Talking

Early in your broadcasting career, it’s likely you’ll fall into the trap ofwanting to speak as much as possible and fill every silence withwords. It’s particularly difficult to avoid if you work with a cocommentator,too, as you’re always waiting for your turn, but if youwant to be a top commentator, you’ll learn that dead air is one ofthe most powerful tools you can use.There are a few different ways of using dead air, but first let meexplain what it is, even though it may seem obvious.Dead air is a choice. You decide when not to speak during thebroadcast. It isn’t something that can be taught directly, but if youunderstand some of the times it canbe useful, you’ll soon figure outwhen to use it for your specificgame. Simply put, it’s the time duringa match in which you consciouslydecide not to speak about anything.Obviously if there are a ton of thingsgoing on during the match and yousuddenly decide to stop talking,that’s going to be super awkward -the decision when to use dead air iscritical to its success.There will be times in almost every game or match when a lull occurs.It is during these times that you can use some dead air to helpreset the commentary, start on a different track of thought or beginto build up hype for the next play you believe is just around thecorner.45