TV presenter Ekaterina Tishkevich knows how to control voice even in force majeure circumstances

Ekaterina Tishkevich urges Belarusians to reveal their potential

The year of the Belarusian woman was marked for the leading “Our News” ONT, head of the department of leading information and analytical programs Ekaterina Tishkevich with the release of the book “50 shades of voice: how to gain strength, charisma and confidence in every word spoken”. The book was published in the publishing house “Belarus”. Its presentation took place in March this year at the XXXIII Minsk International Book Fair. Feedback from the book is colossal: circulation is almost sold out.

- Many years ago, a friend of mine asked me to speak with her. A simple request 13 years later took the form of a book, because this friend was followed by a huge number of people who came to me about the same thing. It was as if a portal had opened. As a result, I was happy to share my knowledge and experience, while I was still studying at the same time. I don’t know everything about it and I’m still improving. My book is the result of the fact that I was engaged in this pedagogical activity for a certain number of years. In addition, I was pushed to the idea of the book by the Chairman of the Union of Writers of Belarus, Director of the publishing house “Belarus” Alexander Karlyukevich, who proposed to think about the publication, which would reveal all the facets of my profession. He kept reminding me of this idea every time we met. A year ago, I finally decided to set a deadline. Divided the way into concrete steps and everything worked out. Four years have passed from idea to implementation. The book wasn't written quickly. They usually say that if you have an idea and you burn it, it is easy to write. I had it flashing and fading because I'm a very busy person. Not only an employee of the beloved ONT TV channel, but also a mother, a wife, and, of course, when you have teenage children who need to be cared for and controlled somewhere, energy and attention are also wasted on this. She wrote it in her free time, which she could devote to herself, for example, during a trip with the whole family on vacation. On the other side of the screen, is the book based on your television experience? Or would it have happened without him?

- I'm sure the TV experience has added weight, expertise. I think without him it would be incomplete. It’s always interesting to know what’s on the other side of the screen. Of course, in the book, among other things, I open a TV backstage that is connected with me personally. For example, one of the subchapters is called "Voice and Force Majeure," where I tell you how I lost my voice between the airwaves. I arrived on the air shift in absolutely normal condition, but I was already beginning to have a covid, as it turned out later. And he hit his vocal cords very hard. Suddenly, between the airwaves, I realize that my voice is missing. By the end of my shift, I was whispering and the next day I was diagnosed with high fever and absolutely unable to talk. Stories such as how we came out of this force majeure, how important it is to work in such stressful moments as a team, shoulder to shoulder, hear each other, and the book is filled. Come out of the shadows – Ekaterina, they say, Belarusians still do not know how to promote themselves and PR, we are inherent in the notorious “sciplasts”, motivational literature so far takes root in us badly ...

- Maybe so, but now I see a very high demand for training in public speaking. I have been actively doing this for the past two years. Such a request has grown, and I am increasingly convinced that Belarusians with our “sciplassy” and “pamyarkoнасnassyu” can be cool professionals, everyone in their field. But, unfortunately, not everyone is able to correctly convey their thoughts, suggestions, their professional value in the workplace they occupy. Sometimes you don’t see great professionals. Communication, voice, speech help people convey their value, which as a result has a good effect on career growth and self-perception of a person in the team.

- We want real human experience. To hear a man and an author who went through trials and was able to overcome not only them, but also himself. In the genre of “50 shades of voice...” – non-fiction with stories of mine and my students. A dynamic and exciting guide to understand what a beautiful and professional voice consists of, what components are included in it. The book, in my opinion, gives a strong motivational kick to self-improvement and self-knowledge. She's always on hand. The voice is our main instrument. With it, we can create positive or negative emotions. Much depends on the intonation, the meaning, the message that we put into our words. All of this can be learned. The book contains many specific tips and exercises on the technique of speech. Everything is very clear and very specific. I consider the phenomenon of voice from all possible angles. Probably tortured the staff of the publishing house “Belarus” with its perfectionism, but I wanted the book to be pleasant to take in hand, so that its design was concise and modern, so that the pages were pleasant to the touch and pleasing to the eye.

I want it to inspire my readers to generate new ideas for tomorrow. I think it is important to create and publish such literature today, when competition in the professional market is growing. If a person’s vocabulary is limited to the words “kringe”, “vaib”, “hype”, “crash”, then what valuable thoughts and messages can he convey to people of different ages and professions? That's the question. You need to work on yourself every day: expand your vocabulary, fill your speech with metaphors and images, read good literature and learn to tell stories. Only then will there be results.

- Have you joined the Belarusian Writers’ Union?

- Not yet. Let the second book come true first.