’t mean sprawl yourself all over a desk or chair. Rather, there are two ways to do this:
– Make your gestures larger. (The only place in the interview I noticed that you did this was in the last few minutes as you discussed the technical aspects of a video interview. This made you seem less reserved/less guarded than you did in other parts of the interview.)
– Sit with your arms on the chair armrest (instead of close to your body or with your hands in your lap) . Just be careful not to slouch when you do this.
– One way that you did a great job of “taking up more space” is when you leaned forward and placed your arms on the desk as you were answering a question . You looked very natural, very confident, very “in-control.”
I didn’t offer any verbal suggestions, because my comments were limited to the interview with David, where you were the guest–as opposed to the interviewer.
I hope you find these suggestions helpful and that you take them in the spirit in which they are offered: Not as criticism, but rather as suggestions with the intention to become an ever better online TV personality that you already are. My suggestions aren’t a mass-overhaul of your style, but rather a way to fine-tune your communications to the subconscious needs of the reptilian (subconscious and primal) brains of your audience members. You already have a great on-camera demeanor. It’s just a matter of a few tweaks.
Regards,
Vicki Kunkel
About Vicki Kunkel
Vicki Kunkel is the author of the book that the Philadelphia Bulletin called, “One of the ten best business books of 2010.” Instant Appeal The 8 Primal Factors of Blockbuster Success (AMACOM, New York, November 28, 2010).
www.perform-smart.com
TWITTER: @vicki_kunkel