Nearly everybody is nervous on TV, but you may have to face the camera sometime anyway. Here are tips on how to get through it.

What to wear on the air...
How to get ready to talk...
Techniques for facing the lens...

Makeup and Dress

A bright, strong, solid color that looks good on you is best. Generally don't wear white. Your clothing should not have fine patterns, lines or prints because they show on camera as a moving herringbone.

Take off prominent jewelry that might catch light and sparkle. Stow any wrist or neck items that clank or clatter. If the studio doesn't provide makeup, both men and women should use a very slight powder or pancake on nose and forehead to reduce shine.

Preparation for an Interview

Know your message. Decide what you want to say and practice saying it. Get your brief down to one major point. Lay out your ideas in sound bites twelve to fifteen seconds in length. Pre-edit your long anecdotes and examples. Avoid jargon and expert-speak. To be most credible and likable, address yourself to a general interest audience.

On-camera Technique

Don't rush, don't shout, don't worry. Concentrate on what you have decided is your message. Use the restroom before the interview begins. TV is a conversational medium, not a rhetorical one. Talk, don't speak. You are in the living room, not the lecture hall.

In interviews with a reporter, look at and talk to him or her. Do not glance away or look at the camera; it will make you look shifty, nervous and even dishonest. In panel discussions, address your colleagues, but change eye contact in a measured way, not rapidly.

In interviews where you are alone with the camera, look directly into the lens and do not waver or break eye contact. Try imagining a friendly face in the camera lens and mentally address yourself to that person.