Talking when no one is watching

 Talking when no one is watching

It can be very discouraging to talk on stream when you know nobody is watching. I often struggle with this and work very hard to be conscious of how often I am speaking on stream. You might think “I’ll start talking when someone shows up”, but that mindset can and will hurt you in the long run because you never know when someone will show up. If you aren’t talking, viewers will simply move on. On the other hand, if you are talking and someone happens to stop by your stream, they might relate to what you are saying and might be enticed to respond, giving you the opportunity to chat with them and build a connection. Streaming is undoubtedly a lot more fun when people are chatting.  It gives you something to respond to and build on, rather than always trying to come up with talking points. 

You might start thinking of ideas for community involvement and viewer engagement to build that communication, however, it can be a double edge sword. I have added channel point rewards on my channel where viewers can either interact with me personally with jump scares or hydrate, they can modify a part of the game I’m playing by choosing my weapon or drop location.  I’ve also hosted some jack box games to gain engagement. Although these all sound great and can produce some entertainment, it is almost like playing with fire. You are doing these things hoping people will interact; when they don’t, it’s disheartening.  That is why it is so important to learn to host your stream like no one is watching, and not rely on additional features as you are ultimately the reason people are tuning in. As with everything it is, of course, easier said than done and I am still trying to master this skill. It is so much more rewarding when you put on a great stream regardless of the number of viewers and as we talked about previously it’s something you can control. 

What happens when no one is chatting?

Creating a show/stream that relies on people actively chatting and engaging causes a problem as without participation your show grinds to a halt. This results in a less-than-entertaining stream and more importantly, it can affect your confidence as a streamer and your mental health.  I’ve caught myself and watched other streamers fall into this trap in one way or another, and it is truly heartbreaking to witness. If the streamer has a camera you can see the disappointment on their face and the hurt in their eyes as they realize their hard work to plan this interactive stream didn’t go as anticipated. 

The need to account for a no-viewer or no-chat scenario is very important.  The ability to host your stream without the need for viewer interaction helps you build your personal brand. It helps develop your own cadence and rhythm. You will hone your hosting abilities, maybe by creating your own catchphrase, signature gameplay, or stream style. All of this allows people to get to know you as a person. Many viewers as mentioned will jump from stream to stream searching for the person that catches their attention.  You want to keep talking so that when someone slides into your stream they see some of your personality and are enticed to stick around, chat and get to know a bit more about you. 

Tips for talking

Narrate your thoughts

I am always trying to narrate what I am doing in the game or explain why I am doing something if that is suited for the game.  This is a work in progress as I still struggle with confidence, but the more I do it the more I get comfortable and the better I am at expressing what I am doing.  I suggest using the what, how, and why strategy.  It is essentially talking through your internal thoughts and saying them out loud. This is a great way to keep yourself talking. As an example, when playing Fortnite I might say, I will land at Sleepy sound because it is an area I am familiar with and there is a lot of loot there that I can collect before rotating and trying to gain some high ground and determine my best course of action. 

Other thoughts and Open-ended questions

There are many other ways to keep yourself talking. You can discuss the game, new features being released, and its latest updates, or you can talk about your passions outside of gaming and streaming, or maybe you have a funny anecdote to share about your day. You can also ask open-ended questions but don’t wait for viewers to answer as this could lead to awkward silences, but instead have an answer ready and provide your views and opinions. I suggest planning your streams, so before you go live come up with talking points, questions, or a personal story you can tell viewers. You can even research some news stories or things that are trending to provide you with some inspiration.  I would suggest avoiding subjects like politics and religion as those topics can get messy and are very controversial. 

Ask friends to come in and chat

Another surefire way to keep talking is to ask a couple of close friends to come to hang out in chat and or play a multiplayer game with you while you stream. You won’t have to do as much narrating because the conversation you are having with your friend or friends should keep the flow going. Be mindful, to keep an eye on your chat and ensure you are still engaging with viewers.  You still want to tell stories and ask questions to make sure your viewers or any new potential viewers don’t feel left out. Now your friends might not be gamers but if you feel comfortable, you can still invite them to hang out in chat once in a while, to help keep you accountable. For example, you can come up with a code word and have them type it in chat when you are being too quiet as a sign for you to start talking.  Not only does this remind you to talk but also helps you pinpoint the moments you are being quiet and identify why that is so you can work on it for future streams.

View count

This last point is mentioned in all the streamer help guides and is one I’ve found helpful; turn off your view count. I was always glancing up at my view count and getting distracted.  Knowing your viewer number does not help you to keep talking and if anything it simply plays mind tricks and brings down your mental state. When the number is high you might start talking and be more enthusiastic, but once it goes down, it will deflate you, and you will stop talking, and it will change the mood of your stream because you didn’t get the interaction you were looking for. The simple act of turning off your view count is a great way to trick yourself into talking because you never know if someone is watching. 

Final thoughts

You don’t need to have people active in your chat to effectively host your stream and until you accept this, you are vulnerable to self-doubt and low motivation. This happens because you are measuring your stream success and worth by the number of viewers and interactions and not by how satisfied you are with your performance/stream. 

I’ve had streams where 2 people were chatting, and the conversation was easy, but I’ve also had streams with 10 viewers where no one was talking.  You simply never know how things will go when you hit that go-live button.  You need to have a plan for when engagement is low as this allows for a more entertaining stream but more importantly will stop you from spiraling into self-doubt. 

Remember, streaming is supposed to be fun. Focus on the fact that you are doing something you love so don’t measure your success by how many people are chatting or the number of viewers you have. Instead, have fun and host your stream like no one is watching.