Now there is an art to being a good presenter.
What makes a good television or radio presenter? Looks? Voice? Clarity of questions? Pronunciation? Great personality?
All of the above if you are looking for a job in media, but how do radio and TV stations get ratings to stay at the top of the rating chart?
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Jamie Owen from BBC Radio Wales on Thursday 12th April. Jamie certainly has all the above qualities, but what makes him a faultless radio presenter is how he treats his guests.
I have done radio and TV interviews in several countries and where as some have been what I felt as and ‘OK’ interview nothing compares to being made to feel truly welcome and looking as if the interviewer was genuinely interested in what you have to say.
Interviewers have to listen to a wide range of topics, deal with a massive amount different personalities, which in itself needs a great amount of skill.
Walking into the Studio’s
Wow! The BBC Wales Radio Station. The nucleus information center being transported out to every home and car penetrating into the ears of every listener, hanging on to every word which interests them or just hovering into their subconscious of those who just want the radio for company.
Which ever way you look at it, the radio is a huge part of our lives and is here to stay.
As I drove into the secure grounds of the BBC Radio Wales Center located in Llandaff Cardiff I was greeted by a friendly metallic voice as I pushed the button to announce my arrival.
“Good morning, if you would like to park your car at the stand with your name on, someone will be down greet you”
Gosh, a VIP for a day! – I could get used to this!
Greeted by a lovely lady called Nicola, 25 years with BBC Radio Wales and clearly as proud to work there now as she was 25 years ago.
Here I was, in a room only what can be described as a tiny mother-ship to thousands if not millions of listeners eagerly awaiting the next bulletin or song. A cacophony of noises from the outside orchestrated into a coherent reflection of sound.
Lights everywhere, TV monitors and Jamie Owen in the next room speaking to his listeners. A clock on the wall counting down every precise second to the next cue. Timing is of the essence.
I was sat next to an amazing women who was next up for her interview. Maria Leijerstam had just come back from an extreme trek across the Antarctic, jumped over massive cracks in ice, had to sleep in a tent with the sound of cracking ice under her…listen to her story. As I watched the clock ticking by I felt butterflies in my stomach turn to rocks pounding down and a sick feeling in my throat. “This is no time to get nervous, I kept telling myself” going from a confident “I know what I am going to talk about – to a ‘oh crap what am I speaking about?”
My Turn
The news ended and 5 4 3 2 1 out of the sound proof protection of the mother-ship into the realms of the Jamie Owen hub. This was not the time to want the toilet!
As I entered the room, its as if someone had given me oxygen. Greeted by Jamie with a smile and a ‘can’t believe its been 4 years since we last interviewed you, how are you?’ Put me totally at ease.
It was like being greeted by an old friend who had either remembered my story from 4 years prior or who had done his homework and was genuinely happy to see me.
The opening chat off air was reassuring and it was a guide for what I was to expect for the next half hour. Preparation is key! Was I prepared, NO, all the answers were off the cuff, but its the skill that the presenter had which kept my answers on track and helped me focus on the topic.
He reminded his listeners that 4 years ago, when I was on the show, they spoke about Incostress a medical device designed by myself and my mother and brought to market to help women who suffer with incontinence issues.
Jamie really brought home the fact that incontinence isn’t just for ‘the older female’ generation it is something which ALL women are facing at some stage.
The ease at which Jamie Owen made this interview flow so well still astounds me. We spoke about the difficulties about how to get a product to market and how business can be like the Dragons Den. Small businesses in Wales ARE the backbone of the economy, yet the Welsh Assembly Government are offering so much financial support to companies (still under the SME) which turn over around £15 million per annum and employ around 150 staff, yet the smaller SMEs can’t even get a grant to fund an exhibition and who are employing less than 10 people, yet these smaller companies really need that support. The gap between the SMEs is massive yet we are all branded SME, (Small Medium Enterprise) It seems as if the government are only concentrating on figures which look good on the books and not what is really helping the economy. With so many job cuts, yet so many companies are still increasing the management and giving management bonuses, it is very difficult to comprehend what is going on, especially as a small company with only 2 employees. Thousands of women need our help and are being denied support due to lack of funds. The sad thing is that the government seem to be very short sighted. A company which provides a quality of life and has the potential to save millions in operation costs to the NHS if denied the basic foundational help can’t go on to be able to save the country money in the long term.
I refrained from getting on my political soapbox, or rather Jamie tactfully asked the right questions which avoided me to jump on my soap box.
The interview led to how the product has gone worldwide and how we are able to bring a ‘taboo’ subject to the forefront.
After the interview, Jamie Owen thanked me for coming to the studio and made me feel like I had done something worthwhile for the good of women who need my product.
From the interview, we have had calls and have also joined business with 2 other Welsh companies.
So Thank you Jamie, Nicola and the team for believing in me enough to help with the eduction of incontinence and thank you for helping my business grow. Without such a team as the BBC Radio Wales we wouldn’t have the chance to learn from each other and support each other.
What Makes a good presenter?
Someone who is interested in what is being spoken about and can make the interviewee feel totally at ease. A good example is Jamie Owen!
Llisten to my Radio Wales interview http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b01fq1yk
Scroll the time slider to 1.04 for my part of the interview
Incostress is available from Boots in the United Kingdom and direct from www.incostress.com
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