How You Start: the Secret

In over 20 years of coaching people in the CCM format so far, I’ve worked with a lot of incredibly good air talents, some to refresh and regroup so they can STAY great, and others to simply help them grow even more.

The flip side of that is working with people in the earliest stages of their careers. This happens a lot in our format, because our budgets don’t always allow us to hire seasoned veterans. And it seems like the “newbies” all start with the same question, “What’s the secret?”

Here it is: be WORTH listening to. Whatever your subject matter is, whatever you say has to make some sort of impact. Not big, huge, dramatic impact. Simply being perceived as someone who’s actually talking to me, rather than just “a voice saying words”. That sounds easy, but it’s a daunting task for a young talent.

It’s not about your voice. It’s not about being “funny”, per se.

The goal is to either inform or entertain – every time the mic opens. Every…single…time.

The minute you turn in a half-hearted effort, you deserve to lose listeners.