The goal was to write more often about my journey in the live streaming world. My lack of writing came from a sense of overwhelm. Now that I’ve surfaced for air, I want to share more of my experiences.

Back in my early 20s, I worked at an ABC affiliate station doing live news broadcasts. This included the nightly news, local sportscasts, and prerecorded shows using a live format. This type of work was invigorating for many, but I felt stressed.

To avoid the stress, I took as many production jobs as I could get. These allowed for multiple takes until we were satisfied with the results. Stress was only involved during those sporadic 16-hour days.

No Stress in Live Streaming

I originally thought the live streaming shows would be as stressful as broadcast television. But it wasn’t. The difference might be in the audience’s expectations. Everyone knows that something technical will go wrong or pop up unexpectedly. It’s a given.

You learn to react with speed and roll with the punches. No one cares about the glitch that happened.

At first, I couldn’t understand why. Then it dawned on me. The audience is more interested in authenticity than polish.

Broadcasters vs. Streamers

When little glitches happen in real life, everyone sees it as a moment based on the human condition. But when they watch a television broadcast, the expectation is that the news is planned and the anchors are polished. Any deviation suggests inauthenticity.

When an amateur streams a live show, glitches are expected. If the show is too glitch free, then the audience becomes uncomfortable. A glitched environment allows the viewer to believe they actually know the on-camera personality.

Streamers are expected to be authentic. Most speak from their passionate heart. Their conversational approach is all about a personal connection with their viewers. This is something broadcasters can’t do, or choose not to do.

Interactivity

To improve our connections with the audience, we allow for questions and comments during our live show. When a question is asked that might help others, we address it live during the show. In other words, the audience’s interactivity, to some extent, can alter the direction of the show based on their needs.

This makes the show feel like it’s a two-way conversation. The show’s host must stay on their toes to keep on topic. But if they fail, it’s okay—since failure means the conversation lands exactly where the audience wants it.

Hmm, then is that really failure?

It is certainly not the type of failure associated with stress. This new medium causes failure to endear you more closely with your audience. And, when your show seamlessly exceeds, the audience feels grateful for your shared knowledge.

Check Us Out

Come join me during one of the live shows I host/co-host. Feel free to write comments and questions. We’ll do our best to answer all live questions within the show.

Brown Bag’n It
Tuesdays at Noon Central Time on YouTube

(~45-minutes in length) We feature sand interview an expert in various areas of life. The topic is always centered around leadership and/or communication. The show also has an educational segment for youth developing leadership skills. The hosts are me, Christine Crow, and Marty Jalove.

Just 2 Dads Talking
Sundays at 3:00pm Central Time on YouTube

(~35-minutes in length) Lamont Boyd and I chat about common topics that dads, single dads, and granddads face. Our topics encourage and inspire dads with confidence when addressing those awkward situations with their kids, spouses, and other family members.

CJ’s Corner
Saturdays at 8:30am Central Time on YouTube

(~20-minutes in length) It helps you craft stories that captivate, engage, and influence your audience. The topics range from work to family to community related issues. Past topics have included how to create video memoirs, designing a room based on story, presenting memorable ideas in a business meeting.

I’ll look, forward to connecting with you live online!