It’s no secrete that finding longevity in broadcasting takes work and perseverance. Yet, there are steps you can take to make sure that you continually improve as your career progresses. In my view, there are three steps to improving your broadcasting game, whether your are brand new to the business or just finding some footing in your career.

1. Constantly review your work. This may be the most critical step in self-improvement. You have to be willing to put in the time to listen to your tapes with a critical ear. When you are in the moment during a broadcast, the last thing you are thinking about is technique. Listening to your work will many times be an eye-opening experience. You may feel that you had a great broadcast only to realize upon review that it wasn’t quite as clean as you thought it was. There is no better way to gauge your progress than to frequently review your performance. It can be a tough thing to do at times, especially after a rough broadcast, but it is well wort the effort.
2. Identify your weaknesses. This dovetails off of the first step. As you review your work, always look for areas that need improvement. Write down two or three elements that you would like to improve upon. Moving forward, tackle them individually. For instance if you identify that you would like to improve your pacing, diversify your vocabulary and work on voice inflection, address them individually. Work on your pacing. When you feel comfortable with that, move on to vocabulary, and so on. You will have a greater chance of being successful with the changes if you don’t overwhelm yourself with all of them at once.
3. Listen to your peers. Believe it or not, you can always learn something from your colleagues. Take some time to listen to other announcers to see how they approach their broadcasts. You may find some things that you like and could incorporate into your presentation. I made it a habit of frequently listening to other announcers every chance I could. Don’t let your ego keep you from admitting that someone else may have a better way of doing things. You can always learn something new regardless of how long you have been in the business.