5 Lessons Learned from The Grammys 2016

1. How to hold your microphone

Have mercy. If another presenter covered their mouth with their mic or held it with two hands, I would have screamed. You hold the mic with one hand, at your chin level, then tilt the mic towards your mouth so it can pick up the sound. Do not cover your mouth or your face! 

What do you do with the other hand? If you do not need it, have it down at your side. If you feel compelled to use it, you must use it above your belly button - the camera is usually zoomed in from your belly button up, so in order for your hands to matter anyway, they should be seen (above the belly button). 

2. How to speak with charisma

Do not just read the teleprompter. Do not just say your introduction. Do not just answer the question. Sound like you care! One of the performance announcers tonight said something to the effect of  “that was a great performance” and completely looked like a deer in headlights! No enthusiasm! Well, she clearly did not care, did not rehearse, or was really nervous and was just reading.

The judges need to know that you are not a robot, but are instead, a real human being. So whatever you say and wherever you say it (i.e. in the interview room, on-stage etc), give it some charisma and enthusiasm…unless you want to put the judges to sleep!

In turn, speak with conviction as well. Taylor Swift’s album of the year acceptance speech, for example…were you not convinced that she really meant what she was saying? Were you not drawn in? That’s what I am talking about - speak with conviction, power, and charisma to really make your point and to captivate the judges!

3. No matter what happens, you keep going.

Adele’s performance had a number of sound issues and hiccups, but could you tell? Did she show it all over her face? Or did she start crying? Did she storm off of the stage? NO! No matter what happens on stage, you keep going! You have to show, at all times, that you are a professional. 

So let’s say you trip on your gown. Or the announcer announces you as someone else. Or the mic is not working during your on-stage question. You keep going and you keep performing. If it is something that can be resolved (like the mic), most likely the director or the producer will have it fixed as quickly as possible…you just keep going and if they make you re-do something, do it without complaint and make it even better!

4. How to lose with grace

Good golly, when Taylor Swift lost…she looked like she won! She was jumping up and down for Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran, now that’s positive! Even if her behavior was rehearsed, it looked so much better than those who scoffed at the others or those who looked like they didn’t even want to be there. 

Even if you do not win, stay focused. You may want to come back next year, your reaction will be caught on tape, and who knows…you could end up in a youtube video or as a meme! Consider this: you did not lose, you instead learned for next time. 

5. Being multi-talented is a good thing

Did anyone see that Johnny Depp can play guitar and can sing…and is now in a band with Alice Cooper? Ok, even if you don’t know these particular names, I’ll tell you that Johnny Depp is known primarily as a major actor. And I know you have heard of being a ‘triple threat’. So yes, go to your voice classes, dance classes, and whatever else classes. The more you can do, the more marketable you can be.

Some of you will be ‘picked up’ from pageantry. You’ll land modeling jobs, acting jobs, etc. The more you can do, the more jobs you can land, and the more money you can make. That’s my point #1. Point #2: being multi-talented or multi-interested means that you will have more to talk about in interview! Think about it: the girl who is multi-talented with have more to talk about, more things to reference, more experiences and stories to mention etc. While I’m not saying that you should overfill your schedule, I AM saying that being multi-talented or having multiple interests will make you much more interesting in the interview room than the girl who has no extracurriculars, hobbies, talents, or interests.