We had the wonderful pleasure of working with Amy Dowden from Strictly Come Dancing. Amy came to us on the 1 to 1 training programme, hoping to get some good tips for all the great presenting jobs she is starting to get. We had a great day working in both the Features and Entertainment areas. Amy and her agent had some lovely things they also said about their time with us:

Amy:  “I had a fabulous time working with Gareth and the team. It really helped my confidence in front of the camera and the direction, guidance and feedback I received generated instant results. My improvement over the course of just one day was amazing – I can’t recommend Presenter Studio highly enough!”

Her agent:  “The nature of the television industry today means that there is little time for presenter development, people need instant results so it is hard to learn on the job. The service Presenter Studio provides is one of the best ways someone can get the training and confidence they need. What I find most impressive is their ability to hone in on what makes a presenter unique and develop that aspect of their personality in front of the camera.”

Amy’s career is going to grow and grow. She was a joy to work with and we can see her going on to get some really fantastic work.

Did you watch Francesca Martinez on Question Time?   

Her impassioned answer to Fiona Bruce’s question has gone viral.  So why did her answer engage and touch so many of us?  The reason is it was ‘personal’.  So many debates and speeches lack personal content – we all know people buy people, so where is there so much corporate jargon?  

Francesca’s personal story brings a problem to life.  All of a sudden what she has to say can’t be ignored as we can see and hear from someone who is part of the problem, and this makes it all the more real.  But it wasn’t just what Francesca said on the BBC’s Question Time that connected with people, it was how she said it.  She spoke from the heart.  Her answer was passionate, and passion goes a long way.  If you are passionate about something it’s hard for the viewer not to be too.  

Her passion made her message so much more engaging, and you instantly felt a connection and an understanding of what Francesca was saying.   

We should all learn something from Francesca’s time on Question Time – not only from what she said, but how she made a forgotten problem now a big topical issue – from being personal and passionate.  

Well done Francesca…. 

Alongside running the UK's top Presenter Coaching busienss we also Produce TV shows for a living.  We are currently Producing a pilot for Asia with Placido Domingo and also we are the Exec Producers on Channel 4's hugely successful series Gogglebox.  Because we work in TV we do things rather differently here, and that's also why we get approached by TV companies asking for talent for their new TV shows.  This week we have been approached by a company who are putting together a team of money experts, and life coaching experts for a new Channel 4 makeover show.  We have just sent off 4 presenters showreels for the job.  Our success rate is really high when it comes to landing these jobs for people who have trained with us so we are really excited...So if you want training that can also open the door to some fantastic opportunities we'd love to hear from you!  

Great to see 1 to 1 client Bobby Norris presenting the Entertainment News on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.  Bobby first came to our TV screens on The Only Way is Essex - or TOWIE as it is now known!  He's been getting a whole range of TV presenter work now, so great to see him doing so well....What a fabulous job for him – keep up the good work Bobby!  

A great presenter job has come in today for clients who are our on Talent Database - so those who have trained with us on the Fast Track TV Presenter Training programme or the private 1 to 1 Presenter Training Programme.  The Production Company are looking for a presenter with an Australian accent.  So if you are on our Talent Database please send us  link to your showreel with Australia in the subject header.  Good luck everyone!  

We are always so grateful for all the lovely heartfelt feedback we get from clients we work with. 

Our 1 day How To Make it as a TV Presenter training programme was such a great day, where we got to work with a huge range of aspiring TV presenters.  

Every client gave us a five star review and this is what they had to say about us:  

“You were so kind and patient at bringing out the best in people. It’s such a skill.  Thanks so much.”

“Thanks guys.  You are excellent.  You took the time to understand our individual requirements and it was such a friendly and professional atmosphere.”

“I really loved it and know it will help me be proactive to make this my career.  Money can be wasted so easily on many lessons/coaching/courses and honestly you get the most information, help and insight for what you’d ever expect.”

“Very good course.  I learned a lot.  I’d definitely recommend you.” 

“You made me feel so welcome.  It was fabulous.”  

“You are hugely experienced and an industry expert.  Your honesty was priceless.  Genuinely extremely helpful and informative.”

“Thanks for your time.  I would love to work with you further!  5 stars!”

The One Show is a great daily programme on the BBC everyday at 1900.  We don’t tend to catch it much as we are usually on our way home from our TV jobs at that time.  However, last week we did manage to switch it on, and were really pleased to see a Presenter Studio former client on The One Show – Scarlette Douglas.  Scarlette has gone on to do some fantastic work – she landed herself a job on one of Channel 4’s long running series – A Place in the Sun, where she jetted around the world helping people find their ideal home. And now the BBC have snapped her up, as she has joined the team at The One Show.  Scarlette came on our 1 day How To Make it as a TV Presenter Training Course and quickly realised she was a great fit for the industry.   Her hard work and talent has clearly paid off, and she has landed so many wonderful TV Presenter jobs.  So well done Scarlette – and keep up the good work!  

We’ve had so many clients who we did presenter training with present for ITV’s This Morning – Rylan Clark, Paul Frangie, Ravi Rajani, the guys at cosmetics company Lush…the list goes on.  And this week we had 2 more clients join the guys at This Morning – Georgina Burnett and Hanane Spiers.   Georgina did the private 1 to 1 presenter training programme, London and Hanane did the Fast Track 2 day presenter training course.  This Morning is a really hard TV presenting job – live TV with so much going on.   It’s not easy to master that space – but the Producers at ITV clearly love our clients as they keep on coming back for more!   

Big congratulations to Fast Track Presenter Studio client Kunle Barker and 1-to-1 Presenter Studio client Georgina Burnett who both were presenting at the Ideal Home Show and are now going on to present for Grand Designs Live.  Kunle has gone on to get some great work after doing our fast track TV presenter training programme – he landed his own ITV makeover series with Alan Titchmarsh, got himself a TV presenter agent, and is now doing so much great media work.  He’s a really nice guy and so we knew he’d do well!  Kunle did the Fast Track TV presenter training programme with us, and like so many otehrs he has gone on to present on primetime TV.  He now has a fantastic agent who is taking Kunle's career to the next level.   Georgina has just had a very successful book launch and has been presenting on ITV's This Morning.  Big congrats both!    

Public speaking is something that most of us dread.  But we see it as a great opportunity to share your thoughts, your passions, and a the perfect platform to bring about change.  

Too many people focus on the word count, and the duration, rather than the message, and the delivery.  But in order to give a good presentation you need to think differently.  

And it all starts and comes back to you needing to be yourself.  And that’s no easy thing when it comes to speaking in an alien environment.  The words you use are key to you coming across in a conversational manner.  And that’s how you need to think of your presentation – a conversation – a dialogue – rather than a lecture.  A sharing of ideas, thoughts and information.  No one likes being spoken at, or lectured to.  

So when you write your script ask yourself – would I really speak like this normally?  Or have I just written a presentation or a script?  So many scripts we see are often very hard to understand, and we all too often stop the speaker and ask them ‘what are you trying to say’ or ‘what does this mean’ and the answer is more likely than not ‘I don’t know’.   So cut out the jargon, and the ‘corporate speak’ and chat as you would do to a mate. Make it feel personal, and make it feel natural.

And how you deliver your script needs to come across as ‘you’.   What is your personal brand?  How do you want to come across?  Does this fit in with the brand of your business?   We work with people to find their personal brand and it often comes down to three key things – after all we are three-dimensional characters. 

And always come back to what is your key message.  What is the key reason you are giving your speech?   Speeches are often about wanting to bring about change – changing people’s view, changing their knowledge or perception and often the speakers ideal is for their to be a ‘call to action’.  But this can all often get lost in the waffle of the script.  So ask yourself – what is my topline here, and does everything I am saying relate back to it?  And does my outro (the ending to my speech) serve my purpose?  

We hope those few tips help you to see things a little differently.   Be proud of who you are.  Be proud of what you have to say.  And make sure you are yourself!