Talking

Using the same words over and over - Another problem that comesup a lot, especially for non-native speakers, and not only for newcommentators. The easiest way to get over this is to get a dictionaryand a thesaurus (or use the online ones!). Write down the mostcommon words you use for explaining things. Once you have a listof five to ten words, check them in a thesaurus and find some alternativewords that can be used instead. Write ten words down thatmean the same thing on a piece of paper and stick it to your monitorfor your next game. Challenge yourself to use as many of themas possible. When you’re comfortable with all the words, changethe note and add ten new ones (and so on)You also need to be having fun. So go ahead, let your hair down andhave some fun with the game, but remember to remain respectfulof the players and teams competing - it’s an important match tothem, even if you don’t think so.Likewise, interact with the people tuning in via chat or other messagingsystems, wherever your listeners are (via webcam chat, forexample). It probably doesn’t mean your cast would be bad if youdidn’t, but it really adds to the value of the commentary when youcan include people’s names from a chat window - people love nothingmore than to hear their name mentioned.Got an opinion on something? Share it with your audience and encouragethem to debate it in between the games - it really doeshelp the quality of the cast for everyone, including yourself. Don’tbe afraid of being controversial, but avoid being controversial forthe sake of it - you will soon get found out as a fraud.18