One thing I've been doing over this weekend, is actually listening back to recordings of my own on-air programs. By listening back to old station 'logs' from previous radio programs, I've realised - I'm getting very sloppy with my vocal presentation. I've been speaking too fast, not articulating clearly enough... these are just some of the things I'd not realised I'd slipped into the unconscious habit of doing.
I know I've grown-out of a speech impediment I had as a child, but still - if I do not concentrate enough, my vocal accentuation tends to get a bit sloppy and slurred. It's all about 'focus', I guess. I appreciate that I can find myself distracted, if I don't keep an eye on the immediacy of what I may be doing mid-program. Part of it may be due to familiarity - being too comfortable with the media, and letting my guard down without realising it.
Presenting radio is always a learning process... even a re-learning.
So - listen back to yourself as much as you can. Be self-critical, but not unrealistic, and always appreciate ways how you can sound more effective during your program. It's a great way to understand your own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to listening to your own presentation - as a listener.
I wish that this was an option for some people in everyday life. Self evaluation of what you have said in a conversation past would make a lot of people realise the effect they actually have on others.
ReplyDeleteGood self-observation, Mal! I think that what the microphone hears is a lot different to what your ear hears through your head and through the air. Just concentrating on articulating the consonants at the beginning and ending of words often improves broadcasting speech 100%. I quickly discovered this after the first time I was interviewed on radio via phone! I sounded like a stuttering duck! However, I found that a little conscious voice lowering and slowing got all the sounds in per word, making the whole thing much more understandable and enjoyable for listeners.
ReplyDeleteThank you - comments muchly appreciated! It's always an ongoing "work-in-progress".
ReplyDeleteMal :)