Be good on camera and on stage

Quiz · free, no sign-up

Twelve honest questions that show which part of on-camera presenting needs work first, from breathing and rehearsal to the set-up, the voice and the listening.

Explainer film

A ten-minute routine for breath, body and voice before you present, record or go live. The order to run it in, and what to avoid beforehand.

Explainer film

A simple breathing routine you can do in three minutes before you present or go on camera. Steps, a worked example and the mistakes to avoid.

2 min read

How to ask for presentation feedback that you can use, how to give it in a celebrate-and-fix format, and how to take it in without arguing with the room.

2 min read

The small movements that give nerves away on stage or on camera, what to do instead, and how to rehearse the change before the day.

2 min read

How to plan a talk that most people can follow and join in: predictable structure, plain language, advance notes and clear choices for every listener.

2 min read

How to hold a Gen Z audience and every other generation: say the length, earn the first minute, build in participation and take questions mid-talk.

2 min read

A run-through tests the technology and a rehearsal tests you. What to bring to each, what to ask before you arrive, and what the crew cannot fix on the day.

2 min read

Nerves and excitement feel almost identical in the body. Learn how to name the feeling, prepare until you are steady, and point the energy at your audience.

4 min read

What to wear for a video shoot: patterns that crawl, microphones that rustle, and clothes that vanish on a white cove, a black stage or a green screen.

9 min read

A presenter's first studio shoot, hour by hour: arrival, mic-up, sound checks, rehearsal, takes, playback and the wrap, and what to do at each stage.

PDF, 2 pages · free preview

A self-review sheet for a recorded talk. What to check for tics, eyeline, pace and reactions, and how to turn one watch into three changes for the next run.

PDF, 1 page · free preview

How to use a printable tongue twister sheet as a five-minute warm-up for clear speech before a talk, a recording or a take.

PDF, 6 pages · free preview

A printable pack for presenters: the self-assessment, then steps for the week before, the day before and the morning, plus what to expect at the barn.

PDF, 2 pages · free preview

The questions to ask an event organiser before you speak: who is in the room, how long you have, what is filmed, and who introduces you. Use the checklist.

PDF, 2 pages · free preview

A fixed kit list for presenters: cables, adapters, batteries, a clicker, printed notes and backups, with a checklist to keep in the bag.

2 min read

How to find the fillers in your speaking, replace them with a pause and rehearse the joins between points, with a simple record and listen routine.

2 min read

Nerves speed your voice up, and the speed feels right from the inside. How to measure your pace from a recording and slow down without sounding strange.

2 min read

How to project about a tenth more than your conversational voice using breath, posture and aim, without pushing from the throat or shouting.

2 min read

What a smiling voice is, why it changes how a recording sounds, and five steps to find it before you record, with a short practice routine.

2 min read

Where to put pauses when you present or record: before a main point, after it, at transitions and on stage moves. How long to hold them and how to practise.

2 min read

How to vary your pace, pitch and volume on purpose so a talk does not go flat, with a practical method you can rehearse this week.

2 min read

Why a camera shows less of you than a room does, how much more to give on camera and on stage, and a record and compare routine to find your level.

2 min read

How to look into a camera lens and still seem to talk to someone. The arrows technique, where to put your eyeline, and where to put the call window on a video call.

2 min read

How to use your face on camera. Start from what you want the viewer to feel, exaggerate slightly, then record, watch on mute and adjust one thing at a time.

2 min read

How much headroom to leave, how close to sit to the lens and why your mouth needs to be clear. Five minutes of set-up checks before you record.

2 min read

What to do with your hands on camera. Keep them fully in frame or fully out, use them to support your voice, and stop the half-in fidget that pulls the eye.

4 min read

Write for the ear, mark your breaths, let the text come to you and read in thoughts rather than lines. A practical autocue guide from the studio.

2 min read

How to choose between sitting and standing for a video. Set up both, record them, and keep the position that feels natural and holds steady on screen.

3 min read

What a first teleprompter session covers: writing for the ear, pace, eyeline, pauses and recovering from a slip, with a practice run to try at home.

3 min read

Why a one-minute video works, how to plan one point, one example and one action, and the mistakes that stop short clips being finished.

3 min read

To camera, off-camera interview or presenter-led: what each one is, when it suits a video, and the mistakes that make each one look stiff.

Calculator · free, no sign-up

Time a talk, voiceover or film script from its word count and your own words per minute, and build 10, 20, 30 and 40 minute versions that fit the slot.

2 min read

How to write a call to action that people act on. Choose one thing to do, think or feel, make it specific, place it after the recap and make it easy to take.

2 min read

How to present figures so people remember them: lead with one person, choose one number per point, and say what it means in plain words.

5 min read

How to start a presentation with a hook, plus fifty fill-in-the-blank opening lines: questions, stories, statements, topical openers and more.

2 min read

How to end a talk so the room remembers it: bookends, loops and plain last lines, with a step-by-step plan and the mistakes that undo a good close.

2 min read

Why most of a good talk happens before the day, and the order to do the hidden work in: audience, message, structure, stories, slides, then timed run-throughs.

2 min read

A quick test for any talk: one key message running through every part, with the cut-down check that shows which parts are not earning their place.

2 min read

How to use AI for a first draft of a talk or script, then rewrite it in your own words with your own stories, and the checks to make before you use it.

2 min read

WIIFM means what is in it for them. How to show the audience why they should watch in the first minute or two, and three questions to answer before you write.

2 min read

The words that weaken a presentation: superlatives, intensifiers, -ly adverbs, fluff and jargon, and a simple way to find and replace them in a script.

2 min read

How to write a talk, script or voiceover that sounds natural spoken aloud. Short sentences, plain words, and a read-aloud test you can run on your script today.

6 min read

Alastair Greener's keynote on being heard, as a written guide: preparation, what's in it for the audience, structure, body language and voice.

6 min read

A four-part way to structure any talk, pitch or video: what each part does, how long to give it, a worked example and a fill-in outline to copy.

6 min read

How to find, tell and keep stories for talks and video: a washing line of stories, dialogue instead of narration, and starting at the exciting moment.

Word or Google Docs · free preview

A fill-in template for a 60-second introduction, with four timed beats, a worked example and the mistakes that run the clock over.

2 min read

How to respond to a heckle or interruption in one sentence, park off-topic questions, and name the awkward thing in the room once before moving on.

3 min read

The difference between an MC, a compère, a host, a moderator and a facilitator, what each one does, and how to brief the right person for your event.

2 min read

How to hold a handheld mic, when to leave the lectern mic alone, and how a head mic should sit. Plus how to decide whether you need one and why to soundcheck.

2 min read

Why the Q&A should come before your close, how to tell the room how questions will run, and how to keep a short ending ready when the questions overrun.

2 min read

The STP habit for presentation slides. Set up each point before you click, make one calm change, then pause while the room reads the new slide.

2 min read

How to stay inside the light on stage: ask for the lighting plan, find your marks in the tech rehearsal, and move with the light rather than chasing it.

2 min read

How to move on stage with a reason: give each point its own spot, move with purpose, stop to make the point, and rehearse the layout with the mic on.

7 min read

How a good MC links speakers, keeps an event to time and sets the tone the organiser wants, with scripts, a timing method and a rehearsal plan.

6 min read

Slide rules for talks on a large screen: text size, fonts, images, templates, blank slides and what to check with the AV team before you present.

Word or Google Docs · free preview

A fill-in template for the introduction a host reads out before your talk. Who you are, why the audience should listen, why you, the title and your name.

PDF, 2 pages · free preview

The questions an MC should put to the organiser before a live, online or hybrid event, covering the room, running order, tech and things going wrong.

2 min read

How to look attentive on a video call. Keep your camera on where you can, show listening with small signals, and look at the speaker's camera.

4 min read

Why a real interview feels different from a rehearsal: the IFB earpiece, mix-minus and a gallery voice cueing you mid-sentence. How Granary Digital's studio near Chichester reproduces it for media training.

7 min read

What UK media training actually costs in 2026: day rates, per-head group pricing, half-day sessions and what drives the difference. Real numbers, plainly stated.

4 min read

The interview formats a spokesperson meets, explained by a broadcast engineer: live, as-live, pre-recorded, down the line, remote, panel and doorstep. What each demands and how Granary Digital rehearses them.

2 min read

Reactive and proactive media interviews need different preparation. Learn which one you are in, the questions to ask first and how to prepare.

2 min read

A simple structure for video meetings. Give people something to do roughly every ten minutes, put breaks on the agenda, and name three roles before you start.

2 min read

A three-step way to answer a difficult interview question without dodging it: acknowledge the question, bridge to your point, then say it plainly.

7 min read

A media training day explained hour by hour: what you actually do, how the practice interviews work, what playback shows you and what you take home.

6 min read

How to present at a hybrid event: where to look, how to rehearse for a venue that is also a TV studio, how to involve both audiences, and how to keep to time.

6 min read

How to look and sound good presenting on Zoom or Teams: sound first, then light, camera height, background, eye contact and a pre-call check.

8 min read

The same message needs different delivery in print, on radio and on TV. What the audience gets from you in each, and what to change before you say yes.

5 min read

The UK self-tape code and Spotlight's guidance on framing, eyeline, idents and file names, plus how to get the sound right at home or in a studio.

4 min read

How long a voice reel should be, which reads to put in it, how a directed session runs and what to avoid. A practical guide for actors and voice artists.

4 min read

A phone, a plain wall, soft light and clean sound is enough for most self-tapes. What to set up at home, and when a studio session earns its fee.

2 min read

What goes in an actor's showreel, how long it should run, how to order the clips and the shooting mistakes that make a reel hard to watch.

Filed under Photography and headshots

Spotlight's photo rules, the looks worth shooting and how much retouching casting directors accept, plus our £195 inc VAT actor session near Chichester.

Filed under AI in production

What to check before signing anything that lets someone record, clone or reuse your voice or face, drawn from Equity's AI toolkit and the ASA's position.