Presentation Techniques

News presenters:

As a news presenter, your main job would be to inform people. This would mean you have use the correct pronunciation and terminology for the subject in question, as you are where people are gaining their information, the BBC even have their own pronunciation department! You can't use slang, or any derogatory terms due to the nature of what you're presenting. One of the key things that makes a news presenter, is their ability to sound authorative over people, but not talking down or belittling them. Another key element is personal presentation. The audience BBC News 24 for instance, wouldn't take someone dressed dressed in a t shirt & jeans seriously, but the people who watch things like the entertainment news on MTV wouldn't want to listen to someone in a suit and tie. It all has to relate to your target audience.

Continuity announcers:

Continuity Announcers are the underdogs of the TV industry, they're always heard but not seen! They're the key people at keeping their target audience related as they're there to keep the audience interested between programs. This means they must be able to understand, and relate to their target audience in order to hold the viewers. For instance, a continuity announcer on E4 would take a very different approach, due to the target audiences in question, the cheeky humour wouldn't go down so well with the BBC viewers who wish to be informed. Another good example of a continuity announcer would be the voice of big brother. 

Broadcast Journalists:

Broadcast Journalists, more commonly known as correspondents are the people who represent articles and topics. They must at least appear knowledgeable about the subject they're talking about, meaning they must use the same terminology and pronunciation rules that news presenters are under, often though the correspondents are specializing in their particular subjects. They must also be careful with the facts they use, everything must be meticulously researched to ensure they're taken seriously, also the way they're dressed must reinforce the image, so for instance if you had a political correspondent dressed in bermuda shorts, flip flops and a short sleeved shirt, nobody would take them seriously, or a war correspondent dressed in a suit and tie, as nobody would expect that sort of attire in a warzone. But there are cases where they haven't read the book, or watched the film in question, and its been brought up.

Magazine Programme Presenter:

Magazine programmes are the sort of things like The One Show. The presenters would appear fairly knowledgeable across a rather wide range of subjects, due to the varied guests they have and the nature of the content. They may know nothing about the subject, but have had loads of background researchers checking things out for them. The presenters appear to be in control of the situation, this is an element that takes years of practice. The approach they take is very similar to that of a paper magazine. A must for the presenters, is good interview technique, due to the nature of the show.

Lifestyle Shows:

Lifestyle shows are things like cooking shows, and home improvements. Often, especially on shows such as travel shows, you'll be flown out to the destination, where you'll go to your hotel, wake up the following morning, present your piece, then be flown out the same day. These style of shows have a very particular target audience, as to a certain degree, they are pretty specialist shows. The presenters must appear to have a fair bit of in depth knowledge about what they're talking about, especially on things such as cooking shows.

Documentary Presenters:

When people think of things like documentaries, often the first thing that will spring to your mind is wildlife, and the first person you think of when it comes to wildlife is David Attenborough, and he's a very good example of a documentary presenter. They aren't always in the shot, but at the same time they aren't always out. Often they're in the shot to introduce a new topic, or to link to something different, but if they're talking about a subject in detail, the shot will be a close up on that subject with a voice over in the background to explain the subject.

DJ or VJ

Djs and Vjs are the presenters on music channels, and radio stations. Radio presenters will often have whats called ‘A Personality Voice’ This is where they’re known mainly for their voice, the listeners may not even know what they look like! The target audience for most DJ/VJ related things is teenage, and young people. This means that they must be able to communicate to the audience in a way that’s relatable, and sound like one of them using the current slang, and buzzwords, for instance in this day and age, something like YOLO or Swag. They don’t necessarily have to know or like the music they’re presenting, but they must be able to communicate and understand the target audience.

Chat show hosts:

Chat show hosts are the kings of being able to keep their cool, or at least look they are! Even if the interviewee starts getting difficult, they’re able to keep their cool. Quentin Tarantinos interview on channel 4 is a prime example of this, Tarantino loses it a little bit at the interviewer, but he managed to keep his cool. They must be able to ask questions that will either entertain, or inform the audience, or both! They must be able to relax the guest, this helps them get the answers they’d like, and to get the answers that would interest the audience.  In the beginning of chat shows, the main stars on the show would be the interviewees. But with show’s like Oprah, or the Jay Leno, or in the UK, the Graham Norton show, the host has become the main star.

Game show hosts:

Game show hosts are always among the seemingly more confident people on TV. This is because they always at least, appear to be in control. This is a skill that takes years of practice. They must be lively, and able to keep the show moving along to keep the viewers interest. They can think on their feet, for instance if someone loses a prize and starts to get nasty, they can cut to an ad break, or come up with something else to deal with it. They also have the ability to relax the contestants. Often what makes a good game show host is somebody with years of experience, Noel Edmonds is a prime example of this!