As we continue to hear the buzz word “stories,” it seems to me that people are talking more, but not necessarily being all that interesting.  Every movie is edited.  Every book is edited (usually multiple times).  Highlights are watched more than actual games.  Top 10 lists are the vogue, not Top 100 lists.  Stand-up comics start with a good 10 minutes, not a 90-minute HBO special.

The cardinal sin in radio is wasting people’s time.  And from a coaching standpoint, believe this:  if you can’t do a short break, you can’t do a long break.  Most people tend to wander around, stagger into “related” thoughts that can easily take us off the main road into the forest somewhere, and instead of taking the First Exit – the first place where there’s a “reveal” of some sort or where the subject resolves – they keep trying to top themselves or fire more bullets into a dead body.

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Here’s how you jump start (or reignite) your creativity:  Do something tomorrow that you haven’t done before.

I say this a lot to talents who are “pleasant” but not really creating anything memorable on their shows.  And I don’t really care what that “something” is.  The point is to go where you haven’t gone before; to add another arrow to your quiver.

The reply is usually “Like what?”

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No doubt about it, voice-tracking isn’t going away anytime soon.  But it sure makes people lazy.  However, there’s no reason why a voice-tracked Music Radio show can’t sound like it’s live.

But what happens often is that a jock sits down and thinks “I’ve got to fill 28 breaks” (or whatever the number is) and plows through them as fast as possible.

So here’s a tried-and-true method for voice-tracking that makes it pretty easy to still do a viable show:

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We all fall into habits, and one I’ve heard a LOT recently is an air talent rattling off the “basics” (name of the station, artist, maybe the song title, the time), then saying his or her name LAST as you “gird your loins” (or gather yourself) to do Content.

The problem with this (besides being lazy) is that the listener learns to recognize this on a subconscious level, so you’re – by definition – NOT doing the unexpected.

Look, we can have a conversation that flows naturally, or we can serve up an agenda of a habitual group of words.  This choice is crucial.

And if it sounds in any way like you’re just in “autopilot” mode at the beginning of a break, that sameness from break to break does the opposite of piquing someone’s interest in what follows.

There’s a deeper view of this, too.  Except for saying the name of the station the first thing out of your mouth (which I believe is essential – that “branding” thing), all the other elements should vary from break to break.  Sameness breeds boredom.  Mixing things up just a bit makes what you’re saying be more readily received by the listener (on an unconscious level) as NEW information.  It’s science, and it’s the way God made us.

So get off your duff and work at this; it will actually make a difference.  Radio is doing a great job right now of holding a gun to its head and saying “Stand back or I’ll shoot.”

We need every little advantage we can get.

Most air talents assume that if you’re on the air, you must have a good voice.  But in reality, about half the people on the air in every format I hear have taken that for granted, and stunted their growth.

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some pretty impressive voice actors that you hear on national commercials, station Imaging, and movie trailers every day.  And universally, the ones who are the most successful have really studied what makes them unique, and how to fully use the vocal tools at hand.

Here’s what I mean…

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