How to ace a live shot even when you’re nervous as hell

Why do live shots have the ability to totally send us into panic? The nerves start a few minutes before, then my voice goes 3 octaves higher. And why do I feel the need to stand still like I’m stuck in mud and I totally lose the ability to gesture like a normal person?

Yep. Live shots. In the beginning they can seem so scary. Then after you do a bunch of them, it gets better, I promise. So, how do you fast-track it so that you can sound confident and knock it out of the park NOW? Here are my 3 quick tips for live-shot-rocking.

1 – Prep your mind. You’ve got to tell yourself that the info you’re about to deliver is going to change or save someone’s life. If you don’t feel that, you won’t deliver it like it’s important. The 5 minutes you take before your live shot to prep your mind may be the most important in your whole day. I have a video on this. You can watch it here.

2- Be urgent. The second your anchor tosses to you, start talking. Don’t wait a beat. You should be almost cutting them off. That urgency will turn into momentum and it’ll set you up to deliver your live shot like it’s the most important thing you’ve ever said.

3 – Bullet points. I know you love the way you wrote your script. I used to love mine too. But, I promise you that if you try to remember it and recite it, you will sound like you remembered it and recited it. And that’s NOT a good live shot. The only way to make it sound like you’re just talking is to just talk. You can remember the first three words to get you started and you can also remember how you want to end, but any more than that, and it just won’t come across as confident, with the potential for swagger.

I have SO many more tips on how to rock a live shot – and have swagger and confidence in every aspect of your reporting and anchoring in my upcoming Digital Course.  Sign up for my mailing list to make sure you’re the first to know!