What *Queer Eye* Can Teach You About The Media
1. Show your passion.
The Queer Eye Boys are into what they do. You can tell. Their
show has such a different feeling than the spin-off *Queer Eye
for the Straight Girl* which lacks chemistry and authenticity.
The synergy between the hosts and guests comes through when you
connect to the host and audience through your passion. Things
come alive. I hate that saying, *If you can't be sincere, fake
it until you can.* That's such a cop out.
It's like all this new veneered furniture with one thin layer of
real wood masking pressboard or plywood. Yuk. Are you telling me
you can't tell the difference between what is solid and what is
fake? In *The Practician's Manual of Legerdemain* Ottawa Keyes
says, *When it comes to the requirements for pleasing an
audience, all the knowledge and instruction and apparatus in the
world is worth less than one ounce of soul.* Ain't it so?
2. Be cheeky.
When Carson, the head Queer Eye guy says, *Is it hot in here or
is it just you?* and then almost licks some shirtless hottie
blond boy we're right there with him. Yup, temperatures are
rising. He makes us laugh and sweat at the same time. Loosen up
a little and see what happens. Be playful. Say something a bit
dangerous. Or better yet, DO something dangerous.
3. Give good tips.
After each segment the boys give their take-home tips. These are
little gems that help you remember to properly tame your
tangles, manage your manners, or bolt your belt at just the
right angle. Provide your audience with saucy soundbites that
linger so they can keep enjoying you. Give them solid ideas that
they can implement asap. I've come to think that it's not the
big idea but the minutiae that is most important. Take your
ideas down to the smallest level of detail so they are easy for
people to implement.
4. Show tangible visible results.
Visible transformations make audiences swoon. Can you do a
before and after? In one show the *boys* helped a balding man
who was married to his toupee give it up. His wife and his kids
hadn't seen his head without the fake hair for many years. His
willingness to finally be *seen* was dramatic. His
transformation was both inner and outer. These kinds of
transformations keep audiences spellbound. Think about how you
can devise one for a show you want to be on.
5. Have fun.
What makes Queer Eye so great is that everyone has such a grand
time. What good is all the publicity in the world if you dread
it? M. Scott Peck says *The truth is that our finest moments are
most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable,
unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments,
propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of
our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer
answers.* If you can let go of the outcome (no matter how
important--because those are the hardest ones to let go of), you
will free yourself to have a good time, anytime, anywhere, with
anyone. What could be better?