What I've Learned About Doing TV

I first did CNBC in Q1 of 2012. I can't find my first appearance but I think this was my second. I've learned some general principles and practices that work for me, and they are applicable to most forms of live speaking so I thought I'd list them here.

Before going on air, I typically have three to five data driven points that I think are most applicable to the topic that I have memorized. I assume that only one or two will be applicable or that I will forget several of them. I term this the "loss factor." I also typically allow myself to memorize rough numbers and cite them as such; for example, "the company did around $100 million last quarter" is adequate and makes the point. No need to memorize $104,345,781.

Try to avoid general and unconvincing statements. For examples, saying something like "well Facebook is so big and has huge lock in with its users so they will have a great quarter" or "mobile is huge and where everything is going" shows a lack of homework. Find a unique nugget of data or insight from your work or business than can be applied to the topic.

By the way, having notes is absolutely fine.

I try to make my points in plain language in one or two sentences. This allows for conversation. Less really is more and tends to mirror how people talk in the real world. People don't speak in 2 minute chunks.

It can be challenging to move on when you've garbled your sentence or tripped over your words; however, time moves very slowly when you are on television, a bit like the Matrix. When you watch a replay of your appearance, you will see that as long as you move on it's fine. For example, if you correct yourself in realtime after a misstatement like "about 50 users, I mean 50% of users," it sounds completely natural. That's just how people talk. Also if you get asked a hard question, taking two seconds, which feels like a very long time, is also ok to formulate a response or you can also always say you don't know.

Admit when you are wrong. If you say something and someone else argues a point that you think is reasonable, just say "yeah that's a fair point." There is no need to fight for the sake of fighting. However, on the other side, if you completely disagree with someone and have data and experience to support it, say it.

Homework is really the key to all this. And you should always being doing homework, such as constantly reading everything on your industry, and its main companies, as if it was a sport you were obsessed with. This way you will always have a high level of background information to build on as you approach the news of the day.

This study gives you the data to make precise points and deemphasizes any small mistakes such as garbling a few words here or there. It's a bit like taking a test and as long as you're prepared, it'll show in your commentary and you will be more relaxed, and enjoying it, which always come across.