Last year, Laura, our Digital Media Communications Creative was chosen to be one of the new faces of Avon. Not a stranger to being picked by Avon, Laura represented them in her own digital cover, won a national halloween make up competition and spoke in front of thousands at their January virtual conference. But she wasn’t always this confident. We find out how she prepared and what it felt like to volley through endless media appearance.
What was it like being picked out from the crowd like that?
Emotional! When a piece of work or pleasure gets recognized because of hard work and passion it’s always humbling. However, my self-confidence and presenting skills, were not of the standard they needed to be. Seeing the video back from entering the advert, and then the one from the conference (with lots of BTS footage in tow) I was really proud of the quality of my presenting and training skills.
My passion for Avon will always be at my core. But also, working for Evoke International, and allowing my experience in pioneering the 4th industrial revolution via digital transformation to combine together with Avon, has given me an edge.
You have done a lot of Social Media and Digital Training but how did you prepare yourself for this venture?
I hadn’t had a lot of training in presenting and my confidence was very low. Listening to the way I sound has been met with outbursts of anxiety in my earlier years. I have struggled to ‘sound business-like’. However, as I’m very natural and organic in how I talk, I just needed media training to set me in the right direction and know how to manage various media scenarios. I’ve only recently learnt (and still learning) to mix my social and digital expertise with presenting to give people a better and more engaging experience. Story telling is important and if you can story tell your personality though training that makes it more engaging and interactive.
Evoke International has the incredible asset that is Leah Tedrow, our Managing Director, who at her very core, is a media training expert having served as a Broadcast Journalist in the U.S. military for 11 years. With her on-the-ground knowledge and contemporary curriculum for our clients, I benefited from a one-on-one workshop. From personal tips and tricks, to the technicalities of video camera operation, the use of editing software and the most advanced aspects of strategic communications, I received the cognitive tools to rationalize everything I was doing.
What advice would you give for others who want to benefit from Media Training?
I would say to find someone who is good at what they do and ask them for their personal tips, watch Ted X presenters and subscribe to them and also check out master classes for presenting. I managed to get to where I am from sheer practice and dedication. Even if you are as shy as a mouse, Media Training can bring out your inner peacock and thrive. And, in the due course we will be spotlighting Leah on all things media training so you’ll be getting the best from the best.
Evoke International.
