Queen of talk has her say
PASSIONATE: ANELE MDODA KNOWS THAT HER CONFIDENCE INTIMIDATES PEOPLE
‘I’m not afraid of my normalness.’
The energy and the passion Anele Mdoda has for her television job are just some of the positive qualities the SABC3 Real Talk presenter projects on her weekly talk show – with viewers loving every conversation she has with her many guests.
She has sent the show’s ratings soaring and is paving the way for another season.
Mdoda says she follows the same recipe as with her radio show on the 947 Breakfast Club, every week day between 6am and 9am: “Just remain true to yourself throughout, and try connect with the audience you are talking to.”
She says in her television show it does happen once in a while that she struggles to connect with the person she is interviewing. But then her energy comes to the rescue.
“I’ve never known myself to be a person who is not energetic. I would shock myself the day I don’t want to do something,” she said, adding that with her interviews she never gives up until she finds a common ground.
“The beauty of the show is that we can interview people who are not famous and still rate quite high.”
She says: “I’m not afraid of my normalness. I find power in the fact that I’m normal.”
Mdoda says her ability to pay attention is her great asset. Listening allows her to know appropriate follow-up questions. “If I didn’t quite listen to you, then my next question will come from those written down on the que cards.”
She is aware that her confidence sometimes daunts people, and she picks up on this quite often. She cites the example of the interview she did recently with a popular rapper.
“I think the time when it was glaring that my confidence intimidated someone was when I interviewed Nasty C. But then again, if I had to jump on stage with him, he would be more confident than me. So, on stage his job would be to make me feel comfortable.
“That is why when he jumps on set with me, my job is to make him feel comfortable. So, I understand the intimidation.”
With the show now on season four, Mdoda says she just hopes it becomes even more current.
“I want it to move more, to flow more. My viewers love the sitdown in-depth interviews, but it’s about striking a balance. Keeping the long ones, but also showing them [the interviewee] in an opinionated way where the viewer would like to see their favourite celebrities talk about things that are current.”
She says while on the previous season, she noticed that her excuse of being tired was just an excuse for not being prepared. She has therefore concluded that proper preparation helps along her energy. And she added that in the coming season she will pay close attention to it. Although she says her energy levels are usually at maximum, the 33-year-old says that going out has recently become a chore she dreads. “Lately I’ve had to work on my fatigue of being out. I’m like: really, another outing? Another function? “The theory in radio and TV is that if you go out and meet a million people, you are going to have a million viewers,” she said. “If I was allowed to go out and not dress up and not have makeup on, I would go out a lot more.”