So, I got kind of fixated on Neil Everett for a while. You know, the guy from SportsCenter? Yeah, him. It wasn’t like, a fan thing, really. It started when I had this presentation coming up at work, and man, I was dreading it. I’m not great at public speaking, always felt stiff.
Watching the Pro
I started watching SportsCenter pretty regularly, specifically focusing on Everett. Not just watching, but like, studying him. I’d record bits, rewind, watch how he handled transitions, how he’d drop a little joke without missing a beat. It looked so damn easy on TV.
Here’s what I did, practically:
- I listed out things he did: the casual lean, the way he interacted with Stan Verrett, the timing of his pauses.
- I tried reading news headlines out loud, trying to mimic that relaxed, conversational style. Felt ridiculous at first.
- I paid attention to how he handled mistakes or unexpected moments on air. He just rolls with it. That seemed key.
Trying it Myself
So, I took my notes and tried applying them. Not the jokes, really, I’m not that guy. But the pacing, trying to sound less like I was reading a script. I practiced my work presentation in front of a mirror, trying to channel even a little bit of that Everett coolness. It was harder than it looked. Way harder.
The tough part was making it seem natural. When I tried to be ‘casual’ like him, I just felt awkward. It’s like his personality is baked into his delivery. You can’t just copy-paste that. It made me realize how much skill goes into making something look effortless.
What Came Out Of It
Did I suddenly become some super smooth presenter? Nah, not really. But the whole exercise wasn’t useless. It made me more aware of my own delivery. I stopped trying to be someone else and focused more on just being a bit more relaxed, a bit more myself, while still being prepared.
It’s funny, I started doing this because of a work thing, but it ended up being more of a lesson in authenticity. Everett’s good because he seems like himself. Trying to be him just made me a poor imitation. So, yeah. Watched a lot of sports highlights, didn’t become Neil Everett, but maybe got slightly less terrible at talking in front of people. That’s something, right?
