7-30-2012
By Angela Perelli
SPOILER ALERT: The #6 habit in Jeff Haden's "Inc." magazine article is to "get over yourself." That gem and five other tips on how to succeed in business are good reminders for all of us, and especially relevant for morning show personalities, who by nature of their job, should be interesting and memorable.
Here are the points from his article with my comments on how to relate them to radio. Read the original article here.
1. Don't see. Do.
"What you say isn't interesting; what you do is interesting. Spend your life doing instead of watching. Cool things will happen. Cool things are a lot more interesting and a lot more memorable."
In morning radio, some of your show will be about pop culture and topical news stories, and you do need to be informed. Yet, you have to be more than an entertainment correspondent. You have to have stories, and stories happen when you do stuff.
2. Do something unusual.
Personal stories don't come from going to work, going to the gym, doing a little show prep, and then watching TV. Stories come from living life with passion and with curiosity.
"Draw a circle and put all your 'stuff' in it. Your circle will look a lot like everyone else's: Everyone works, everyone has a family, everyone has homes and cars and clothes...."
"We like to think we're unique, but roughly speaking we're all the same, and similar isn't memorable."
"So occasionally do something different. Backpack to the next town just to see how many people stop to offer you a ride. Compete with your daughter to see who can swim the most laps in three hours. Or work from a coffee shop one day just to see what you learn about other people... and about yourself.
"Whatever you do, the less productive and sensible it is, the better. Your goal isn't to accomplish something worthwhile; the goal is to collect experiences.
"Experiences, especially unusual experiences, make your life a lot richer and way more interesting. You can even..."
3. Embark on a worthless mission.
"Remember when you were young and followed stupid ideas to their illogical conclusions? Road trips, failing the cinnamon challenge, trying to eat six saltine crackers in one minute without water... you dined out on those stories for years."
"So do something, just once, that adults no longer do."
We call them "quests" -- which give morning shows serial content, drama, viral content, and more. A quest can be a mission to find someone or something...or it can be a personal quest. A timely idea: Think about creating summer "bucket lists" for each show player as a "worthless mission" to create content for the summer ratings period.
4. Embrace a cause.
When we craft your character profile, we look for your endearing qualities as well as your flaws. Endearing qualities can include passion toward a charity. It shows you have compassion and heart.
"People care about -- and remember -- people who care. When you stand for something you stand apart. But..."
5. Let other people spread the word.
"People who brag are not remembered for what they've done; they're remembered for the fact they brag. Do good things and other people will find out. The less you say, the more people remember."
This is trickier for on-air personalities. Some ways around it:
A. Air a call from someone your work has helped. You can be humble and even embarrassed by the attention.
B. Twitter, too, can help by allowing people to thank you publicly without you tooting (or tweeting) your own horn.
C. Keep the focus on the cause or on the listeners who helped the cause rather than on your own good deed(s).
6. Get over yourself.
"Stop trying to seem perfect. Accept your faults. Make mistakes. Hang yourself out there. Try and fail."
"And when you do fail, people will remember you because people who are willing to fail are rare... and because people who display grace and humility, especially in the face of defeat, are incredibly rare."
Think for a moment about those Facebook friends whose lives appear perfect. (Ugh.) Now think back on a post from someone admitting a character flaw, mistake, or faux-pas. (More likable and memorable, right?)
While you may not be as interesting as the guy in the Dos Equis ads, The Most Interesting Man in the World, think about what your ad would look like. Let me know at angela@randylane.net or on Twitter @AngelaPerelli .
Angela Perelli is a SVP at the The Randy Lane Company (www.randylane.net). She can be reached at angela@randylane.net www.facebook.com/TheRandyLaneCompany www.twitter.com/TheRandyLaneCo
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