Radio Drops #7: How to Talk on the Radio

Short Course: Be Yourself. Be Quick. Get Back to the Music.

The video runs 3:14.

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I Get Paid to Tell Jocks to Shut Up

For the middle part of my long career I was a radio programming consultant, and during that time I also conceived and developed MusicOne Windows. At backyard barbecues and things, someone would ask what I do. I’d say I’m a programming consultant for radio.

“Oh gee, that’s interesting. What do you do exactly?” My joke was: “I get paid to tell disc jockeys to shut up.” It always got a giggle.

That was kind of true, but not fully. I told my own disc jockeys: you’ve got 30 seconds. Radio can sell anything in 30 seconds, and you can sell your idea in 30 seconds. So be brief. Do it in 15, even better. Do it in 10, you’re a superstar.

Don’t Try to Be Perfect

So how should you talk on the radio? First and foremost, don’t ever try to be a Mr. Announcer person. You’ve got to be yourself.

How do you be yourself? First, don’t try to be perfect. People don’t talk perfectly. That’s the thing with A.I.: an A.I. never stutters, never pauses for half a second while the mind searches for just the right word. Another person isn’t going to ask you, “Where are you going?” They’re going to ask, “Where you going?”

When you speak your message that way, half-pronouncing or even skipping a few of the small words, it’s actually more communicative, because the listener’s mind has to fill in the blanks. It becomes a participant in the conversation.

You can send out your message, but it’s not communication until it’s received and responded to in some way. People understand it more when it comes at them the way that’s most common: other people talking, slurring some words here and there, with the mind automatically filling in the missing syllables.

So don’t try to be perfect. Perfect diction doesn’t communicate well, because people don’t talk that way. I think it’s a distraction. The mind gets distracted by how the person is talking instead of what they’re saying.

Only a Little More So

Here’s a little secret. Be yourself on the radio, only a little more so. By that I mean talk a little quicker. I saw a research study some years ago reporting that the human mind is more likely to comprehend a message when the speaker talks about 15% faster than normal human speech.

When you open your microphone, first, know what you’re going to say. Second, be yourself. Don’t be afraid to slur. Don’t correct your stutter, just keep on going. That’s the way you talk with your friends.

Always keep this in mind: there’s only one person listening to you. Each one of those persons has you plugged into their ears. It’s just you and them.

Third: say what you’re going to say, be brief, speak quickly and get back to the music.