Transcript excerpt from a TJ Walker live-stream where a broadcaster’s question about handling breaking news is answered. Walker advises practicing on-camera to reduce stress, rehearsing interruptions, recording oneself, and favoring simple, short words over trying to be perfect to improve on-air clarity.
Chapters
Janelle writes in with the following question. TJ I am a broadcaster. I have a little bit of trouble when there's breaking news that comes in. I sometimes forget what to say and then quickly conclude and go on to the next subject. Why do I do that? Well, kennel part of the problem is just being uncomfortable, and that's easily solved by more hours on camera. The more you do it, the easier it is to feel less stress. The the easier it is to think and be completely in the moment as if you were just having a conversation with one friend. Now, it's never exactly like that. When you feel people looking at you, the lights, the camera, there's always a little bit of stress, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. Also, you can rehearse more. I recommend, even for broadcasters, practice having someone interrupt you, hand you something, record yourself just with your cell phone again. No one else is going to see it but you. It doesn't have to be broadcast quality. The other thing that trips people up is this desire to get it just right, to look for the best words. Perfect writing. Don't put pressure on yourself. Try to seek the simplest way of explaining a concept, of giving more helpful information to your viewers. Not about making yourself look smart. It's not about having the perfect vocabulary or even the perfect grammar. Try to just talk using the first words, the shortest words, the simplest words that come to you, and everything will come out easier. Good luck.