I will never forget the first time I appeared on television. It was in the fall of 1975- I sound pretty old!- I was 12 years old in junior high school and had won a Fonzie look alike contest from the Happy Days TV show. I had plenty of hair and it was slicked back ‘50s style and my reward was to do the newscast the next day for the whole school of 1200 students.
I had never done anything like that before. They gave me a script and looking at the little video camera in the principal’s office, I did the news. I became a little celebrity in my class that day with people recognizing me as i walked down the hallways. It was my first taste. Now, I am sure it was not very good as I was a shy kid but it was a start for me. Later that year, I ran for student council office and I had to speak in front of the class. Ever since then, everything I have done has involved public speaking and media training at some level.
It is never too early to begin, your kid doesn’t have to win a dress up contest- they can start with a simple video on your phone. But the key is to start speaking as soon as you can so you have maximum room for growth and natural improvement.