Shockingly, many, many times over the years, I’ve found that an alarming number of air talents never, or hardly ever, listen to their own shows.

Here’s why it’s important: You need to hear yourself as others hear you. That’s how we improve.

If you simply listen while you’re checking your email, or updating your social media, you’ll subconsciously hear when you sound rushed, or like you don’t really care about something, or if you make grammatical errors that undermine the points you’re trying to make.

Listening to your own show just once a week can and will make a dramatic difference in how sharp you stay, or how quickly you change a weak area.

Radio isn’t dying, but in many cases, it isn’t thinking, either.

It’s so simple, but why do we not hear this all the time?

My reflection (as a listener) is the mental picture that could change the course of your career.

Here’s the deal: As a listener, I want to be able to picture myself in the scene you’re creating or describing. If I do, you and I have connected – the magic word in radio.

If I don’t, well, there are lots of other listening options.

It’s easy to think of radio as a one-way conversation. Hopefully, you get interest, even feedback from listeners, but that’s not how the process begins.

We should start by putting ourselves in the shoes of the listener – and what the likely reaction would be on the other end of the radio; the listene’s end.

Thinking people automatically care about what you’re saying is what makes for lame radio. Sometimes, they don’t. It’s YOUR job to “quality control” what you’re going to do when that mic opens, and to deliver something worth hearing each break you do.

Purpose. A goal. Having one in mind shapes everything that follows.

Sometimes I hear a station that seems to go overboard on trying to be “personality-driven.”

OF COURSE we want to entertain, but the first thought should be about being of service to the listener.

This could simply be in the form of a weather warning, or a traffic update. Keeping people up to date on what matters to them, or what could affect their lives, is our primary responsibility.

Entertain? Sure. Please! But, as much as you can, be of SERVICE to the Listener. If you start there, and keep this simple concept in mind, you’ll be on the right track.

When you MATTER to the Listener, adding other elements to that becomes almost effortless-sounding.

The best air talents are almost always the ones who have a wide, expansive vocabulary – and the ability to select just the right words right NOW, in the moment.

Why do I stress this? Because…

When you know what you want to say, but not how you want to say it, you’ll always use too many words. (And that’s just boring.)

“Maybe you (did this)” also brings in the opposite – “Maybe NOT.” I’ve written about this before. “If you…” doesn’t have a downside. (“If” is the magic word that makes all things seem possible. “Maybe” isn’t.)

But you also don’t want to constantly use “If you…”

There are other options: Continue reading →

This is primarily a team show tip and Talk show tip – but for anyone on the air who has a partner, or interviews a guest.

Whenever another voice overlaps yours… you stop talking.

The worst thing on the listener’s end of the radio is two people (or more) talking at the same time.

So here’s how it works: when the other person interrupts you, STOP … for a moment, then go on. You’ll never talk over each other (or a guest) for more than a word or so, and for a team show, this will lead to getting REALLY well-coordinated – fast.

Note: This is subjective!

It’s said that “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

But I believe that the way to a woman’s heart is through her children.

Men will talk about their kids, but it seems to me that it’s usually to brag about them in some way. However, it’s my experience that a woman will talk about her kids because she wants to share why they’re unique.

Choose wisely the path you take, because it’s easy to just travel down the wrong road and BANG!… the listener tunes out.

Way too often, I hear an air talent send someone to their Facebook page (or some other social media entity). I have to ask, “Why?”

If you’re doing your show on Facebook Live, for instance, that’s fine. Otherwise, don’t SEND them to whatever social media site you follow.

If someone is listening to you on the radio, chances are that even if they are checking their social site, they’re doing that mindlessly. If they’re really engaged with social media, they’re not actually listening to you.

We’re first. RADIO. Radio is BY FAR the biggest “social media” entity. Over 90% of people in the United States listen to the radio EVERY day.

Trying too hard is something that every good air talent goes through. Getting past it takes a bit of self-realization.

Looking at it in acting terms (because we are all voice actors to a degree), “reaching out” to the camera (the viewer) is the wrong perspective.

Let the camera (or in our case, the Listener) reach out to you. Overperforming is a drag. When you “reach,” it’s exaggerated.

Just settle down. Simply be there and be what you are, and let the Listener reach out to you.