Announcers and Commentators

Entertain, engage, educate and enhance

When you take part in a race, how well does the announcer or commentator engage with you? Do they inform you of where you need to be and what you need to know? Do they educate you about the race and others that are in it? Do they entertain you and enhance the overall experience? Last Saturday I went along to our Road and Cross Country Announcers Course that was held in Sutton Coldfield on the morning of the National Road Relays. The course was delivered by our MD, Geoff Wightman, who is well-known for his commentating at major events such as London Marathon and Great North Run and on television from events around the world. I think everyone was surprised at how much preparation is required and how important it is to say what you say in a particular way.

Budding announcers practicing with Drumstick Lollys

We had 14 on the course, who had various degrees of experience. Geoff spoke first of all about the importance of the job that is "front of house" and he encouraged each delegate to work towards developing a style. For those new to the job he prepared them by talking about some of the most nerve-wracking moments. One of these is as the announcer begins to talk. He warned that people tend to stare but that this only lasts around 30 seconds and then you become "part of the furniture". He talked about the three options you have to cope with it:

Don't look

Make eye contact, smile and begin the process of engaging with the audience

Have a standard 30 second introduction that flows easily off the tongue

After this introduction the course was broken down into sections:

Roles and Responsibilities

The announcer has a responsibility towards:

Spectators - to educate, engage and entertain

Runners - to enhance the competition

The sport - to maintain integrity

Preparation

The announcer needs to:

Know what they need to know about the equipment. Be familiar with the functions that are needed including how to turn the microphone on and off, where to position the microphone if it is constantly on and where to be in relation to the speakers.

Plan -

Music is good but should be used appropriately to suit the mood that runners and spectators need to be in at each stage of the day. It should be easy listening as the runners are arriving at the start of the day and more upbeat and motivational in the last hour before the start of the race.

Information to be given at various stages of the proceedings: pre-event, at the start of the event, during the event and at the awards cermony

Research:

The athletes - their full name (make sure the start list has first name and not just initial), country, personal best, most notable performance and, if possible, something quirky such as 'recently married/had first child, travelled from....', national rankings, course record

The course - topography of the course, the best vantage points for spectators, the location of toilets, changing, photographer, water stations

The timetable - start time, award ceremonies

Sponsors, charities, VIPs

Pronunciations - names and places (write them down phonetically). Remember that English pronunciation of foreign names is acceptable but the announcer needs to be consistent. The announcer should decide how to say it and stick to it.

Accept that, although a lot of time and effort will have gone into the research they shouldn't aim to get all of that information out. Consider how it would sound to the audience!

Delivery

Variation - More than one voice is important. Working alongside another commentator is good but interviews should also be conducted with runners and coaches.

Pitch - There needs to be light and shade. The commentator needs to pick the right moment to get excited.

As well as being given these top tips the budding announcers and commentators were given microphones cunningly disguised as Drumstick Lollipops. They were given scenarios and opportunity to practice introducing the runners at the start, commentating on how the race was progressing mid-way, announcing the winner over the line and onto the podium. From this Matt Ward (Eryri Harriers) and Mick McGeoch (Les Croupiers) were selected to commentate live at the National Road Relays in the afternoon. I caught up with them later in the afternoon to hear their thoughts on the course and the experience they had.

It has certainly whet my appetite for more and so I've requested permission to be let loose on the microphone at the Stockport 10 on 12th December. I'm keeping my eye on the entry list and setting time aside to do a little homework!