Displaying items by tag: clare balding

So have you been enjoying The Olympics as much as we have?  

We feel there are even more medals to be handed out – and these should go to the production teams who have put on such a great show.  But also to the presenters who have been doing a great job.

There have been lots of different combinations of presenters for the BBC, all covering different areas and different time slots and so we thought we’d give our match analysis of what makes a good presenting co-host?  

Clare Balding has been joined by Mark Foster and Rebecca Adlington – and they have been a joy to watch.   The chemistry between them is so natural.  Clare sets the tone with her love of a fact and figure – stats that bring races to life.  And Mark and Rebecca bring their swimming expertise – sharing their personal experiences in and out of the pool.  And I’ve loved their shouts of ‘we can’t wait to watch this next one’.  Raw passion at its best, making it must see TV.   And you truly believe that their conversations about the Olympics continue after the cameras have stopped rolling.  

And then there has been the smooth Gabby Logan and her seasoned squad – Jessica Ennis-Hall, Michael Johnson and Denise Lewis.  Gabby deals with the pressures and chaos of live TV effortlessly, putting her guests at ease.  Here it was more about analysis, a more considered chat, a slower pace.  And once again it felt like a great team at work – each person knowing their role, what they had to offer, and working to the tone, pace, and vibe set by the main presenter Gabby.  A masterclass in presenting.  

Then we had two perhaps less effective presenting duos – Isha Guha and Mark Chapman,  Jeanette Kwakye and JJ Chalmers.   Their partnerships felt less believable.  When you are co-hosting their needs to be a natural vibe between you both.  Here it feels a bit more ‘presentery’ – a bit more wooden and stiff.   With presenters not perhaps understanding their own role, or what sort of show they want to create.  Simple tips are to sit close, make sure your tone and energy match, know your role (the election coverage was great for this), look like a duo (so yes consider your outfits) get to know each other off screen – hang out, and bring your own true personality to the table.  

Here it felt like the guys energy was too low – they were so laid back it came across like they might not even care, and at times they for me felt disengaged.  They didn’t feel comfortable sharing their passion, or thinking ‘what’s the tone of the piece and how can I embrace it’.  And the women felt a bit contrived.  They lacked a real connection and seemed almost too shy to share the excitement of the other presenting teams.   Questions also at times felt unprepared, not focussed or really genuinely interested, and perhaps not enough consideration about who was doing what….   

But who did you like?  And lets not forget how hard a job this is.  But we feel with a few simple tweaks, and watching from the greats like Clare and Gabby we can all learn to be better presenters.