Everyone should want to be really good at what they do. Really, really good.

But not everyone knows how to get there. Let me make it simple for you:

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It seems like I’ve had to explain countless times over the years why questions – especially little rhetorical questions, like “Right?” – are ineffective today.

There was a time – about 25 or 30 years ago – when Questions were in vogue. (The “Where’s the meat?” campaign is a good example. You can look up the ads on YouTube.) It was thought then that Questions produced interest in the product.

But in today’s ten-second-attention-span world, they don’t hold water anymore.

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After hearing a couple of overly long breaks the other day on a music station I work with, this came up in the next coaching session:

Use fewer words.

In a recent coaching session, a very good air talent I work with had chosen to do a stunningly uninteresting story about sleeping better with something called “cognitive shuffling.” I’d tell you more, but the story itself was a better cure for insomnia.

This happens a lot nowadays. A posting that you think is “interesting,” or that you can think up a funny line for, makes it through your filters and gets on the air. Continue reading →

Collaboration is one thing. Sharing Content can be a whole different thing.

Let me explain…

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There are really only two categories of Content in terms of when you use it. There’s what’s immediate. Needs to be on NOW. Or at least TODAY.

And then there’s “anytime” Content. I’ve heard it called “Rainy day” Content or “Evergreen” Content. My translation: crap that should be thrown into the trash. Continue reading →

The biggest challenge for anyone who’s on the air is the search for Content each day. Often in coaching sessions, I get asked about social media, and what its place is in show prep.

Social media is what it is. There’s an entire generation of people who’ve apparently grown up caring about what complete strangers have to say about them.

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Words are what we do. Crafting what we want to say into a shape that’s relatable and connective is always the challenge. But remember, the words grow from the camera angle.

Example: If my wife and I got into an argument standing in line at the bank, how I see it is one angle, and how she sees it is the most obvious choice for a second camera angle.

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In the last tip, I (again) addressed why your Content should tap into an Emotion. This is basic “What’s my motivation?” acting stuff.

But here’s the deal: Over the years, I’ve had a surprising number of air talents tell me that they don’t really HAVE an Emotion about a given subject.

So here’s another tip:

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A LOT of time is spent in my coaching sessions dwelling on the Emotion behind what the Talent says, rather than what the subject matter is.

Here’s why: Continue reading →