In well over 20 years of coaching so far, I’ve worked with a lot of incredibly good air talents – some to refresh and regroup so they can STAY great; others to simply help them grow even more.

The flip side of that is working with people in the earliest stages of their careers.  And it seems like the “newbies” all start with the same question, “What’s the secret?”

Here it is: be WORTH listening to.  Whatever your subject matter is, whatever you say has to make some sort of impact.  Not necessarily big, huge, dramatic impact.  Simply being perceived as someone who’s actually talking to me, rather than just “a voice saying words.”

That sounds easy, but it’s a daunting task for a young talent.  It’s not about your voice.  It’s not about being “funny,” per se.  It’s just about being PRESENT, in THIS moment, every time the mic opens.  Every… single… time.

The minute you turn in a half-hearted effort, you deserve to lose listeners.