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 look for the information
on free coaching on TCC’s homepage.
Or,
contact Barry Nash at
any time to learn more. Just be sure to put Talent Coaching in
the subject line of your message.
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