The real opportunity shouldn’t be your first rep.
We recently provided an on-camera review for a college student-athlete who already had a lot going for her. She spoke naturally, shared meaningful ideas, dressed professionally, and came across as genuine. But our review also identified several things she had never really considered.
At The Flip Side Communications, we provide personalized on-camera coaching for college athletes who want to improve interviews, storytelling, sponsor content, public speaking, and professional communication.
In this athlete’s case, some of the most useful feedback had little to do with what she was saying. Her camera was positioned too low. A noticeable audio hum competed with her voice. Her strongest message was compelling, but she repeated it several times, making the answer longer than it needed to be.
Those details are easy to miss when nobody has taught you to notice them.
Why do college athletes need on-camera coaching?
Athletes spend years practicing their sport. They receive coaching, review performances, make adjustments, and try again.
They usually get far fewer opportunities to practice what happens when someone puts a camera or microphone in front of them.
Yet athletes may suddenly be asked to handle media interviews, NIL or sponsor content, podcasts, award presentations, social videos, internship and job interviews, or public-speaking opportunities. Athletic performance may create the opportunity. Communicating effectively can help determine what happens next.
How is this different from traditional media training?
Traditional media training often focuses on staying on message, preparing for difficult questions, and avoiding mistakes. Those skills have value.
Our goal goes beyond giving athletes safe answers.
We want athletes to communicate their experiences, personalities, and points of view in ways that are clear, authentic, and memorable. On-camera coaching should not turn someone into a spokesperson or teach them to memorize a perfect response. Athletes should still sound like themselves.
Do I really need on-camera coaching?
You do not need to be a star athlete, have a major NIL deal, or expect national television interviews to benefit from practice.
You can also practice by yourself. The difficulty is recognizing your own habits. In our recent review, several of the observations the athlete found most useful involved things she had not noticed herself, including the technical side of her recording.
Your school may provide media training, too. Our coaching is designed to complement that support with individual attention and repeated practice.
The Flip Side Communications team brings together a three-time Emmy-winning former television reporter, a former Fortune 500 communications leader, and a current college student who understands how students communicate today and the opportunities college athletes are navigating.
The problem is that you often don’t know when the important interview, sponsor conversation, internship opportunity, or other moment is coming until it arrives.
We approach improvement much like athletes already do: practice, feedback, adjustment, and another rep.
Learn more about our on-camera training.
The real opportunity shouldn’t be your first rep.