A lot of people think if you want to make it as a TV presenter, you need to have a larger-than-life personality and excess energy. So what if you want to be on TV but describe yourself as ‘shy’ or an introvert. Is there still a place for you? Will you have what it takes?
It’s not just you
You’d be surprised at the number of people – including high profile TV faces – who tell me they’re incredibly shy ‘in real life’. Shyness in broadcasters is more prevalent than you think – in fact most people are convinced everyone else is more confident than they are – as if confidence is somehow randomly handed out at birth and they got less than everyone else. In fact, I think most people would call themselves shy in certain situations. Those who’ve convinced everyone else otherwise have just learned some techniques to overcome it.
You don’t need to be a show-off
I’ve seen many reporters and presenters over the years who’ve struggled with the idea of performing on screen because their instinct is to take a backseat – to make themselves part of the background rather than push themselves forward. Whatever the reason for their shyness – whether it’s an innate character trait and/or a result of parental & scholastic influence – it can be much harder for them to master the skills needed to be on TV. But that’s the point; they can still master the skills. Yes, they’ve got to battle a whole lifetime of messages they’ve received about ‘how to be’. They may even have had years resenting the class clown or playground show off – and now they think they’ve got to become that person to make an impact on screen. And to them it feels like acting and therefore not very authentic.
Don’t think of it as acting
I reckon that we are all ‘acting’ throughout our lives – we step into different versions of ourselves depending on who we are with and what situation we are in. I bet you’ve noticed your voice changes for starters. I prefer to call it – being adaptable. So try to think about adapting your behaviour rather than changing your personality or pretending to be someone else. Even if you describe yourself as an introvert – I bet there are times when you feel more alive and confident. So, imagine ‘you’ on a good day – you look great, you feel great – perhaps you’re at a party with really good friends. That’s the feeling you need to capture and be able to access on screen.
Feel alive!
Rather than thinking about how shy you are – you should try to be thinking how alive you feel. Because as a viewer I need to see life in your eyes, face and body and I need to hear how engaged you are in your voice. When I work with ‘shyer’ presenters to encourage this on screen – at first it can feel so uncomfortable for them. It goes against everything they’ve been trying to do for years – fade in to the background, not stand out, don’t make a fuss…etc. etc. It feels over the top. But once they watch themselves back, they can see the difference between switched-off, ‘shy’ and retiring them and switched-on, ‘alive’ and interested them. And then it’s just a case of getting used to how that feels and practicing again and again until that kind of expression feels more normal.
So the answer is yes, if you think you’re shy you CAN make it on television. Maybe you’ve just got to practice a little more than others. But don’t let that stop you.
