Trey Pennington

Monday, September 04, 2006

How to influence others (1)

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Make your point on the radio: How to be a memorable talk show guest

Talk radio is fun! You can be a star (at least for a little while). Don’t let an opportunity to be heard on-the-air pass you by. Here are 9 tips that’ll get you ready to be remembered.

1. Make it fun. Even if the radio station calls it a “news program,” it’s still all about entertainment. Relax, have fun, see humor where you can, make it entertaining for the audience and the host will love you too.

2. Listen. Effective communication requires good listening. Even if you’re the guest, you’ll need to tune in closely to both the host and any audience members who may call in. Intense listening may save the day. There’ll be times when you simply don’t understand what the caller or the host is asking, but if you’ve been listening well all along, you can say something like, “I think what I hear you asking is…[fill in the blank with a common question folks normally ask you about your topic and then answer that question].” As long as your restatement of the question and your answer are in the ballpark and informative, the questioner will be satisfied.

3. Shine the spotlight on the host. One famous radio talk show host defines a good caller as someone who makes the host look good. I’m not saying you should be sappy or flaky, however, a few, “That’s a great observation, Ms. Show Host,” or, “I’m glad you brought that up,” or, “You’ve cut right to the heart of the issue, Ms. Show Host, and here are three important principles to remember…” will go a long way to making the host look great.

4. Be memorable. Be brief. Think in terms of the 10-20 word infamous sound bite. For example, “Seatbelts save lives,” or “We can put our town on the map by getting our own minor league baseball team,” or “Time is running out to…” are likely to be replayed, quoted, and printed long after your interview is over.

5. Be prepared. Okay, maybe this should have been number 1, or maybe it just goes without saying. Either way, you should be prepared to answer whatever questions the host or the callers ask you. Most hosts want to make you look good, too, but some may try to “put you on the hot seat” or catch you off good. If you’re prepared, you’ll be more relaxed and you’ll be in a good position to give a solid response. You’re probably doing the interview to promote yourself and build your credibility. Answering the tough questions calmly and thoroughly will position you as a real professional. Anyone can answer the easy questions. Only a professional can handle the tough ones.

6. Roll with the punches. You mother said it; my mother said it; it’s in the universal handbook for life—life’s not fair. Sometimes a host and/or the audience won’t play fair. With emotional intensity they’ll ask you off-topic questions, or take out their frustration on you because someone else in your industry disappointed or mistreated them. No matter what, don’t attack the questioner’s character or dignity. Always attack the problem and not the person. A gentle, “You’ve made a good point, and I share your concern about…and here are a couple of principles we should all keep in mind…” can soothe the questioner, entertain the audience, and let everyone see you for the professional you truly are. As Tom Peters says, “Relish the mess!”

7. Be ready for a long program or for a short one. You never can tell what may happen, especially when you’re part of a live program. You can be sure, though, that the unexpected will happen. One Saturday morning I showed up at a radio station expecting to be on the air for nine minutes. The show host met me in the hallway and said, “Our second guest just cancelled. Can you talk for 18 minutes?” What an opportunity! I took it and began reworking my outline. You can anticipate the unexpected by having both a short program (5-10 minutes) and a long program (up to an hour) and maybe one in between (20-30 minutes).

8. Open with pizzazz. Be bold! Skip the boring pleasantries (everyone already knows you’re honored to be there, it’s a pleasure for you to have the opportunity to be on such a wonderful program, etc. While you care about you, the host and the audience are listening because they care about something other than you. It’s not about you.) Instead, start with a catchy “headline” saying something the audience does care about. The first words out of your mouth need to arrest the attention of the audience and give them a reason to take their hands off the channel changer and their minds on your message.

9. Keep teasing. Commercial breaks are a part of broadcast life. Use them to your advantage by giving the audience a reason to stay tuned in through the break. The studio engineer will usually let the show host know a commercial break is around the corner. That’s your signal to say something like, “Ms. Host, I’ve discovered two simple keys to help sales people keep customers excited over the long run. When we return after the commercial break, I’ll share those two keys with you. Sales people will want to stay tuned to hear more about these two keys…two keys that’ll help them make more money.”

© 2006 trey pennington | south carolina | USA