If you haven’t heard of QVC, then you clearly haven’t delved very deep into your TV channels.
Surely the most famous of all television shopping channels, QVC has a UK turnover of nearly £450million per year, meaning that even if you don’t shop from your TV screen, someone you know probably does.
Presenting on the channel is no easy task, with hosts required to move seamlessly from selling cuddly toy Christmas decorations to high-end skincare, all the time avoiding pushy sales tactics, which they claim could alienate the QVC audience.
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True professionals, this glossy-haired posse make flogging products on telly look easy, but how simple is it really to present on QVC? I decided to find out…
Auditioning for QVC
To put myself to the QVC test, I signed up for a guest audition, which to all intents and purposes is exactly like broadcasting straight onto QVC, except your not actually live – phew.
However, when I step into the bright, white studio inside QVC’s swish Chiswick building, I instantly forget that this is a no pressure situation, especially when I find out a director will be talking into my ear throughout the filming and a bunch of seasoned professionals will be watching my ‘broadcast’.
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This, though, is the process that anyone who wants to guest present on QVC has to go through. While the channel has a number of regular presenters, many of whom have worked in broadcasting for decades, the guest presenters are experts wheeled in for certain products – often they work for or even invented the brand they present, so you can only imagine how anxious they must be coming in for their trial run.
Luckily, there is a truly lovely team to look after me at QVC. Tina, the guest manager, greeted me warmly as I entered, along with Chloe, a QVC presenter, who co-hosted my audition (and generally kept me talking/breathing through the whole thing).
As we took our positions in the studio, where I was set to present a new range of Amanda Wakeley handbags sent to me the previous day, Chloe talked me through the structure of the broadcast. ‘Above all, just have fun’ she tells me, while I try to unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth.
Then suddenly, we’re live, and I’m doing a big cheesy grin at the camera while Chloe introduces me. At first, I struggle to get my words out – how on earth do presenters engage in conversation, hold things and listen to the voice talking in their ear at the same time?! I’m also unsure on where to hold the bags and how much information to give on each; selling these items without overtly ‘selling’ is truly a fine art.
However, I gradually start to warm up, wittering on in as natural a manner as I possibly can and feeling extremely grateful to Chloe for gently nudging me through the main details.
I have to admit, I barely listen to the director’s voice as he tells me which camera to position the bag towards, but I do manage to answer most of Chloe’s questions in a somewhat coherent way.
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And then, before I know it, we’re wrapping up. ‘In a nutshell, why should we buy these bags?’ asks Chloe, and my brain goes into overdrive trying to cobble together an articulate answer while also throwing a silent party that we’re nearly done without any major disasters.
I give my best cheesy smile to camera as we close the segment, suddenly realising that this is the only time I’ve remembered to look at the camera since we started (oops). When the production team come back into the studio, however, they’re very kind, saying I definitely ‘warmed up’ towards the end and revealing, to my surprise, that I’d actually been talking for 12 whole minutes (auditions are normally eight).
As I leave the studio, the next auditionee is preparing for her moment in the spotlight, presenting a range of tea sets. Unlike mine, there is a huge amount riding on this audition – this is her own business and a real audition – and I wish her well before leave, feeling proud that I've conquered my nerves passed the QVC guest test.
Watch my audition here:
5 things I've learnt about giving a presentation
1. Smile. People will warm to you a lot more quickly than if you're just standing there looking terrified.
2. Fake your confidence. 'Fake it til you make it' is a well-known phrase, but with confidence, it's often true that by acting the part you eventually start to feel it. Think of the most confident person you know and imagine how they would act in the scenario.
3. Have props. If you're giving a presentation, then having something to show your audience - whether it's a product or a PowerPoint presentation - will help focus your mind and, at the very least, give you something to do with your jittery hands.
4. Be human. During my presentation, I was encouraged to talk about how the bags would fit into my lifestyle or wardrobe. Introducing this human, narrative element into a presentation makes it much more interesting for listeners.
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5. Don't beat yourself up if it goes wrong. Although when I received the video of my audition I cringed for the full 12 minutes while watching it, there's absolutely no point dwelling on your supposed 'mistakes'. Seriously it's a bigger deal to you than anyone else!
(Images: Good Housekeeping)
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