The Cape Town Top 20
Thankfully Presenter Search on 3 moved on to the auditions this week after last week's
yawn-fest.
Wednesday's episode (14 August) covered the auditions in Cape Town, starting with everyone who was chosen from Instagram.
The initial auditionees were narrowed down to 20 call-backs and one was chosen to go through to the Top 10: Businesswoman Olwethu Nodada...
It was confusing because host Leigh-Anne Williams said others might get into the Top 10 but there was no explanation of what this means. I'm presuming they'll choose someone else from Cape Town if they can't make up the Top 10 from other provinces.
While the auditions were happening, I wondered about what I want in a presenter.
And this is it:
1. Sincerity. You often hear people saying a presenter should "be themselves" but what does this mean? How do we know if someone's being themselves if we don't actually know them?
It's sincerity and genuineness that's important. The opposite of fake and dishonest. It gives the audience a feeling of trust and connection.
2. Warmth. Linked to sincerity. Creates the sense the presenter is speaking to you as an individual and not to a crowd of faceless people.
It also suggests the presenter doesn't think they're more important than the audience because they're sending out a warm communion with the audience.
3. Natural delivery of words, verbally dynamic. I don't want to see the script on the page when the presenter delivers the lines. No wooden deliveries, no over-pronunciations, no eyeballs scrambling to remember what to say next.
4. No over-professionalism. It creates a disconnect between the presenter and audience when a presenter carries the sub-text: "I'm so very professional." I'm not looking for a presenter who's too slick, too "present'y". I'd rather lean towards too casual instead of too professional.
5. Someone who'll say: "No thanks, I don't eat chewing gum - it gives me a terrible tummy ache!" when they're offered all that Orbit between their Presenter Search auditions. Someone save me from the advertorial cringe of it!
6. Attentive listening in interviews. A presenter has to really hear what people are telling them so they can react authentically when engaging with interviewees.
7. Reality check. A presenter should never say something that's obviously not true.
8. A presenter's body should never be too stiff and rigid.
9. Sense of humour. A presenter should take their duties seriously but not so seriously that they feel something terrible will happen if they aren't the so-called perfect person.
10. Be comfortable in their shoes. A presenter's shoes should never upstage them.
Those are my main requirements.
How about you? What are you looking for?