gsport is always looking at new ways to empower and up-skill women in media. A recent Masterclass did just this. In the digital age that we live in it is of utmost importance to know how to use social media to not only share a message but also to allow other women to gain new experiences in the different facets of online media. Like hosting a live session on IG and Twitter.
The #PowerOfRecognition series is about empowering former winners and finalists to earn money while doing stuff for gsport to promote their campaign. It also allows the gsport newsroom to come out of its shell and start becoming a star on its own.
gsport Founder Kass Naidoo facilitated the Zoom call and shared some wisdom in hosting a successful Twitter Space or IG Live. She says the following points are integral to making sure your hosting goes well.
“It is always important to ask them (who you are hosting for) what they are trying to get out of the session. There is nothing worse than going out into a session and not knowing what the outcome is.
“So if the theme is the #PowerOfRecognition and you know that from gsport, your mind is already racing that in these 30 minutes that I am on Twitter or IG, how can I bring across the #PowerOfRecognition? What would make people want to listen to me? I often find that the first three minutes of this session is where if you don’t have me, I am gone.”
gsport Founder Kass Naidoo on Goal-Setting an Interview
“Generally, in this first three minutes is when you want to set it up, but it all starts from that first brief.”
“You have to be bouncing already when you come into your session. A sense of, ‘I am excited to be here, and I am interviewing amazing people. and I have 30 minutes!’ Ultimately other than being a good host, you want to be a good timekeeper. So if you have three people on your show, you think maybe I have 7-8 minutes per interview, I can ad-lib and ask for interactions from those that are watching or listening, and I will still get out at 7:30.
“You don’t want to keep people on a call too long.”
“You want to get them out at 7:30 and feel like they have left with something amazing and the people you have interviewed feel they have received value from having that visibility on that session”, she added.
Lonwabo Nkohla, who has been a regular host of both Twitter Spaces and IG Live, agrees, saying:
“What is most important is the research, and I use the gsport website a lot for that research. You can search what you are looking to research and you will find all the articles on that person, every milestone.”
SABC Sport Anchor and gsport Senior Writer, Lonwabo Nkohla
“Research will set you apart because, the funny thing is, I don’t think a lot of people research! Maybe people have the spirit of winging it, ‘Because I know Tatjana (Smith) has won a gold, I will ask her about that.’ How research helps you is that you always have something to fall back on. If you lose your train of thought, you can always go back to your research.”
Nkohla also explained how hosting the IG and Twitter Spaces helped her become a better presenter.
“One thing I have learned is never to take these platforms for granted because for me IG Live sets the tone for the work I do on TV today. I remember just after I hosted a session at the Netball World Cup, where I got to interview players because I was pitch-side and interviewed players from the different teams in Cape Town.” Naidoo highlighted how making sure that making sure there are no technical difficulties is paramount ensuring the session goes off without a hitch.
Naidoo brought the session to a close with a reminder about the basics:
“Before you even get on to your call, you need to make sure you have enough data, are you on wifi, and is your signal strong enough? Is there loadshedding in the area, do you need to go somewhere else to host the session? These are things you want to think about, because when someone is listening to you and you are multitasking, you still want good reception. You need to make sure everything is technically sound.”
Photo caption: gsport is always looking at new ways to empower and up-skill women in media. A recent Masterclass did just this. In the digital age that we live in it is of utmost importance to know how to use social media to not only share a message but also to allow other women to gain new experiences in the different facets of online media. Like hosting a live session on IG and Twitter. Photos: Supplied
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