Great communicators stand out because they find ways to be creative and wholehearted, whatever circumstance. When we coach them, we rarely hear excuses — "I had to use the stick mic," "The lighting was lousy," "They didn’t give me enough time," etc.

Instead, they tend to see situations like these as opportunities, and they love to talk about how they handled them — "Here’s what I did with the stick mic," "I had little time so I had to say just the right thing," and on and on.

This week's tip features the live shot/standup montage from the resume reel of Florida reporter, Gary Widom.

Here is what to notice as you work your way through it:

• He is as animated with the stick mic as he is without it. Generally, we advise people not to use a stick, because most talent become less physically and vocally animated with it in hand. This reporter is the exception to that, and he makes it work because he moves and speaks with as much energy as he would without the stick. Note especially the commitment in his movement, and the ease with which he switches the mic from one hand to the other as he prepares to open the gate in the second example on the reel.
  
• Even when standing still, his body language and energy are aggressively in the direction of the camera (viewer). Notice how he actually shifts his weight to ward the camera as he begins the first example. It’s as if he is leaning toward us, and the sense you get is that he really wants your attention.
  
• He plans his movement with a specific destination — a destination intended to support his point. And he moves to it with great conviction.
  
• His breathing and his volume are always under control. He is energized, but relaxed. And he is never louder than he would need to be if were actually standing there with him. As a result, his delivery is authentically urgent and never over-hyped.
  
• He’s comfortable breaking eye contact with the camera. He manages eye contact the way most of us do in everyday conversation, looking away from time to time to gather a thought or to note something in the environment.
  
• The language is reactive and conversational. Note how he begins the live shot on the auto auction — "Well, it looks like a decent SUV." He begins with a very conversational reaction to something he’s seeing and that we’re able to see with him.
  
• He can dress up and he can dress down. And he is just as committed and animated either way.
  
• The camerawork is as animated as his performance. Great live shots and standups are almost always as much the work of a great photographer as they are the work of a great reporters. Learning to recruit your photographer to this kind of effort on a consistent basis is one of the most important keys to consistently great performance.
  

This is exactly the kind of work that will be compelling — and credible — in almost any newscast format.

As always, we’d love to know what you think. If you have additional questions or thoughts about any of this, please contact us. We’d love your input!

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.