Real-Life Communication
There are lots of situations in a sportscaster's job where good
communication skills come in handy. Many are on live television, so there
is no time to think twice. You need to be able to communicate clearly and
on the spot.
Here are a few examples of needing good communication
skills in this job. What would you do in each situation?
1: You are
in a hurry to get a recap of a hockey game written up for a broadcast that's
happening shortly. The newswire is down, though, and the only source you have
for this game is a newspaper article that was obviously written for diehard
hockey fans. Rewrite the following so that the average hockey fan could understand
it:
1. In the first period, Tommy Stintson pulled off a
Gordie Howe hat trick, roofing the puck and hitting the water bottle; in the
last period he scored a buzzer beater in what was a very memorable game for
the young player.
2. You're figuring out what to talk about on your
late-night show tonight. There was a lot of local sports action today so you're
trying to squeeze it all in. Your boss walks past. She's visibly stressed
and people have warned you she isn't having the best day. She mentions that
amazing breakaway that the Wings, the local hockey team, enjoyed in their
game tonight. You know you don't have footage of this breakaway.
3.
You're doing a live broadcast with the coach of the Marlons, the local baseball
team. It's going well, and you're having a good candid talk with him about
his team's future, their strengths and weaknesses. Suddenly, he gets upset
when you talk about his first baseman's recent streak of errors. He asks if
you've ever played ball or if you're just talking about it without having
the experience.
"Communication skills are the most
important thing," says Paul Haysom, a TV anchor and reporter in British Columbia.
"Whether it's communicating with players, or working with shooters and editors,
if you don't have good communication, then you're not going anywhere." He
adds that you get put on the spot a lot on live TV and must be able to hold
up a conversation.