In the past 3 years of working in the Radio industry, one of my jobs has been teaching students how to get started in Radio. This would often mean giving people their first experience of being in a Radio studio environment, which can be a strange mix of being excited AND frightened at the same time.
The first time I was taken in to the studios of Radio Clyde on a Bauer Academy course, I sat in front of the microphone and zero noise came from my mouth. I was frozen with fear, which is strange because I normally love the sound of my own voice!
This was an experience that I was able to use to relate to the students I was coaching on how to use their voice to their best abilities as a Radio presenter.
When you’re presenting a radio show, there are many things that can run through your head. You might feel a need to “perform” and act like someone you’re not (BE AUTHENTIC). Other times, you might become nervous if you think there are lots of people listening to you at any given time but the one thing that I personally use to get around this fear is a technique called “narrowcasting”.
Narrowcasting is based around the idea that you’re talking to just ONE person. This might give the listener a better connection to you & it’s a technique that I’ve heard be put to good use on national platforms because the audience feels like they already know you and they might be experiencing whatever you’re speaking about.
For some, Narrowcasting doesn’t work – It’s down to you to make the decision about whether it’s for you.