Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Tip #172 – Learn From Mike Nichols, Part 3

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In his last interview, the great director, actor, and comedian Mike Nichols really opened the door to what fueled his process.

I’ve talked about a couple of his concepts in the last two tips, but this one may be the most important one when it comes to understanding what really creates a distinguishable and memorable presence on the air:

Your show, like a movie or play, isn’t totally real life. It’s a VERSION of real life.  And your persona on the air isn’t totally you.  It’s a VERSION of you.

Don’t really like an artist you play?  I doubt if saying that on the air will endear you to the listener who adores that artist.

Reading something for the 50th time this week?  Make it sound like you just thought of it, and you have a real INTEREST in it.

Can’t stand kids?  Well, depending on the format, you may not want to reveal that fact.

My friend and partner John Frost talks about being “transparent” on the air, and I agree, with my version being “Crack your chest open and show us what’s in there.”  BUT, I don’t believe in total transparency.  Some things aren’t useful, or reveal a side of you that may work against trying to win over more listeners.

As I’ve taught this over the years, many times the reaction has been indignant, with something like, “But that’s not me.”

You do get that Tom Hanks isn’t really Forrest Gump, right?  And he’s not the guy in Saving Private Ryan, either.  It’s ACTING.  However, each of those characters IS a version of him.

If you need help creating the most effective version of you, get it.  Every athlete, every actor has a coach… for that very reason.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (iPhone)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2016 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Mason Morning Minute

Who’s Creative?

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“But there’s a difference between having artistic interests and being psychotic.  That’s more than a fine line of differentiation, and I do see that a bit too much.”
~Crispin Glover

Creativity1

I hear so much about creativity, and I see so little of it.

The world seems to be divided into four groups:

  1. Those who think they’re creative and really aren’t.
  2. Those who really are creative.
  3. Those who think they’re not creative.

You can see my point, perhaps.  I believe God blessed everyone with the ability to be creative in some way, and I think many of the people who think they’re creative really aren’t.  They may be good synthesizers, or good connectors, but they don’t really create.  But if you challenge them on it you’ll be surprised at the vehemence of response!

This is the kind of thing you really only admit to yourself in the dark of night when no one else is around.

My experience is that the people who go psycho aren’t the truly creative, but those who think they are but really aren’t.  They’ll go to any length to build an argument about how their creativity is the reason an organization is successful.  They take one crayon from the box and deem that this color is creativity and everything else isn’t.  They’ll pound their square version of creativity into the round hole whatever it takes.  And some of us believe it.

But they’re not the people I really want us to think about.  I’m more interested in the people who think they’re not creative because they don’t understand the universal law.  Everyone is creative in their own area in their own way.  Your color is in the crayon box if you’ll just look for it!

I’ve seen a lot of people who misinterpret what creativity is, and continue to believe they’re not, and because that’s their belief they become what they think.  They can’t be creative because everyone has always told them they weren’t, or held them back from playing around, or simply reinforced their belief system.

You, my friend, are creative.  I don’t know in what way, and I don’t know how, but you are.  God has blessed us all with creativity, not just a chosen few.  If you don’t give up on it, you’ll find your creativity when the opportunity comes along.  As long as you haven’t shut that door.

 

 

Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #327 – Let’s Be Ordinary

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The good thing about being ordinary is that you don’t have to work at it.  Just do the same old thing.  Today’s show is yesterday’s show.  Last year’s promotion is this year’s.

Radio is like a light switch.  Turn it on and something happens.  If that something is what listeners expect, good things can happen.  If it is better than listeners expect then it is no longer ordinary.

switch-dog

I recently walked the halls where no one in the station was listening to the station.  Why should they?  It was ordinary.

Ordinary radio stations are a commodity.  You can take ’em or leave ’em.

“A commodity is a product or a service that no one cared enough about to market.

Marketing creates value, by combining stories, design and care. The product or service is produced in a way that makes engaging with the item better.”
~Seth Godin

If you don’t work hard, if you don’t innovate, if you don’t stretch your own limits the result will be ordinary.   And anyone can do that.

Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Tip #171 – Learn From Mike Nichols, Part 2

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Legendary film and theater director, actor, producer, and comedian Mike Nichols did an interview just before he passed away, sharing many of his unique perspectives on what makes people watch and listen to you.

One of them was this thought:  There are only 3 scenes:  Negotiations, Seductions, and Fights.

For radio purposes, Negotiations – with the listener or with a partner – work if they’re well done.  Events, Contests, etc. need to be worth the listener’s time; that’s what we’re negotiating for.

Our “Seductions” aren’t about sexiness. Our “seduction” is about attracting the listener to you and making him or her want to come back again, or for more time, or more frequently.

And our Fights are really just situational banter.  Unlike a play or movie, we may only have the audience for a few minutes.  So while emotions play a huge part in pulling the listener one step closer, remember that we have to be “friends at the end”.  Nobody goes to a party to see a guy fight with his wife.

If you want to learn more about this, well… just click or call.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (iPhone)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2016 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Mason Morning Minute

The Value Of Never Giving Up

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“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”
~Pele, sort of ok “football” player.

I spent some time at the Oregon coast recently, which brought me to the guy on the skim board, in front of our rental.

He, at least I think it was a he, hard to tell with a wet-suit.  But that’s not the point.

In this shot, it looked like he was trying to become one with the ocean.  He leaned over, studied the water, and then stepped off into the waves.

As much as I’d like to make this a story of overcoming adversity, but it’s not.  Time after time he stepped off and lost the board in the first wave.  Good thing he was wearing a wetsuit.

The remarkable thing to watch was how he never gave up.  Time after time he’d step off, not make it, and do it over.  I found myself really respecting his refusal to give up when I knew many people I know would call him a failure.

The problem with being perfect is that that guy is already taken.  There’s only one perfect person, and I’m ok with that.  For the rest of us, we can only accept it.

So whoever you were out there along the Lincoln City beach, a digital high five from all of the rest of us who understand not giving up and applaud your efforts.

Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #326 – The Love of Learning

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This was Carlos’ first Momentum.  Our 30-minute coaching session began with, “I will do anything to learn and get better.”  Carlos is my new friend.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.”
~Henry Ford

Contrast Carlos’ attitude to the program director that doesn’t show up for the coaching sessions with his air staff and consultant.  Or the morning show deejay that is only willing to repeat bits from his previous station rather than learn what is meaningful in a new format.  Or the boss who keeps stressing he has 20 years of experience, making it all the more obvious to his team that it’s really only one year of experience 20 times.

What did you learn at #cmbmomentum16?

crayon-heart

“Give us content, stories, or any reason to tell all of our friends and the entire world about you.”
~Erin Branham

“When you change everything IN you it will change everything AROUND you.  Your attitude makes all the difference.”
~Clay Scroggins

“Come up with more different ways for them to love you.”
~Paul Jacobs

Here’s an idea!  Take three things you learned at Momentum and implement them right away at your radio station.  That, more than any memo you write or speech you give, will demonstrate that you love learning.

“When do you think most people stop learning?

Is it when we already know how to do something?

Is it when we have some success under our belts?

Is it when we imagine there’s nothing left to learn, no one knows something we don’t, or when we come to believe we know it all?

Whenever it is, it’s too soon, and it’s too bad, because we’ve always got a lot to learn… no matter how much we already know.”
~Mark Beeson

Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Tip #170 – Learn From Mike Nichols, Part 1

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Mike Nichols was one of the most talented people ever.  Grammy Award-winning improv comedian with his partner, Elaine May.  NINE-time Tony winner for directing on Broadway, Academy Award winning Director (The Graduate), and on and on.

One of the plays Nichols directed was Neil Simon’s most brilliant work, “The Odd Couple”.  If you know the play (or the movie), you know that some of the funniest scenes are Oscar Madison’s poker nights, with great character actors playing each part.  But in rehearsal, it wasn’t working.  So Nichols huddled up with the actors and told them, “Lines delivered as ‘punch lines’ don’t work.  It has to sound ACCIDENTAL to work.”

In radio, it’s the same, even when it’s not about being funny.  In something as simple as bringing up a subject, just one sentence – even just one phrase – can make the difference between sounding like you’re just sharing something, as opposed to “presenting” or “announcing” it.  (Or even worse, just reading something.  Eww.)

If you haven’t mastered this “accidental” sound yet (and about 90% of air talents haven’t), get some help.  We’ve all heard enough “heeeerrre comes a punch line!” people on the air.

Radio’s still a great way to make a living, and there’s no time limit.  You can do it ’til you drop dead at the microphone – IF you know what you’re doing.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (iPhone)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2016 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #325 – The Smartest Person in the Room

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A special for Momentum 2016 “Hello Future” #cmbmomentum16

I once accepted an award for being the smartest boy in my high school.  It was one of my finer moments.

Don’t misunderstand.  I didn’t really win the award.  I simply walked up on the stage and accepted it before they had the chance to announce the real winner much to the amusement of my giggle-at-anything classmates.

This week in Orlando our little industry will gather at Disney Really Nifty Resort to learn what we can from really smart guys and gals.  “Learn what we can” is the catch phrase, literally.

What is most familiar is most believable, and the stuff we haven’t yet learned is inevitably unfamiliar.  That tends to make us skeptics.

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
~John Wooden

Confirmation bias is “the tendency to develop a quick belief about a situation and then seek out information that bolsters our beliefs.” Chip and Dan Heath “Decisive. How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work”

In other words, we tend to believe what we already believe.  Today’s political campaigning is dependent on it.

confirmation-bias

Consequently we’re skeptical of people that aren’t like us and tell that us things we’ve never heard before.

This week at Momentum, Michelle Younkman and her team have assembled several smart people that probably aren’t like us and will share things we’ve never heard before.  There’s a chance that we could learn a lot from them.

But we’ll have to admit we don’t know it all.

“…you can’t learn anything when you’re trying to look like the smartest person in the room.”
~Barbara Kingsolver

Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Tip #169 – Listen to Yourself

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In this age of voice-tracking and syndication, I often come across people who never listen to themselves on the air.

In the old days, we had cassettes, usually one for each day of the week.  And I’d take the cassette, and play it in the car as I drove home or ran errands, just listening to the show.  Not to see how “wonderful” I was (I don’t think there was ever a show that seemed perfect to me), but to have an accurate feel for how I – or we, in my team show days – came across on the air, and to pick up on little “crutch” habits or words I used too much.  Maybe I laughed too often as a sort of reflex, for instance.  After HEARING it, I could start working immediately on CORRECTING it.

Okay, cassette days are gone.  But they’ve been replaced with truly incredible technology.  We have computer audio files that we can access remotely, we have devices for our phones or computers to record the show, and there’s simply no excuse anymore for not really knowing how you sound on the air.

If you want to get better, listen to yourself.  At least once a week. PDs often don’t have time to do aircheck sessions much anymore.  And if your station doesn’t use a Talent Coach, you can get into some nasty habits pretty easily.  (One woman I worked with laughed like a water buffalo being electrocuted.  But she was totally unaware of it.  Had she EVER bothered to listen to her OWN SHOW, she’d have realized it herself, instead of having to have me tell her about it.  Boy, was that session not fun.)

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (iPhone)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2016 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.