In Afghanistan, I had to do plenty of local and regional TV spots. The public, the politicians and elites had to hear from the Coalition on a regular basis in the tumultuous times we were in.
It goes without saying – EVERY time I went on camera, we had a purpose. We were trying to achieve something supportive of the mission.
I knew what to say. I had a firm grasp of the talking points, I felt comfortable conveying them humbly and convincingly.
It was easy to get tied up in the minutia. It was easy to grapple over exactly each word I should use. Sometimes we would tire over the camera angles. Often we would worry too much about how I was standing, where I was looking and the tone of voice I would use.
We spent too much time on this because we already knew how to do it right. Our stress and over-attention detracted from getting the job done well.
One day our lead civilian sent me this link (NSFW). He reminded me – we are good, we know what to do and say. Sometimes, you just gotta go live.
Under the watchful eye of our premier section leader, Sgt. 1st Class Deb Richardson, we went live. If I screwed it up, she’d let me know and we’d do better next time.
As a quick warm-up, and sometimes for the record, Deb would throw a cell phone in my face and start asking questions: “Will the Coalition leave?” “What about civilian casualties?” “Who do you support for the next election?”
I would answer any question with ease. What were we worried about? After the prep, I’d exclaim, “F*^ It, we’ll do it live!” Everyone knew what that meant.
This is an analogy for all you do. When you’re confident in what you’re doing, just do it. Go live.
Now go and do likewise.
Photo by Sgt. Mackenzie Carter
