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Since heading to the mission field to serve the
Lord at a Christian radio station in Spain, I regularly take time
to listen to other Christian stations around the world, sometimes
for inspiration, to hear what new music is out there, or just to
feel a connection with home. One air talent I heard was particularly
gifted at crafting each on-air break to sound like a
mini-devotional, always positive, always warm and encouraging. After
just a few breaks, I must admit, I was completely uninspired, and
frankly a little frustrated… and I quickly moved on. The reason?
Because no one is really like that in real life...
Your listener has
real life happening around her at 90 miles an hour, worried about
bad hair days, getting the kids school project to the school in one
piece, why the men’s tribe would EVER willingly give the immunity
idol to the women’s tribe, and getting the house cleaned before the
in laws come on Friday. There are moments in her life that are
reflective, contemplative, and spiritually focused, but not every
moment.
Our shows should reflect this... in other words, portray life in 3
dimensions. Do you have moments of humor, moments of spiritual
focus, moments of being a good neighbor, moments of frustration over
parenting challenges, moments of information? Or does your listener
only hear 1 dimension, like yet another wacky phoner topic, contest
after contest, your continuous “mugging” for your co-hosts laugh,
more ‘cool’ websites, or regular “Max Lucado” reflections? None of
these dimensions are necessarily bad, but are they really what you
want to be remembered by? If that’s primarily what she hears show
after show, then soon that is all you will be to her.
I had a fantastic mentor coach me to always ask
this question at the end of my show (which I now ask you…) “What did
the listener learn about you that she didn’t know yesterday?” It
doesn’t always have to be particularly deep or profound…
simply revealing something like you love chocolate cake, or
you have a fear of heights, is great because this principle works
cumulatively. If you share something about yourself every day,
sometimes light, sometime more personal and deep, at the end of 1
year, even a casual listener will know dozens of things about you,
many of which will be things she shares in common with you. (and
coincidentally, things she doesn’t know about your 1
dimensional competition!)
Think about your spouse for a moment… chances
are, the more you learned about him or her as you dated, the more
you fell in love with them. Work on being 3 dimensional on the air,
revealing a little something about yourself in each show. It will
give her that many more ways to connect in her mind with you, and to
love you and the station all the more.
Matt Stockman currently serves as a radio missionary with OndaPaz
Radio 93.2 FM in Barcelona, Spain, as well as a talent coach and
consultant for stations in the US and Europe. Prior to moving to
Spain, he was morning show host at 106.9 The Light in Asheville, NC,
and was the NRB Personality of the Year in 2008. He can be contacted
at
[email protected].
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