One of the most effective ways to structure a live shot — and ensure a strong and conversational performance — is to map your conversation and movement using environmental "touch points."

A touch point is simply something in your reporting landscape that you can see and move toward and talk about.

String a series of these points together, and you have everything you need to tell a compelling visual story without the worry of memorizing copy. You simply look, let the touch point prompt you, then look again and move on to the next point when you’re done.

The link below features a live shot by Rick Sanchez, anchor and reporter for CNN. Note how Sanchez and his photographer structure the piece using a series of environmental landmarks — a wrecked trailer home, the home’s foundation, a downed power wire.

They know where they want to move, and in what order. And the sight of each landmark prompts a particular conversation from Sanchez. He does not have to memorize a script. He just has to know the order in which he’ll encounter and discuss the landmarks.

Freed of the need to recite, he can concentrate on telling the story with real force and commitment. In particular:

• He speaks with his entire body. Notice how large and open his gestures are — entirely appropriate to the story he’s telling and the landscape he’s in. Everything around him is big, he’s in a big space, and he needs to be big to fill it.
  
• He makes — and breaks — eye contact. He does exactly what we all tend to do in conversation. We make good contact, we look away from time to time to think or to reference something in the environment, and then we make contact again.
  
• He works more than one physical level. He stands, he walks, he squats. He moves in space vertically as well as horizontally.
  
• His voice is as animated as his physical presentation. Listen to him speak with your eyes closed. Note the variety in the pitch and pace of his voice. It works because it’s absolutely consistent with the other dynamics of his performance.
  

This particular piece is a good one to study because it’s longer than most, but the same principles apply to even the shortest of live leads. We’ll look at one of those next time.

Until then, if you have any additional thoughts or questions about any of this, we’d love to hear from you.

The Coaching Company offers a day of free coaching to stations that have never used our services. If you work for a station that would benefit from the industry’s best training, ask your News Director to contact us about free coaching.