It’s not easy being a radio personality. They work in relative isolation far from their listeners. They can’t see or hear them. Most radio studios don’t even have an outside window. The only immediate feedback personalities get on their performance is from those working with them in the studio. If they work alone, there is no feedback in the moment.
Oh, radio personalities get plenty of delayed reaction to
their work, but it often does more harm than good. The phone lines light up or
they don’t. Texts, Tweets, Facebook posts, and emails deliver all kinds of mixed
messages. Some are glowing with praise and love. Others state clearly and
unequivocally, “you suck!” After the show, the confusion continues. An
enthusiastic PD might proclaim he loves a bit the personality hated, usually
without offering specifics about what made it so good. Later, the GM weighs in
saying, “I didn’t get that phone segment you did in the 8 o’clock hour and I
don’t think it was relevant to our listeners.” Problem is the personality thinks
it’s the best thing he did all morning and his followers on Twitter and
Facebook seem to agree. This is the real world of a radio personality where
everyone has an opinion on what they do and the opinions are anything but unanimous.
It’s no wonder even the most successful radio personalities
with consistently high ratings can be very insecure. I’ll never forget a
conversation I had with a personality in Los Angeles 25 years ago. It was
shortly after I began consulting his station. It was our second or third
meeting. We were still in the “getting to know you” stage, sizing each other
up. He had just signed a five-year no cut $850,000 per year contract. A well-deserved
reward for his talk show being number one in its time period. Yet, he seemed as
anxious and insecure as a guy with no ratings or track record of success.
I had to know where his fear was coming from. It was incomprehensible
to me. I asked him if he ever imagined the success he was experiencing. In a
moment of complete candor he told me, “I had no idea I’d ever achieve this kind
of success on the radio. I don’t know how it happened. I don’t really
understand why people listen to me.” So then I asked him how he felt about the
future. He answered, “I’m worried I could lose it all just the way I got it,
without knowing how or why or when it might happen.” Wow! Talk about an
epiphany.
My experience in Los Angeles that day and with hundreds of radio
personalities ever since has made me realize that good coaching is not only hugely
important to a personality’s development, but also vital to their well-being. It’s
not easy being a radio personality.
Every radio personality I’ve ever met wants to get better, no
matter what their level of talent or stage of development. They’re hungry for constructive
feedback and ideas that will help them learn how to be the best they can be. Deep down, every radio personality wants a coach. Here are the things they want and need most from that coach:
·
Someone
who “gets me” and “believes in me.” This is the foundation of a coaching
relationship. The coach must be able to regularly and consistently recognize
and articulate what makes the personality special and appealing to listeners.
Most importantly, he must be able to demonstrate why he believes the
personality will succeed. Nothing inspires and motivates a personality more
than a coach who believes in him and can explain why. Nothing helps a
personality overcome their doubts and fears and set aside all the confusing and
conflicting opinions about their work more than recognizing their own strengths
and fully understanding what makes them appealing to listeners.
·
Someone
“I can trust and respect”. Trust is a function of genuine concern about the
well-being and best interests of the radio personality. It’s about being honest
at all times. Radio personalities can spot BS and manipulation a mile away.
They hate it. There is no relationship without trust. Respect is earned by
demonstrating an ability to help the radio personality recognize, refine, and
more effectively present their
best ideas on the radio. In other words, by helping them acquire the skills and
techniques that will make them better. Trust and respect flow from showing that
you truly care and can help them be the best they can be.
It’s not easy being a radio personality, but a good coach
can make it much less difficult and far more satisfying.
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