We hear it all the time. “Be yourself on the air.”
Being yourself IS what you want to be, UNLESS your natural “self” is too exuberant for the intimacy of radio.
Loud talkers, for instance. Those jocks that seem to SHOUT everything. Over the course of coaching somewhere around 1700 people, I’ve dealt with a lot of these foghorn types, usually old Top 40 jocks who make “announcements” or “present” things. And they always say the same thing when I point this out: “But that’s just the way I talk.” (Actually, they say “BUT THAT’S JUST THE WAY I TALK.”)
Well if that’s true, you’ll need to change.
To become a great talent, you need to fully understand, master, and be able to control your “instrument” – your voice.
When you SHOUT at me on the air, you’re forgetting that I can hit a button and turn you OFF. And believe me, I will.
If you need to get loud to express excitement or outrage, back off the mic a few inches, even turn your head away from it. That way, I still get the Emotion, but I also still have functioning eardrums.
– – – – – – –
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.