Friday, August 18th, I had the TOTAL pleasure of going on Cheddar TV Live, a post-cable news program filmed here in NYC at the Flatiron Building and the NASDAQ floor. While I had spoken at various conferences and been a guest on radio shows before, this was my first time being on air, which was—in a word—terrifying.
Once I pushed past my pre-show jitters, I managed to pull it together and do my best to exude confidence and expertise while avoiding eye contact with the camera at all costs. My parents gave me two brilliant pieces of advice that held me over. The first is that to think of the conversation as no different than meeting a friend for dinner or grabbing a drink at a bar. When all is said and done, it’s just a conversation I’m having with two people interested in travel. That is what helped me look past the pressure of live tv, camera crew and everything else.
The second piece of advice my parents gave me was to think of someone I admire and channel that person when nervous. My #GirlBoss role model ended up being a blend of journalists I admire, fictional characters I think are bad ass and actresses I’d love to emulate. While I ultimately ended up being just me, these leading ladies helped give me the confidence to strut on set, smile and speak.
The last thing about going on air is that being asked questions is very scary. I had no idea what they would ask me exactly and was bracing myself for being asked something I wouldn’t know how to answer. This also comes down to confidence as well! As my mom recently told me, I have all the information I need. You’re looking at a girl with 10+ years of travel writing/blogging experience! In the end, I was able to simply breathe and answer—as best I can—the questions asked of me (which, truly were a bit daunting as travel and terrorism is a tricky subject!).
I hope you enjoy this segment! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and—if you need more safety tips, I have much more to share!! Just ask 🙂
What an amazing opportunity, you were extremely clear and fluent despite talking about such a difficult topic. Well done x
http://www.lottiegibbons.com
Thanks so much for the comment! I was so nervous! 🙂