I was going to title this, “Which one of these women looks less likely to deliver a useful, interesting, structured webinar?”
And I think I know the answer. This is the author and nutrition specialist Nikola Howard, who goes by the title “the UK’s leading Low Carb Expert”. I recently had the pleasure of media training her. She had been using a black screen/sheet behind her to cover up an untidy home office, and to stop viewers being distracted. As you can see, the effect is slightly spooky, as she looms out of the darkness! When I asked if she could tidy up she said, “But I know where everything is!” quite reasonably, you might think – and you can see the logic in that. But it WAS distracting, both WITH the black sheet and WITH the untidy background.
Lo and behold, a few days later when I checked in on her vlog, it was tidy, and 100% better! I know I am becoming a bit of a broken record, but backgrounds matter when we all do video calls from home. This isn’t a palatial living room, with sweeping vistas and expensive art: it’s a small home office. But it’s tidy, there’s a dedicated light trained on the subject and there’s no window immediately behind her (the silhouette look). Plus, there’s a bit of depth to the shot (not the “hostage video” look in front of a blank wall).
Nikola has a lot to say about the low-carb lifestyle, ketogenic diets and all related topics, so if you’re interested get in touch here.
And I have a lot to say about Presentation Skills, Communications Skills, Media Interview Techniques, and all related topics. To book a session (remote or in person) for yourself or a group/team, contact me on info@sarahlockett.co.uk
