Juliane Nitschke in a Premium Speakers interview
Juliane Nitschke is an experienced TV presenter and journalist with over 15 years of (live) experience. She completed her degree in ‘Multimedia and Communication’ with a specialisation in ‘TV Journalism’ at Ansbach University of Applied Sciences. During her studies, she began a two-year traineeship in Munich and Vienna. In 2013, she also completed a part-time Master’s programme in ‘Journalism and New Media’ at the Vienna University of Applied Sciences with distinction.
Over the course of her career, she has worked for almost all major media groups in Germany and Austria and took over the position of editor-in-chief of a news channel at the age of 29. Her motto ‘Your Story Is My Story’ reflects her ability to tell stories in an exciting way and to captivate the audience emotionally.
In addition to her work as a presenter, she offers coaching and workshops in the areas of presence, interview training and storytelling.
An interview with Juliane Nitschke:
How did you decide to become a presenter and what sparked your interest in this profession?
The colourful world of media has inspired me from an early age and with my passion for television and the knowledge that I can have an impact on people and entertain them with authentic, emotional communication, this love of presenting has grown ever stronger.
Was waren die größten Herausforderungen, denen Sie in Ihrer Karriere als Moderatorin begegnet sind, und wie haben Sie diese überwunden?
I experienced the biggest challenges during my time as a live presenter and live reporter, because you can’t prepare for world events and you always have to rely on the technology. Both can sometimes be very difficult to handle. Having to present live for several hours about a terrorist attack when the news situation is uncertain, having to present a live introduction in the midst of screaming and drunk people with confidence or, for example, reading the new news from the teleprompter as a news presenter, even though it is being played backwards and upside down, makes you a professional.
The best way for me to overcome challenging moments is to be authentic, calm and approachable – to name the problem and involve the audience in the situation so that they feel safe and in good hands despite the ‘unusual situation’.
What qualities and skills do you consider to be the most important to be a successful moderator?
My credo is: I don’t push myself into the limelight, but I don’t shy away from it either in order to give my fellow human beings or customers the necessary stage that their topic requires. In other words, a presenter shouldn’t take themselves too seriously.
I think a good knowledge of human nature, empathy, curiosity and authenticity are very important qualities to be able to communicate successfully with people.
Can you tell us about a particularly memorable or challenging event that you have hosted?
Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 very different moderations that were very memorable on my way to becoming an experienced moderator:
Without any previous experience, I hosted my own graduation ball in front of almost 1,000 people and accompanied them through the night with all the show programme items – and I enjoyed it so much that I just thought to myself: ‘Wow, I want to do that later!’.
The next great success for me was when I was allowed to present the practical final project in the subject ‘TV Studio’ in my bachelor’s degree programme. For the first time, I was now in a TV studio with several cameras and studio guests and had to prove myself – because my moderation performance was graded and had a major influence on my final numerus clausus.
The first live World Cup football programmes with studio guests and match analysis were a challenge for me in my professional life, as I am interested in football but not an expert in this subject area. The preparations were very intensive for me and gave me the confidence I needed to deal with the unpredictable events in the talks with football experts.
How do you prepare for a moderation and what strategies do you use to remain flexible during an event?
The most important thing for me is that I have to ‘feel’ a topic and have a natural interest in it – then everything comes naturally. I have learnt this from my countless shoots (features, reports, interviews): Because no matter how well you prepare for a shoot and visualise the scene, capturing authentic events always turns out differently than you think.
What are the most important trends and developments in the field of moderation and event management that you are currently observing?
Thanks to social media, anyone can become a presenter and communicator – even without media training. As a result, people’s viewing habits and the form of ‘audience feedback’ are constantly changing. Trust plays a decisive role here. As a presenter today, you have to be able to ‘connect’ with your audience and make them trust you.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career as a presenter?
“Don’t take yourself so seriously, but be curious about the world and the issues that move people.”