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Kathryn Janicek

How to Look Better Under Stage Lights or on Camera

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Many of my clients had a successful career, but are now looking for help with their public speaking careers.

Some are looking for opportunities to get on live TV to talk about their companies or their story.

Do you know how to prepare so you look your best?

I’m going to show you how you can look better on TV or on stage. The lights really alter our appearance.

I always suggest that my clients hire a makeup artist — but if you have to do it yourself, here are a few things you can do to make yourself look better under all those lights.

If you’re going to present on stage soon, here are three things to ask before you show up.

Kathryn Janicek | Media Coach, Producer, Public Speaking Trainer
Kathryn Janicek is a three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer with 20 years of experience working in newsrooms across the country. Kathryn coached talent, producers, and writers before switching her focus on helping entrepreneurs and corporate executives. Now, based in her home city of Chicago, she is a much sought-after media coach and public speaking trainer who will help you produce the best YOU. Click HERE now to book a complimentary consultation with Kathryn.

3 Things to Ask Before you Show up to a Public Speaking Gig

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Many of my clients had a successful career, but are now looking for help with their public speaking careers.
They’re an expert – and have a story to tell.

Do you know how to prepare so you hit your presentations out of the park?

These are three things to ask before you show up to a public speaking gig.

Before you really ever present.

Let’s produce the best you!

Try them and let me know how it worked out.

Eight Reasons to Hire a Former Television Producer

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So a television producer has applied for a job with your company.

Should you give them a chance?

After all, what does TV producing have to do with running your business?

A lot, actually.

Producers can be ideal candidates. Not just for jobs in public relations or marketing, but also nearly any position that requires teamwork, multi-tasking, and communications.

In my opinion, there are a ton of reasons to hire a former television producer — but here are eight great reasons why a former television producer would be a great hire for your team.

1. Producers are team builders and leaders.

A producer is not a good job for people who like to fly solo. They are constantly collaborating and learning how their different team members think and work. They know how to leverage these traits to create a more effective whole.

Producers are also experienced leaders. They have to give directions and constructive criticism to anchors, reporters, writers, producers, videographers, on-air guests (like musicians, performers, executives, politicians) and other team members. They also know how to stay open to others’ ideas and feedback, and can delegate appropriately.

2. Producers are excellent communicators.

At the core, producers are in the business of storytelling. You don’t get there without good communication skills. They know how to convey ideas in compelling and persuasive ways.

Friction and disagreements can happen between even the best teammates. This makes producers experienced in conflict management, too.

3. Big-picture thinking is a must.

Many jobs require meticulous attention to detail, but television producers also have to know how to see the big picture.

Business managers have to understand the long-term effects of their decisions. They have to know how the different parts of their company fit together. Likewise, producers have to understand how the different parts of a TV show fit together to deliver a compelling, informative, and entertaining television program.

4. Multi-tasking is a way of life.

Both business leaders and producers need to juggle numerous responsibilities. They have to know how to switch effortlessly from one task to the next.

Producers have many different responsibilities in their jobs. They have to think creatively and pitch new ideas. They have to problem-solve and stick to a budget.

Their ability to wear many hats makes them valuable for any office.

5. Producers will get you connected.

Producing is a social job, so producers learn to develop excellent networking skills. With so much collaboration, they can understand which people work best with each other, and who to call on when needed.

If a producer doesn’t know how to do something, you can be sure they’ll know how to find someone who does.

6. Producers are problem-solving pros.

You can’t make a television show without something going wrong at some point.

Just like corporate managers, television producers have learned how to identify problems, and also how to find or develop creative solutions, sometimes on short notice. As an executive producer and producer — I ALWAYS had a plan b, plan c, and plan d. You never know when a story won’t get filed on time or when a reporter won’t make it to the location on time… I had backup plans for my backup plans.

7. Producers can also be master marketers.

Television producers have great communication and networking skills, which makes a great marketing combination.

They are used to “reading” people and negotiating with them. Their media training means they can tell a story and craft an effective message that gets the desired results.

8. Time management is a necessity.

Any manager has to recognize how long different tasks and projects will take, and plan accordingly. So do television producers.

Producers are used to working with deadlines. They know how to hustle to get their projects done on time.

If you value any of these skills, former producers can be an ideal addition to your company. If you’re thinking about hiring a former producer, give their application a closer look. They might be exactly what you’re looking for.

As a former executive producer, I produce the best you on video, online, and on stage.

Schedule a free consultation here for media and public speaking coaching.

Kathryn Janicek | Media Coach, Producer, Public Speaking Trainer
Kathryn Janicek is a three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer with 20 years of experience working in newsrooms across the country. Kathryn coached talent, producers, and writers before switching her focus on helping entrepreneurs and corporate executives. Now, based in her home city of Chicago, she is a much sought-after media coach and public speaking trainer who will help you produce the best YOU. Click HERE now to book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with Kathryn.

How to Survive Facebook’s Algorithm Changes

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Are your posts taking a hit from the recent Facebook algorithm changes? You’re not alone! It’s all the buzz right now on social media as we all try to adjust our strategies. With so many myths circulating the internet, I turned to my own Marketing Director for guidance. Here is a guest blog post from mConnexions Principal Strategist and Owner, Julie Holton.

In just the two weeks following Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement, we’ve seen a significant decrease in the organic reach of posts from business pages. As Facebook’s news feed changes continue to be phased in over the next few months, we expect that impact to grow.

“As we roll this out,” Zuckerberg wrote on January 11th, “You’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard — it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.”

The critical word here is meaningful interactions between people. At its very core, the social platform has always intended to be just that… social. The only way for Facebook to remain relevant is for its content to be meaningful to its users. In a 12-month span where negative headlines rocked Facebook’s image — from allegations of Russia’s interference with the U.S. election, to concerns over fake news — the social media company has been pushed to make major changes. At the core of these changes: user experience and content.

What does “meaningful interaction” mean for businesses on Facebook?

Comments, comments, and more comments… Plus a few likes, some shares and bam, you have meaningful interaction.

“Pages making posts that people generally don’t react to or comment on could see the biggest decreases in distribution,” wrote Zuckerberg. “Pages whose posts prompt conversations between friends will see less of an effect.”

DO: create posts with quality content that encourages interaction.
DON’T: use “engagement-bait” traps.

Not only are bait traps slimy and spammy, which means users don’t like them, they will also work against you in Facebook’s algorithm. “Using ‘engagement-bait’ to goad people into commenting on posts is not a meaningful interaction, and we will continue to demote these posts in News Feed,” says Facebook.

Examples of Engagement Bait from Facebook

Instead, use your posts to initiate conversation. Ask questions, encourage sharing, and even prompt followers to share photos or their own self-promotion within your posts.

What Powers the Facebook Algorithm?

The Facebook Algorithm controls what you see on your news feed. If you use Facebook marketing, it’s crucial to know the basics about the algorithm and how it affects your posts.

To start, you need to understand the algorithm and what it does.

Facebook’s algorithm uses many factors to control what your target audience sees, and when.. The goal is to make sure that users see the content that Facebook thinks they want to see. Here are some of those factors:

  • Posts from friends and family come first, because that’s the main objective of the news feed: to connect people.
  • People like their feed to entertain and inform them with things like news and videos, so those come next.
  • Facebook makes it a priority to post genuine stories versus spam-like ones or anything misleading.
  • Based on your actions and feedback, Facebook aims to deliver stories that you want to see most. Additionally, Facebook is constantly using those actions and feedback to constantly improve and change the algorithm. For instance, the more you interact with an individual or business’s posts, the more that individual or business will show in your own news feed.

So what’s new to the Facebook algorithm?

The newest change focuses on friends, family and groups. As a business, unless you have a group page for your followers, this immediately takes you out of the top tier for landing in news feeds. This means that you will need to engage in more meaningful interactions to land yourself in the news feed.

DO: Here are some examples of posts and activities that the new algorithm loves:
  • Posts that have lots of Likes, comments and shares, especially in a short amount of time.
  • Posts that talk about trending topics, or in other words, are timely.
  • Media-based posts with photos, status updates and videos – especially videos with lots of views.
  • Posts from pages that people often interact with.
  • Posts from pages with complete, clean and reputable profiles.
  • Posts with links to other pages or sources.
DON’T: Here are some things you shouldn’t do based off the new algorithm:
  • Posts with spam links.
  • Status updates with only text and no other user-friendly content like videos, photos or links to stories or other pages.
  • Posts that specifically ask for follows and shares. For instance, posting “Like this post if you like cats, share this post if you like dogs” will result in having your posts pushed down in the news feed.
  • Repeated posts and content that has already circulated its way around Facebook.
  • Clickbait – content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular webpage.

Tapping Into the Power of Influencers

If you rely on Facebook to build your business, your best answer with these changes may be looking for an Influencer. Connecting with Influencers who have a strong and growing audience that are deeply connected with is pretty much a jackpot for most marketers. The best way to utilize an Influencer’s audience is to understand your business objective, educate yourself on the factors that influence your target audience, and find an influencer that blends your brand and/or product within their own. This engages their dedicated followers, hence introducing and connecting them to your content.

Quick Tip: Use your referral network, employees, and other close connections to act as influencers. While it would be helpful to have a celebrity share your posts, chances are you aren’t looking to spend what it would cost to purchase that influence. Instead, connect with other businesses and networks. When they share your content, they will help extend your reach to their audience. Be sure to return the love — not only will you help expand their reach, but your followers will appreciate the curated content. Just make sure that all shared content is relevant to your audience.

Tackling the Changes Strategically

The latest change shouldn’t majorly change your posting strategy. Stick to posting strong content that is relevant and engaging for your audience. By engaging with your followers, you are more likely to end up in people’s news feeds. This is a great way to connect with your audience and be transparent through your social media accounts.

And brace yourself for more changes! We firmly believe in having a fluid strategy, especially when it comes to social media marketing. The best way to tackle these Facebook algorithm changes is to prepare for more of them — and on more platforms. You should constantly evaluate what’s working or not working with your audience, and always be ready to respond to change, whether it is changes in your market, your industry, or on the platforms you use to connect to your audience.

Julie Holton | mConnexions | Digital Marketing Agency

Julie Holton is the Principal Strategist and Owner of mConnexions, a full-service marketing and communications agency with a focus on developing digital marketing solutions for clients. Relationships are the key to building business. mConnexions works to build those connections, one marketing lead at a time. Connect with Julie on LinkedIn and learn more about mConnexions at mConnexions.com.

How to avoid the mistake the White House made this week

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Picture courtesy of NBC News

I send out an email almost daily that goes to clients, former clients and future clients.

On Sunday, I sent a media tip that many would say is obvious.

Kind of a “no duh.”

I even called it “unsexy.”

But au contraire, my friend…

How to avoid the mistake the White House make this week

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that tickets to President Donald J. Trump’s first State of the Union address originally said State of the “Uniom.”

The tickets issued to lawmakers’ spouses and guests contained the typo. The tickets were printed by the Office of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper. They had to be reissued.

“It was corrected immediately, and our office is redistributing the tickets,” a spokesman for the sergeant at arms told Agence France-Presse.

One news outlet reported that the State of the Union tickets actually had two typos: In addition to “Uniom,” they referred to the “Visitor’s Gallery.” It’s actually the Visitors’ Gallery.

This isn’t the first time. Not long after President Trump was sworn into office in January of last year, the White House misspelled British Prime Minister Theresa May’s name—three times. THREE times. Her name is “Theresa” May, but they spelled it “Teresa” May. “Teresa” (with no h) May, happens to be a model and porn actress.

The original version of Trump’s presidential inauguration poster also featured a typo. The message over his photo read “No dream is too big, no challenge is to great,” with the second “o” missing from the second “too.”

Then there was the time the White House issued a statement before Trump’s trip to Israel, saying that he hoped the visit would “promote the possibility of lasting peach,” instead of “peace.” Yes, we all love the fuzzy fruit… but, come on.

And the White House Snapchat account referred to Betsy DeVos as the “Secretary of Educatuon.” Awesome.

Of course, Mr. Trump himself has had his own share of typos like the famous “covfefe.”

It happens.

It’s not uncommon.

And, it’s totally unacceptable.

Before you read my blogs, someone else does.

Actually… he hears them.

I read them to my husband before I hit “publish.”
If he’s not around, I read them aloud a few times.

Sometimes he helps me nail down a point.
Most times he just listens and says “great!”
I love that.

Here are two really unsexy media tips that may be the most important things you do:
  1. Have someone else read everything you write before it’s sent out.
  2. Always read your work out loud before you send it.

I’m talking about social media posts, blogs, big emails to your staff (you never know what might be forwarded to the media), speeches, quotes you’re giving to a magazine or newspaper… you get the point.

Here’s why I do it:
You’re way too important for me not to have another set of eyes on these emails.
I’m not perfect.

Here’s why you should do it:
Every bit of information that’s sent out or posted is a reflection of you and your company.
You’re not perfect.

Every bit of information that’s sent out or posted is a reflection of you and your company.

You’re not perfect.

In our beautiful imperfections… we miss stuff.

Our brain sometimes moves so quickly – we actually will “see” the right word that should be there… even though there is a misspelling or the wrong word there entirely.

When we read our work aloud — we catch more errors.

When you have someone else quickly do a once-over… it’s even better.

Told you it’s not very sexy.

But I guarantee – you’ll be more effective in sharing your story.

Kathryn Janicek | Media Coach, Producer, Public Speaking Trainer

Kathryn Janicek is a three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer with 20 years of experience working in newsrooms across the country. Kathryn coached talent, producers, and writers before switching her focus on helping entrepreneurs and corporate executives. Now, based in her home city of Chicago, she is a much sought-after media coach and public speaking trainer who will help you produce the best YOU. Click HERE now to book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with Kathryn.

How to get on TV (or anywhere else in the media)

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So you have a story to tell and you think the news should tell it?

You want to help more people by getting on a major platform like television?

You saw a guy you went to college with, you two have the same amount of experience… yet HE ALWAYS gets interviewed when the news is looking for someone in your industry?

Want “the news” to talk about YOUR company and give it a big boost in sales?

I hear it all the time.

“Why doesn’t the news call me? I have the best (fill in the blank).”

Here’s the BIG SECRET:

If you want it, you have to go get it.

The majority of the time, they’re not hunting down people to interview.

YOU have to make the call, email, text….

So, how do you do that?

Media training.

Media training teaches you:

  • How to create a story that is marketable to the media
  • How to dig up the marketable, sellable and pitchable story that’s inside of you or your company
  • How to present that story to the media
  • Who you need to talk to… who the major players are that make the decisions on what story to run, where to run it (and which to delete)
  • What to say when you get the booking
  • What to wear on TV, in a magazine shoot, for a newspaper shoot, or on radio (seriously… ask me why)
  • The best haircut/style for your face on TV
  • How to do your makeup for TV so you look alive but don’t look too made-up (and not like yourself)
  • How to carry yourself physically during the interview
  • Verbal delivery skills
  • How to answer a question when you don’t want to answer a question
  • How to answer a question when you can’t answer a question (proprietary information, part of an active investigation… or you just don’t know the answer)
  • How to frame your message during the interview
  • How to get the interviewer focused on the message that you want to focus on
  • Where the story will show up
  • How long to wait for the story to show up
  • How to get your website link on air, in an article or mentioned on the radio
  • How to share the story later to take advantage of the media hit and gain more followers (or make more sales)

Media training gives you the skills to develop a strong, clear message that sticks with your audience. It positions you to deliver it effectively and impactfully. Media training is also the best way to develop strong skills when it comes to interacting with the media, making sure your message isn’t lost or misinterpreted through nerves.

Media trainers work with individuals and teams of people.

I am a professional media trainer with 20+ years of experience in TV. (I have a bunch of Emmy Awards too.)

I coach on how to use appropriate body language, strong message building, and how to navigate those uncomfortable questions. The training experience arms you with what you need to effectively and confidently engage with the media.

Not convinced you need it? Here’s a little more …

It puts you in control of your interviews

You’ve seen or heard it before: an interview that is a complete flop. The person being interviewed forgets his or her key points, forgets important information, or flat out stumbles the whole way through.

The journalist may be the one asking you the questions, but in reality, you are in control of the interview. A media trainer works with you on composure and focusing on key messages so you can create the outcome you want in the interview. When your responses are clear and delivered well, you are able to subtly but strongly steer the interview the direction you want.

It teaches you to navigate the hard questions

Even if you are in control of your interview, you are still going to be faced with the hard questions. These questions may put you on the spot and be difficult to answer. With media training, you’re armed with skills to answer these tough questions. Your media trainer will practice these tough questions to prep you and craft answers that help you stay in control of the interview. This helps you feel confident going into an interview that may have particularly tough questions, even if they come at you unexpectedly.

It polishes your personal delivery

When you speak on television, the audience is watching your body language and facial expressions. People pick up on these things and they pay close attention to them. Media training teaches you how to use your words, tone, and body language to deliver your message in a powerful and effective way.

In addition to delivery, media training can help with interviewing anxiety. For those who are terrified by interviews, especially live radio and/or television ones, developing interview skills and confidence can be the most beneficial part of the media training experience. You’ll face every interview head-on without worrying about getting stuck.

Media training helps you even if you have NO desire to be in the media. Because of the training, my clients are better on stage, during job interviews, and presenting in front of small groups at work.

Kathryn Janicek | Media Coach, Producer, Public Speaking Trainer
Kathryn Janicek is a three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer with 20 years of experience working in newsrooms across the country. Kathryn coached talent, producers, and writers before switching her focus on helping entrepreneurs and corporate executives. Now, based in her home city of Chicago, she is a much sought-after media coach and public speaking trainer who will help you produce the best YOU. Click HERE now to book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with Kathryn.

When you need to change the delivery of your message to reach your audience

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This is the story of a woman who instantly had to change how she presented to her audience. She made this massive change at the last minute, so they could absorb the information she was giving them.

Sure, your experience is not hers – but we can learn from what she did. We are all sending information out to audiences in order to make them act.

Are you delivering that message in a way that will inspire them to do what you’re asking of them?

Besides my work as a media coach and public speaking trainer, I am a national television producer. I have the honor of interviewing people and telling their stories.

I didn’t know Jane Elliott’s story before I started researching her.

I’m thankful I know her now.

Jane was a school teacher and is now 84-years old.

And, she’s not done teaching.

Click here to watch her story. I produced the piece, so you don’t hear my voice. You hear the reporter’s (Jessica Gomez’s) voice.

Prefer to read a summary? Here you go:

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr’s death. The civil rights leader was shot and killed while standing on a motel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. His murder set off days of rioting in cities across America.

Many lives were impacted, including the one of an elementary school teacher hundreds of miles away from Memphis.

Jane Elliott was a teacher in Riceville, Iowa. She used that moment to teach her third-grade students about discrimination by letting them experience it. Her method was dubbed the “brown eyed – blue eyed exercise.”

It didn’t come without controversy.

She was going to teach something entirely different that day – but changed her lesson plans when she heard Rev. King was killed.

She knew her all-white class would struggle with understanding why so many people were upset about the death of this one man. In order to demonstrate, she told her students they would walk in the shoes of a person of color in the U.S. for a day.

She picked out a group of people “on the basis of a physical characteristic over which they had absolutely no control and assigned negative traits to them because of that physical characteristic and that physical characteristic alone.”

“Within seven minutes I had created a superior brown-eyed group who were convinced of their own superiority,” Jane said. “I watched blue-eyed children who were good learners become unable to compete academically. I couldn’t believe it!”

She switched the room the next day, making the blue-eyed children superior.

Jane’s exercise made national news. She was even on the Johnny Carson show.

Jane didn’t stop teaching. She didn’t give up… even when parents started calling the school demanding her stop teaching the “brown-eyed blue-eyed” exercise.

Jane was disowned by her own mother because of the negative attention.

Her kids were beaten by the other kids in school.

Her parents lost their business.

Her husband was told to “get his wife in line.”

She never stopped.

After teaching, she went on to become a sought-after national diversity educator and activist.

Kathryn Janicek | Media Coach, Producer, Public Speaking Trainer
Kathryn Janicek is a three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer with 20 years of experience working in newsrooms across the country. Kathryn coached talent, producers, and writers before switching her focus on helping entrepreneurs and corporate executives. Now, based in her home city of Chicago, she is a much sought-after media coach and public speaking trainer who will help you produce the best YOU. Click HERE now to book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with Kathryn.

If you’d like to learn more about Jane Elliott, here are links to more stories about her:

http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/05/t-i-calls-activist-jane-elliott-american-hero/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/educator-jane-elliott-talks-trump-kapernick-fixing-racism-n747291

Lessons from The Crown: When You Shouldn’t Listen to People Around You

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Picture courtesy of Netflix 

You must do anything you can to find out how you look and sound to your audience. NOT how people around you say you look and sound. Here is an example as shown in The Crown on Netflix.

I’ve been watching The Crown.
Have you seen any of the series? It’s on Netflix and follows Queen Elizabeth’s rise and rule.

In season 2, episode 5, Queen Elizabeth is criticized by a lord who’s the editor of a newspaper. He points out that her recent speech was tone-deaf.

The monarchy was stuck in the past.

The speech was not written by the queen, but by a bunch of old men who were not in touch with their audience.

Eventually, the queen reluctantly listens to the lord’s feedback.
It’s painful for her. She’s not used to this kind of help.

In the end, his notes made it easier for her to guide the monarchy in relating more to its audience (the people).

It was difficult for her to sit there and listen to the criticism, but she did.

She had to swallow her pride and for a moment, not take the counsel of the people surrounding her.

This is difficult for many leaders. But it’s key to building a business.

You must do anything you can to find out how you look and sound to your audience.
NOT how people around you say you look and sound.

It’s critical to take that information and see if you can alter your presence and image to reach more people, and keep your current audience.

In the Queen’s case, the advice originated from criticism written in newspaper articles.

She could have prevented that in the first place by listening to more forward-thinking advisors.

Sometimes your staff — the people you trust the most — are too afraid to tell you what you need to hear.

It’s not that they don’t care. It’s hard to tell your boss they’re boring, not transparent enough, has an outdated look, doesn’t do a great job on stage… and whatever else you should be hearing.

Many times, it takes an outside voice to break through and convince you of the tweaks that will help you become a more effective leader.

I would have loved to have been there to help guide Elizabeth II. Of course, I’m honored to help all my clients. Here’s a little more on why public speaking is the most important skill you need.

Kathryn Janicek | Media Coach, Producer, Public Speaking Trainer
Kathryn Janicek is a three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer with 20 years of experience working in newsrooms across the country. Kathryn coached talent, producers, and writers before switching her focus on helping entrepreneurs and corporate executives. Now, based in her home city of Chicago, she is a much sought-after media coach and public speaking trainer who will help you produce the best YOU. Click HERE now to book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with Kathryn!

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Chris Farley & How to Avoid the Media Mistakes I Made

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Most of the time, you don’t know when your media opportunity is coming. Here’s an inside look at the media mistakes I made, to help you prepare for your own moment in the spotlight.

Comedian and actor, Chris Farley, died 20-years ago. He was a superstar in the 90s at the time I was in college. He died after a long battle with addiction. He was only thirty-three and was already the greatest physical comedian of my generation. He didn’t survive — but he left behind many stories. This is mine.

“Kathryn! You’re on TV… call me!”

“Kathryn, I just saw you on E!”

“Kathryn! I didn’t know you dated….. Chris Farley?!?”

Ten messages on my answering machine.

It was 1999… and I was just months out of college and at my first full-time TV job.

I heard the messages right after walking in the door after producing the news all night at WCIA in Champaign, Illinois. I was so tired, I had to listen to them again to understand what was going on. Then I called someone to get the scoop.

The “E! True Hollywood Story” on Chris Farley premiered the night before. It described Chris’ time at Saturday Night Live, at Marquette University, his drug abuse…  and my picture came up in the show over and over. It was not flattering. Because of how I looked… and what the announcer track was saying while my pictures were coming up. Here’s a clip.

Chris Farley died during my senior year of college. The dean of my college called me over Christmas break and asked me to head back to school early so I could plan the memorial Mass at Marquette University. I was the president of my college and Chris went to Marquette.

The year prior, Chris came back to campus to accept an award.  This is also the last time I wore a dress this low-cut. THIS is the event where my pictures were taken along with dozens of other students with Chris. After Chris died, producers from E! went to Marquette to collect pictures. The dean handed them over… and the producers didn’t keep track — so editors used pictures of me in places that the track was not referring to me. I clearly did not date Chris, nor was I part of his downward spiral into drinking… as the E! story said.

On the day of the memorial Mass — I had Chris’ family there, bagpipers and Pat Finn to give the eulogy. (You’ve probably seen Pat in The Middle, Friends and Seinfeld… he’s great.) His eulogy was hilarious and loving. He told stories that illustrated Chris as a student… to us, a chapel full of students. I wish I had video of it in its entirety. He also told stories of how Chris would make regular trips to the Joan of Arc chapel on campus to pray… talk to God… and just be alone.

After the service, the local stations wanted to interview me.

I didn’t even think about this possibility.

I was unprepared. (I know much better now… I was 20 then.)

As a young broadcast journalism student who wanted to be a reporter (as I thought at the time)… I blew my chance. I gave the all-time lamest soundbite. It’s here if you want to see it:

Between the low-cut dress at the awards event the year before and the soundbite at the service — these are the first two mistakes I made when it comes to media and public speaking.

But I learned a lot.

  1. When the story on E! aired, I was a young TV producer. This taught me to be very careful when writing to pictures and video. Make sure the track matches the visuals. A mistake can hurt someone’s reputation.
  2. Be ready for anything.
  3. Watch the makeup. Don’t let it be a distraction.
  4. Dress how you would want to be portrayed in pictures or on video — especially if you’re going to a high-profile event. You never know who may see the picture.
  5. Have your elevator speech ready. What will you say if the media shows up? How will you answer if someone at that wedding asks you what you do, or why you’re “in between jobs,” or what you’re looking for in your next role? What will you say when they ask you what your company does? Remember — quick responses that stick with your audience.
I coach clients so they’re ready when their opportunity comes.
Most times – you don’t even know your opportunity’s coming.
You need to be ready now.
Kathryn Janicek | Media Coach, Producer, Public Speaking Trainer
Kathryn Janicek is a three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer with 20 years of experience working in newsrooms across the country. Kathryn coached talent, producers, and writers before switching her focus on helping entrepreneurs and corporate executives. Now, based in her home city of Chicago, she is a much sought-after media coach and public speaking trainer who will help you produce the best YOU. Click HERE now to book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with Kathryn!

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