Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #509: The Dreaded Monotone

Posted on by

Recently, I listened to a morning show host do the News. I’m not a big fan of this, but in this case it’s necessary; a budget issue.

The stories were okay, but because News is so “left brain” informational, it came out in almost a dead monotone. Here’s what I said in our next session:

I know things get busy, and it’s easy to get focused on story count, pronunciations, and time. But you should avoid letting anything keep you from sounding as conversational as possible. If you sound interested in what you’re saying, chances are the listener will be, too.

Obviously, it’s not just reading a News story that can freeze you up. Commercial copy, badly written “liners” (eww) or “announcements” that are written in “print language” instead of how we would actually say it to another human, can easily lead to sounding robotic. That’s not likely to connect with the listener.

I say this all the time: Just TALK to me like you would to your best friend over lunch.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #508: The 3 Questions (REVISED)

Posted on by

Years ago, my first two tips about Content were “The 5 Subjects,” which was about simplifying your show prep, and “The 3 Questions,” a sifting exercise that helps you refine your on-air performance.

“The 5 Subjects” tip was updated last week, and here, in 2023, is an updated edition of the companion piece. (The 3rd question is different from the original. Times change.)

The 3 Questions to ask yourself about your Content choices:

1. Why is it on?
This is about what matters most to the Listener today. Don’t settle for less. If it’s the 20th most important thing on the list of what he or she cares about, toss it. Generic “any day” or “rainy day” Content is lame. Today’s show should be about today.

2. Where are you going with it?
This is about planning an ending. You want to have one, even if taking the “First Exit” means you don’t use it. (That technique is Tip #4 on my website.)

3. What’s the Emotion at its core? (Great storytelling is always about some sort of emotional “reveal”. This is the secret to having a real connection with the Listener.)

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #507: The 5 Subjects (REVISED)

Posted on by

One of the first tips I wrote years ago was a show prep piece called “The 5 Subjects”. Here in 2023, is an updated edition.

The 5 Subjects (a Content guide)

1. Job stuff.
Besides stories that grow out of the workplace, this also includes finances, “the family wallet”, too. The economy affects our choices. But I start this list with the job scenario because all Content is primarily about what you have in common with the Listener.

2. Entertainment.
This is about the Entertainment world as it applies to your Listener. Knowing your listener defines what TV shows, movies, social media posts, etc. you want to talk about.

3. “The Buzz”.
While this can be about the Entertainment world, it’s not always. There’s something today that everyone is really, honestly talking about. If you’re not, you’re irrelevant. (Obviously, not mattering is not a healthy choice. Yet every day, I hear people blathering about stuff no one cares about.)

4. Relationships.
Brother to sister, parent to child, friend to friend, spouse to spouse, us to God. Literally everything is about relationships. Even down to what stores or restaurants you choose.

5. Things that “grow out of the show”.
Every show has some spontaneous ingredient that grows out of the air talent. There’s something unique about you that the listener can connect with. Experiment until you find it, then make it a constant.

You can’t go wrong with these subject headings. They’re assembled from my own career, and hundreds of coaching sessions with great radio talents over many years. This is the most compact guide I could put together to help you each and every day.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #506: Which Camera Angle to Choose

Posted on by

I’ve been talking about “camera angles” for decades, born out of an acting and performing background, and a brilliant teacher I had in college while taking film classes.

The premise is that any story can be told from a variety of camera angles, and standing in another person’s shoes ALWAYS provides a different way to tell that story.

Recently, in a session with a brilliant talent named Tracy Leek, a good example of this came up as she talked about her 15-year-old daughter’s dread of getting her driver’s license. Here’s what I wrote in her session recap:

Her starting to drive offers multiple angles, too:

Parental worry: put as much bulk and metal around her as you can, because a teenager will have an accident.

Peer pressure: other kids in the car can and will distract her.

Other drivers: they don’t know she’s a beginner, and road rage is a constant worry.

Which will you choose? The one that expresses your emotions the best.

Tracy is a top-level talent, and this has become a main building block for her over our years of working together. If you’re not paying attention to this, you’re missing opportunities to connect with the listener.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #505: Show Prep Starts at Home

Posted on by

By far, the thing I get asked about the most in coaching sessions is Show Prep.

First of all, if you use a “prep sheet” service, throw it away. Generic subject matter, getting generic (if any) response is fool’s gold. And unfortunately, it’s rampant. People sitting at the computer trying to choose a subject and somehow “make it matter” is lame and boring.

Here’s what I advise: Show Prep starts at home. Begin with what’s right around you, in your living room, that you share with the Listener. Then spread out from there.

It’s almost comically simple, yet I see people straining for suitable Content every day. Stop “reaching” for things. If you talk about something that I, as a listener, actually CARE about, you’ll do fine. If it’s generic, YOU’RE generic.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #504: A Good Lesson from a Bad Source

Posted on by

This is something to learn, albeit from a bad source. The next time you’re watching TV, turn the sound off. Now just watch the person onscreen.

You’ll be amazed at how much “over the top” acting is evident. Exaggerated facial expressions; flamboyant, overstated physical movements; “surprised” reactions that almost look like you’re watching some ancient silent movie.
(Sports broadcasting is a playground full of stickers, too. Carefully coifed announcers and ex-athletes, stiff as a board up in “the booth” like they were shellacked to the wall.)

Here’s the lesson:
The same thing happens in radio, when people can’t see you, but can hear you. Watch out for verbal overacting. It shows.

The object is to be as natural-sounding as you can. The more you you are, the better you you’ll be.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #503: Your Greatest Hits

Posted on by

After one of my recent tips came out, my associate and friend John Frost sent me an email saying: “When I was at KHTR in St. Louis, I hit a little slump in my on-air performance. My Program Director suggested that I create a “best of” tape and listen to it every day on my way to work. That way, I would have an objective reference point to what I did well, and it would help build my confidence since I was listening to my own work.” The thought was “Yes, I can do this because I’ve done it.”

Great suggestion for anyone, especially if you get little or no coaching.

I would add one other thought: Every 3 or 4 months, just put away a random aircheck of yourself. Then once a year, pluck one out and compare it to your work today.

Invariably, you’ll hear something that you’ve improved on. Doing this regularly will sort of “chart” your progress. It may also surprise you, in that just the WAY you do things has matured. Not just what you do, but how you do it.

And the thought process from that exercise could very well be “Yes, I can still get better – because I’ve done that, too.”

If you’re not moving forward, you’re standing still.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #502: Talk to the Eyes, not the Ears

Posted on by

Konstantin Stanislavski was the father of “method” acting. Practically every actor since Marlon Brando in the 1950s has read and/or studied his writings and techniques.

One of his main tenets is “Talk to the eyes, not the ears.”

It’s all about making things visual. If I can visualize it, I can crawl inside it, emotionally. But if it’s just “ad copy” or doesn’t bother to engage me visually, it just goes by unnoticed. Or it’s noticed, but not in a good way. It’s just noise.

“You can have a family member flown in for Christmas” is sort of generally visual, but “Imagine eating Grandma’s recipe with Grandma…” is very visual. Then, “We’ll fly her in!” adds another visual component.

Think “what does this situation (or this behavior) look like?” and you’ll be on the right track to stand out in the sea of disc jockeys reading crap off a computer screen.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #501: Givers and Takers

Posted on by

Recently, my brilliant friend and associate John Frost wrote a column that struck gold. While he was specifically addressing Contemporary Christian Music stations, I believe his points resonate with every format. Here’s part of what John said:

When you think about the people that have had the greatest influence on your life, I reckon you’d say they were GIVERS.

I wonder, then, why so many Christian radio stations are perceived to be TAKERS, always asking their listeners to give them something. In fact, there are some managers or staff whose voice is not heard on the air unless they have their hand out.

This is one example of why John is a great Consultant, particularly skilled in foundational “big picture” Strategy.
But I’m a talent coach, and I drill deeply into exactly how to express Strategy on the air.

Here’s what I sent to John after reading his tip:

My thought would be that the language of the station should be considered in everything we do. Is it an invitation or an order? Do you want my input (as a caller), or do you just want me to do your show for you? Is the Imaging just about the station, or is it about us (as listeners) too?

This is all part of getting to the complete thought, instead of settling for an incomplete one.

Sadly, the incomplete thought is where most stations reside. In my on-air and Programming career, whenever I worked against a station that didn’t really even consider a strategy like John wrote about, I just thought of them as ‘dead men walking’. EVERYTHING you do on the air should be born out of a solid Strategy. If it isn’t, why are you doing it?

And if you don’t know how to put your strategy on the air (hint: it’s not more liners saying “the best of the 80s, 90s, and today”), you need some help.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #500: The Rhetorical Question Rears its Ugly Head Again

Posted on by

Like Dracula, Godzilla, and Freddie Krueger, the rhetorical question disease is popping up again. My crusade to kill off weak, obsequious questions and make stronger, more revealing statements, has apparently faltered. I could give up. But…no.

Quick review…
It’s all about putting things in Statement form. Example: Saying “Here’s how to win” instead of asking “Want to know how to win?” like I’m some parrot that has to answer you. Just tell me what you want me to know.

Here are a few of what I feel are the likely answers to the questions we all get asked:

Would you like to win a new car?
No. I just love roller skating to work in the rain.

Do you want to play our morning madness trivia game?
No, I don’t want Siri to think I’m that stupid.

Would you follow us on Facebook?
No. I’ve only heard you for three minutes. At this point, I’d actually rather hit myself in the face with a book.

In summary:
Why do people ask rhetorical questions?
And do they expect an answer?
Can you guess how I feel about them?

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.