Did you know that embracing failure can help you grow your broadcasting career?
Here’s a story to illustrate what I mean.
Recently, I recorded a Facebook Live video. I was super-excited. I had some great content to share. The camera was set up nicely. The lighting was good. Everything was perfect.
So I thought.
When I watched the finished product, the audio and video weren’t synced. I was disappointed. I thought, “Oh, man. I did everything I could to make this good.”
After a few moments, I realized that I certainly wasn’t the first person this happened to. After less than five minutes of research, I found and fixed the problem. I left the botched video on Facebook as an example of growth.
You have to try new things in order to grow
The more I use Facebook Live the better I’ll get. The same is true with things in your sportscasting career.
Many years ago I filled in for Washington State University. Their baseball team came to town to play a weekend set against San Diego State. On the Friday broadcast, I tried to sound like Vin Scully. When I listened to a recording of the broadcast on my drive home, I thought, “Wow, what a dope! You sound like a total moron.”
[Tweet “Fearlessly try new things. Any setbacks will be learning and growth opportunities.”]Vin Scully is great sounding like Vin Scully. I wasn’t. But I learned from that. I tried something,it didn’t work as planned and I changed it. The Saturday and Sunday broadcasts were great.
What might you try doing differently on your next broadcast?
If you’re a sports talk host, maybe instead of scripting your monologue you want to try using bullet points.
Increasing the energy on your play-by-play can feel awkward at first. But if it’s something that you think you need to do, try it out.
If you’re a sports update anchor you might want to experiment with increasing your pacing slightly. Give it a shot. You can always go back to your previous style.
Don’t be afraid of imperfection. The only way you’re going to grow is by trying and tweaking.
Perfection is the enemy of progress.
Fearlessly try new things. Any setbacks will be learning and growth opportunities.
