Presentation Techniques for Broadcasting: Investigating Presentation Roles & Techniques

1. U37: Presentation Techniques for BroadcastingInvestigating Presentation Roles & Techniques By Alex McCloskey

2. Bill Whittle Bill whittle is an American author, presenter and public speaker. He currently hosts numerous web series’, most notably, Afterburner, The Firewall and co-hosts Tri-Fecta with Stephan Green and Scott Ott. These series’ do not contain a live audience instead they are usually recorded in one shot, which lets Bill explain his points thoroughly. On The Firewall, Bill uses a green-screen to provide very insightful visuals, usually using images, graphics and videos to support his point of view and add emotion, whether this is humour or sadness. In comparison, while Afterburner uses graphics and images too, it tends to focus much more on Whittle himself, with numerous different shots of Bill i.e. close-ups and pans.

3. Bill Whittle (continued) Bill commonly uses a series of verbal techniques in his shows. Firstly, his voice is quite light and raspy, which he uses to his advantage when presenting. One common technique is to explain a point at length in one sentence and as he goes on get quieter, exaggerate his pronunciation and heighten the pitch of his voice. This technique makes him come across quite humorous and often sarcastic, while getting his point across very passionately and building tension for his viewers. Similarly, after explaining a point he often emphasizes it once again in the next sentence in a very slow diction and in a very whispered tone. This too makes him sound very serious and makes his audience focus on what he’s saying as he grows quieter.

4. Bill Whittle (continued) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lDN5b6ET0I When presenting, Bill Whittle always dresses in a suit. This reflects the serious tone of his presentations. His humour is often quite dry and therefore he often keeps a straight face when making jokes, especially when using sarcasm as he often does. Whittle uses hand movements often to emphasise a point. On The Firewall he often points and waves to his side where the green screen is, to cue when important visuals are appearing which back up his points.

5. Ben Shapiro & Steve Irwin Context: Ben Shapiro is an American political author and public speaker. He hosts a web podcast titled the Ben Shapiro show and is the presenter of his own series on numerous large YouTube channels such as TruthRevoltOrigins. As a majority of Ben’s content is politically themed, it is usually quite serious. Steve Irwin was an Australian wildlife expert and TV presenter, known worldwide for hosting the TV series, The Crocodile Hunter. Steve Irwin’s show focuses on being light hearted entertainment and humorous education. Steve’s show, The Crocodile Hunter give insight into a range of wildlife and animals as the audience watches Steve’s encounters with them

6. Ben Shapiro & Steve Irwin Verbal Techniques: Ben will usually speak very assertively and clearly, starting off by stating his main message or point and then continuing by explaining his point in detail. For example, one of his video’s begins with this first statement – ‘Hilary Clinton is the most transparent Woman she knows, she even said so in 2008. Sadly, Hilary is a liar.’ Ben usually gives very intentional pauses in his sentences to ensure his audience is taking in the information he presents and finishing off his sentence with repeating his point for emphasis. Ben often uses sarcasm and a quippy use of humour to get his point across and this works very well with his serious and often pessimistic tone. In comparison, Steve is very direct and uses simple and exciting language to convey his points with a lot of enthusiasm. For example, on one episode of his show The Crocodile Hunter, he states near the beginning ‘I’m taking you into the heart of Dragon Territory!’, in reference to a group of islands he was visiting containing a large population of Komodo Dragons ( A species of lizard). This language makes the audience feel very involved and will appeal to all ages, most notably children. Steve often exaggerates pronunciation of words, whispering or shouting if describing something dangerous and in contrast, talking quickly when making a joke or furthering the plot.

7. Ben Shapiro & Steve Irwin Visual Techniques: As Steve presents a live action TV series, there is much focus on his visual’s than in Ben’s show. Steve often uses the camera to get his audience involved in his activities, for example if he is with an animal, the camera will be up close to the animal, with Steve usually next to it, hunkered or in position so that he can look at the camera while he talks. This is very intense and amusing, making Steve appear very comfortable with the (usually dangerous) animals and keeping the audience focused on his presence. Ben on the other hand keeps his visuals for simple. He uses high quality green screen and PowerPoints to show images, statistics, visuals and videos that back up and relate to his topics and opinions. Ben also will use his hands and eyes to emphasise his points often, if he finds something absurd or unfair, he usually emphasises this, aiming his face downwards at the camera and raising his eyebrows. This comes across quite angered or unconvinced and often helps emphasise his views and make his speech very convincing and sometimes emotional. Links: Ben – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMSO0CXnYtE Steve - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLIMgXv89VU