What Do You Want The Listeners To Remember About Your Air Talent?

Jocks are actors. They play a role. The listener will have some impression of each. Or they won't. And if they do, it will be positive. Or it won't. My point is, this is something we are much too willing to leave to chance.

If you are an air talent, you really don't want everybody's impression of you to be based on pure chance, do you?

Worse, you don't want them to have no impression of you at all, right? 

Most programmers agree that air talent add an emotional connection to the programming. In some cases they do much more, but all jocks should achieve at least that level of human communication. Or we're just an iPod you can't program.

Here is an exercise I highly recommend that you take each of your jocks through:

1. Spend 5 minutes writing down 5 characteristics (honest, clever, warm, witty, knowledgable...) that you (the jock) would like your listeners to attribute to you. In fact, write down 10. Then think. Think some more. And cut it back to five.

Hint: It would probably be best if these were positive characteristics. So the PD might want to monitor this, but lightly. In fact, there are many positive characteristics. And every jock has individual strengths and weaknesses. When we're done with this step, the air talent will identify 5 characteristics that he/she values and which they can focus on for presentation as part of their public persona. They will focus in on the best of who they are.

2. This step will take just a little longer. For each of the 5 characteristics, write down 5 specific things you do, or can do, on air, that would tend to reinforce that image with the listener. For example, if you value "sounds like the guy next door who ought to be on the radio", you probably could enhance that by delivering content like the weather in a more informal manner, and avoid sounding like a "professional announcer". If you value "knowledgeable", then that weather forecast needs to be well prepared in advance, and probably delivered in a more formal way. Keep going until you have 5 specific actions for each. It is, of course, okay to go for extra credit.

What we're doing here is two things. First, we're adding specifics to what might otherwise be a vague concept. And second, we're reinforcing that truth that everything done on the air sends a message about your personality. If we can be more consistent, and we can have a few emotional goals in mind, we'll become memorable. Every liner, every contest, every listener interaction becomes an opportunity to be an actor, with a defined persona. Consistency, yes. But endless opportunities, all consistent with your "character".

I believe strongly that you can grow as an air talent by taking these simple steps. You are on a stage, and you are playing an emotional role. This exercise will help you focus and refine your skill. I think it will also make it much easier for people to remember you, notice you, appreciate you, and feel a human connection with the radio station.

If you're a programmer, help your air talent give your programming the emotional bonds that the listeners need. Take them through this simple but powerful exercise.

And let me know how it goes.