Ever wondered what it’s like to read from an autocue or how to stand when you’re talking to a camera or what the difficulties might be in co-presenting a program?

I’ve just experienced all of these on a TV Presenter Taster Day with TV Training UK. Our tutor was Simon Davies who has a wealth of experience in children’s TV, shopping channel and acting. He was very informative and gave us the six rules of presenting:

• Anchor yourself to the spot so you don’t wander out of shot.
• Look directly into the lens of the camera.
• Be ready for the countdown. The director will cue you in by counting backwards from five but only actually saying, ‘5, 4’ out loud. The presenter counts ‘3, 2, 1’ silently and then begins.
• Arrange your thoughts in groups of three when preparing to speak – this stops you drying up.
• Be yourself but increase your energy/animation levels by 30% to avoid coming over as ‘flat’.
• Don’t gabble but also, don’t speak too slowly as this comes across as patronising.

The participants on the course were all ages from 17 to 60 and from varied backgrounds. Some wanted to make and present YouTube videos to promote their business, others were performers who wanted another string to their bow and some, like me, thought it would be an interesting experience. A handful of them had instant on-screen charisma and it was obvious they would make good presenters. Simon told me that I came across as ‘intelligent’, which I’m taking as a positive but I don’t expect to be hosting The One Show anytime soon!

My only criticism is that there wasn’t time for us to view our autocue or co-presenting footage during the course. But it was available to purchase as a ‘showreel’ (a showreel is an essential part of a presenter’s c.v.).

If you’re interested in having a go at being a TV presenter, the day cost me around £26 via Amazon Local.

Now, maybe I should go and make a video book trailer …