I met Susanna Baddiel last Spring at the launch party for Veronica and David James’ (wonderful) book “Going Gypsy” and was taken with Susanna’s lovely English accent and her warmth.
As we chatted, I discovered that Susanna is a Shakespearean actor who teaches ‘personal impact training’ and helps people to become more ‘dynamic’ and more ‘focused communicators’. She might help, for example, people who are going to be interviewed for the first time on the radio or television or people who are, God forbid, taking a crack at ‘public speaking’.
At the time, I had no inkling that within the year I’d be planning to be pitching a television show. (I’m putting ‘pitching’ in the category of ‘public speaking’ even though my public may be showing up only one at a time.)
And so, being on the verge of pitching, I emailed Susanna. She happens to be abroad these days so we set up a time to Skype.
Susanna is like a combination smart and funny best friend crossed with a fairy godmother. She’s businesslike and time-efficient in sharing her wealth of knowledge and tips and then she turns into a gentle and fun coach.
My favorite exercise was that she had me pitching ‘as if’ to a seven year old. It's great because with that audience in mind, I get less inhibited and a lot more fun.
I'm sorry that I can't post a whole video of me pitching cause I'd love to show you my pitch and get your feedback. The thing is, I've got to keep it under wraps so that when I actually get into a room, the pitch is still fresh.
Meanwhile, here's a late Valentine's Day present from me to you if you scroll down a little and click the Like button ... \o/
