(If you know that quote came from, you rock!)

The other day, I was conducting a phone interview on the air with a young lady about things job seekers could do to help them stand out in the eyes and minds of potential employers. The information she provided was timely and her list of accomplishments and qualifications to provide this information was impressive. In the span of the twenty minute interview, she dispensed extremely valuable hints that could have helped dozens of people in their job search.

Sadly, no one is going to remember anything she said. What they are going to remember is that she sounded like sh*t.

No, she wasn’t sick and no it wasn’t poor delivery, it was the actual sound of her call that was horrible. The quality of her audio was hollow, scratchy, “echo-ey” and at times, impossible to understand.

The problem is that she insisted on using her speakerphone on the desk in her office.

I do take partial blame for this unfortunate incident. Under other circumstances, I would have asked that she reconsider using the receiver. But when you are doing a live radio program and you have no producer or support staff, interviews come fast and furious and you go with what’s in front of you.

I understand her position and the convenience of the speakerphone. Sitting there for a long period of time with a phone stuck to your face is a sweaty drag and some people like to have their hands free when they’re speaking. What you need to understand is that the quality of your client’s words in an interview is wasted if the quality of the audio isn’t the best it can possibly be.

I could give you this long drawn out explanation about acoustics and how sound bouncing off walls and glass and objects in the room picked up by a condenser mic in the base of a desk phone is not conducive to premium audio quality, but that really isn’t important. Let’s just say, it’s not your best alternative.

Personally, I have always felt that speakerphones sound cold and impersonal. It could be a great conversation, your client could be bubbly and vivacious but speakerphones give off an air of “I have other things to do while I talk to you.” As you know, we now live in a society where “I” am THE most important person in the world and if your client doesn’t get that then “I” won’t listen to them. Again, that’s just my P.O.V.

The good news is that there is a simple solution. The better news is that it can be bought for as little as ten dollars. Do yourself, your client and all of us a favor and have your client invest in a headset. There are literally hundreds to choose from and it will take a little work to pick the best one for you, but believe me when I tell you it is time well spent.

Go to a Best Buy or similar store, find someone with half a clue and explain to them your situation. They’ll ask you some simple questions and point you in a direction. Then it just comes down to personal preference. It really is that simple.

I know there are going to be times when you’ll be involved in an interview with two or more people in the same room. I suggest going ‘old school’ and just have them pick up extensions of the same phone line. Better still, ask yourself “Do we really need to have on all six experts or can we deliver our information with two or three?” Just try to make the speakerphone the last resort.

More and more, I tell clients to use Skype to conduct interviews. Skype is a great alternative because it’s free (Skype to Skype), easy to learn, easy to add other callers and its digital quality, much better than standard phone lines. But for the love of God Almighty, don’t use the microphone built in to your laptop, they’re ten times worse than the mic built in to your desk phone. Buy the headset. Like standard phone headsets, there are hundreds to choose from for your computer. Find an experienced ‘gamer’ and ask them about headsets and they’ll give you WAY too much valuable information.

Finally, when you’re getting ready to do a phone interview, take a quick look at your surroundings. Double check to make sure that there isn’t anything around you that could possibly become an audio distraction. Things as simple as tile floors can create a ton of extra noise. I know to most of you that’s a ‘duh’ statement but you’d be amazed at the number of interviews I’ve done over the past thirty years where people have failed to take that consideration.

Oh wait, I have one last helpful hint: Teach your client not to exhale directly onto the microphone. That is not a pretty sound.

I know your client is brilliant and I know that every person within the sound of their voice would benefit wildly from the wisdom. Let’s just do whatever we can to make sure those within the sound of their voice can actually understand the sound of their voice.

I’d love to hear your feedback.

Good luck and Be Brilliant!

Skip-

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love. Skip is available for consultation by calling 813-388-1035 or email: skip@skipshow.com

Over the past year or so, I’ve mentioned in repeated blogs how doing a little homework before pitching media outlets can greatly improve your clients chances of getting on the air. In going back and re-reading many of these diatribes, I realized I never really explored nor explained exactly what I mean by “doing your homework” or how to go about accomplishing said same (a nasty life-long habit that irritates both my mother and my wife). So I thought today would be as good as any to drop the sarcasm and actually give you some beneficial information. (What a concept.)

I’m a big believer that nothing illustrates a point better than a good story, so here goes: A few years ago, I was contacted by a group of law enforcement officers in North Carolina who were trying to raise support and awareness for the Police Unity Tour, a project I’ve been involved with for many years (an annual two-hundred and fifty mile bicycle ride to honor law enforcement members killed in the line of duty). Since I am a designated “media source” for the PUT, they came to me looking for suggestions on how to best  promote some fund raising activities in the area with the media.

After doing some quick research, I forwarded them a list of some of the more popular TV and radio programs in the area and gave them a quick tutorial on how to pitch these programs. Given that these were law enforcement officers who engage in investigation on a daily basis, I assumed they would have done some more in depth check-up before they decided which program they would pitch. Silly me.

On the surface, the radio program they chose made sense, a top-rated local in-your-face rock jock with a very dedicated audience. Had they done a little more homework they would have discovered that this particular jock regularly trashed law enforcement and hated cyclists so much, he actually put out a challenge to his audience (primarily males 10-24) to run cyclists off the road whenever possible. When this jock got hold of their press release, he couldn’t resist the opportunity to tee off on these people.

Needless to say, the interview did NOT go well.

Had they taken the time to dig a little deeper, they would have found a local TV reporter who not only came from a law enforcement family, but she had recently spearheaded a local MS100 bike ride. Granted she was from the number three-rated TV station but she also had ties to a popular adult contemporary radio station (primarily females 30-54) and she had a weekly public affairs program that highlighted local charitable events in the area.

I guess the simple walk away from this is what may be the best in town may not be the best for you. (I like that, almost makes me sound like an intellectual.) Let me let you in on a little secret, a majority of the time the people interviewing you or your client are either: a) clueless as to why you are there or b) could not possibly care less about what you have to say. Nine times out of ten, they are interviewing you because someone in promotions, sales, management or a producer told them this was a good idea, booked and prepped the interview then just shoved the information in their face that morning.

There is nothing more obvious or painful to me than listening to or watching an interview conducted by someone with the passion of a dead carp (my apologies if I offended any carp, living or dead). They usually start off with a half-assed introduction followed by a riveting piece of journalism like “Tell us about your latest project.”

[FYI: I’ve been guilty of this many times over three decades of doing interviews. I usually joke with people that you know when an interview isn’t going well if I ask “So, do you have any pets?” Keep that in mind if we ever chat on the air.]

The worst part of finding yourself in this situation is you know it’s doing nobody any good. There are two ways you can handle this: suffer through, live and learn or avoid the situation at all costs.

I suggest the latter.

Essentially this boils down to one thought: find out which media types are passionate about what subjects and target your pitch to those specific people’s passion. Interviews where the interviewer is engaged in the topic create very compelling conversation. That’s what we’re after kids. Find their hot button and push it.

Fortunately, media types are easy to do research on (this primarily because we are all to some degree pathetic egomaniacs who desperately want everyone to love us and are willing to go to some length to demonstrate that point). Unless they’ve been under a rock, in a coma or living in part of Missouri, every media dork out there should be plugged in to at least FaceBook. Start there. Give a media dork a forum and a keyboard and in ten minutes you’ll know everything about them (a variation of a very funny but politically incorrect joke my dad used to tell).

Being a fan of “The Rule of Five’s” here are “Five Ways to Accomplish Your Homework Assignment”

• Know What You Want before you Start. A no-brainer. If you want your client to be on the number one show regardless of outcome, pick your target and go after them.
• Website. Please, need I say more? Every media outlet is now just a pimp for their own website. Look not only into the station or program site, but see if specific personalities have a personal site as well. Click like mother until you find their Personal Bios. We LOVE to talk about ourselves. More and more, the only place we get to actually tout ourselves and our accomplishments is on our personal bio pages. Also, check their ‘best of’ podcasts. This is what they consider their best work. This gives you great insight on their frame of mind.
• Listen. It can be painful I know but if you listen to any program for any period of time, you’ll get an idea of who is passionate about what. Make notes and file them away for when you need them. Understand what role each person plays on the program and how that role can benefit you (a subject for a completely different blog I’ll save for another time).
• Follow and Friend. Whatever social media they’re on, read up. This too can be painful because you will realize all too quickly that a majority of what we media geeks Tweet is pointless and stupid BUT once again, gives you insight to how we think.
• Ask Around. We are a relatively small and tight knit group. If you have a pitch and are trying to find a match, chances are pretty good one of us can give you the 4-1-1 on the others.

If you really feel strongly about taking your pitch to a specific person or outlet, don’t be afraid to tilt the box (remember when that phrase was cool and edgy?) and tweak your presentation to fit that situation. [If you need help on how to do this, talk to Lizz Harmon (lizz@harmontampa.com) she’s a pro at this.]

The best part about all of these homework habits is that you really don’t even have to leave your desk to accomplish them.

So, there you go. Once again I have exceeded my 1,000 word limit by a substantial number but then again, I have always prided myself on being an over-achiever. Good luck with your assignments, call me if you need any help. Class dismissed.

Be Brilliant.

Skip-

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love. Skip is available for consultation: skip@skipshow.com

All right, I just can’t stand it anymore.

I was hoping the Rush Limbaugh scandal would just go away and we could all go back to important things like complaining about gas prices and wondering where the heck Steven Tyler gets his wardrobe. But like that festering forehead zit the day before a big presentation, this just will NOT go away and I am now compelled to add my two cents to the conversation.

As the oft quoted philosopher Richard Nixon (someone I would really love to have seen on Dancing With the Stars) once said: “Let me make this perfectly clear” what Rush said was wrong. What started off as a “humorous,” pointed railing turned into a personal attack, period. Everyone had the right to be angry and demand an apology. And that’s exactly what they did and exactly what they got.

Didn’t satisfy your personal sense of outrage, did it? If you were hoping that this will be what finally puts an end to Rush Limbaugh, I have some very disappointing news for you:

It ain’t happening.

[Isn’t this the same guy who skated through a drug scandal? Was his rehab covered by his insurance? “Irony, table for one.”]

Let me hip you to something: the outrage, the ongoing conversation, the endless media focus, is nothing but Manna to Rush. In truth, he doesn’t want it to end. Not yet. Rush has gone from cash cow to milkman. Keep talking about me, milk those babies dry!

A great radio man I worked for many years ago always said: Publicity is publicity. Good or bad, just make sure they spell your name right. If you were to put a monetary value on the amount of TV coverage Rush has received in the past ten days, it would easily reach the tens of millions of dollars. Tens of millions he did NOT have to shell out for.

The other day on his program, Rush stated (paraphrasing here) “the business end is fine, everything’s good,” which is an interesting assertion considering at last count, over forty advertisers have either pulled or threatened to pull advertising from his program. That is a LOT of money. But in truth, for Rush everything IS fine. Don’t worry Ditto-heads, Rush is still collecting his paycheck and will continue to until he decides it’s time to hang up the headphones.

But, I digress. This is supposed to be about an apology.

I don’t know Rush Limbaugh. I did meet him once. He struck me like every other radio dork I know, an insecure egomaniac who wants nothing more than for you to be addicted to his program. Rush wants your loyalty. He wants to get paid millions of dollars to sit on his ass and talk for a couple of hours a day. Other than that, he wants a good cigar and a nice round of golf.

I respect Rush. I respect Howard Stern for that matter. This isn’t a like/dislike thing. I respect anyone who has achieved this degree of success in radio. Unlike them, I don’t have a daily audience numbering in the tens of millions, a swanky pad in Manhattan and a gigundus home in Palm Beach. I don’t/can’t do radio the way he does radio and I will never achieve the level of runaway success he has experienced.

But…

Rush Buddy, I’m right there with you. Apologies and damage control are a pain in the ass and seemingly do nothing but appease people that you don’t want to (but must) deal with in order to keep the peace and more importantly, KEEP THE MONEY COMING.

I know this situation because I’ve actually been in this situation with the same company. For the record, what I said wasn’t nearly as bad as what he said. The apology came (mine and his) when upper management said: “You really pissed off an advertiser* and if you don’t say you’re sorry, we could lose a ton of money. So, you WILL apologize.” Even if there is a genuine feeling of remorse for the most part, apologies like this are made to appease advertisers as an effort to slow or stop the loss of money to the parent company. This gives the company a chance to go back and say “hey, the guy apologized. What more do you want?”

*Most broadcasters don’t care if they piss off you the listener, but they do care if they piss off You the Advertiser. FYI.

The weird thing here is that these types of controversies are a double-edged sword. The free publicity is always welcome but when you have to spend days, possibly weeks doing damage control it takes the radio dorks focus away from me…right now. It’s been beaten into our heads that yesterday’s news is no longer important. While Rush loves being the lead story on Fox and Friends and the above-the-crease headline of the New York Times, having to deal with last week’s story prevents you from entertaining your audience and milking the love and adoration from your followers right now.

To quote another philospher George W. Bush (whom I have NO desire to see on Dancing With the Stars) “Make no mistake about it” Rush, Glenn Beck, Howard Stern, all of them are entertainers. These are characters created to be controversial. Every once in awhile they’ll cross a line and need to be reeled back in. What’s more important, these guys are cash cows. Rush Limbaugh is paid millions because people pay tens of millions to keep him on the air. For every advertiser who bails, I’m certain that there are at least five waiting in the wings to advertize on a show that reaches tens of millions of people.

I know it doesn’t make sense but we’re talking about broadcasters, it’s not supposed to. It’s not about right or wrong, it’s all about the money kids.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to figure out just what the hell Steven Tyler is wearing.

Be Brilliant.

Skip-

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love. Skip is available for consultation by email: skip@skipshow.com

The joke is as old as Moses but I first heard it when I was a kid at church. My pastor (the right Reverend Robert D. Lewis) was getting ready to step up to the pulpit to deliver his Christmas message when his lovely wife Leona handed him a slip of paper. As he began his sermon, he managed to sneak a peek. What was written was a simple, lovely message: “KISS”.

This beautiful sentiment put a smile on his face and lit a flame in his heart that manifested itself in a Christmas oratory worthy of a Spielberg screenplay. On the way home, Rev. Lewis was befuddled by his wife’s harsh tone and her angry attitude. As he put the car into park he turned to her and finally asked what the cause of her irritation was.

“Didn’t you read the note I gave you?”

“Yes, I thought it was lovely. It really…”

“Don’t you get it?” as she jumped out of the car and ran into the house.

“What?”

“K.I.S.S. – ‘Keep It Short, Stupid’ I have a turkey in the oven!”

The moral of the story: knowing when to keep it brief is always in your best interest.

In my previous articles I have spoken at length about the vanishing attention span of the typical American.  If you make your living giving out digestible bites of information, then you need to learn the importance of the short, simple answer.

We are all in the information business. Delivering your clients message, your company’s message or your personal story to the media effectively is what MY little slice of the info pie is all about. You want your message to resonate, cut through all the clutter and ring clearly. If you want to be affective, eliminate the unnecessary. This is extremely important if you find yourself in a damage control situation.

Let’s get the protests out of the way right now. Yes, you are THE authority in your field and you are chock-o-block (a phrase I still don’t understand) full of important information. That’s great. But when giving out information, especially to the media, small doses are easier to absorb.

Look at it this way: sipping is the best way to enjoy an amazing glass of wine. Slugging it out of the bottle in gigantic gulps is a little much and not a pleasant experience. I can’t tell you the number of interview pitches I received where the PR people gave me WAY too much info. When you do that, one of two things happen: the recipient gets overwhelmed trying to decipher the message they just toss it in the trash or; you give up all the info and there’s NO reason for me to interview you or your client.

Also, by keeping your answers short, sweet and to the point, you give the media less ammunition to use against you. Most of you will never ever find yourself in the type of situation where your words will come back to bite you in the arse but there’s nothing wrong with a little self-preservation editing.

When being interviewed about anything, there should be an internal warning light that goes off whenever you stray off topic, get into what may become problematic situation or just isn’t necessary. You know the type of person I’m talking about, you ask them the time and they give you the history of the wristwatch. More often than not people get in trouble when they don’t heed that warning light or say something off the cuff in front of a camera. If you want an extreme example of what NOT to do, just take a re-look at Jerry Sandusky’s recent TV debacles. Take your pick, either the Costas interview or the New York Times interview.

Costas asked direct, specific questions. These questions would have been satisfactorily answered with short simple answers. But Sandusky didn’t do that, did he? It’s my theory that people in general have a natural tendency to ‘explain themselves’ (blame your mom). While watching the interview Sandusky did with the New York Times, I found myself screaming ‘My God man…shut up’. Instead of doing the smart thing, simply answering the question, he decided to ‘expand’ on his answers. I will wager my child’s college tuition that those ‘expansions’ will be turning up in court.

In no way whatsoever am I passing some sort of guilty/not guilty verdict on Sandusky, I’m only using him as an unfortunate example of how not to answer questions when a camera is in your face.

[This is important: Always, ALWAYS assume a microphone or camera is on when it’s anywhere in the vicinity of your face.  It’s as simple as asking “Are we live? Are we recording?” if the person on the other side has any amount of professionalism, they’ll answer honestly.]

The more important point about brevity is that if you master this art, you are much more likely to have your comments remembered, re-tweeted, re-posted and all those groovy things otherwise known as having ‘stickiness’. (BTW: there’s a great article about this by Los Angeles radio producer Jason Insalaco on www.talkers.com)

The people you are talking to, not the media but beyond the media; the audience does not have the want, need or desire to listen to your three-minute responses, no matter how insightful. You’ve got them for ten seconds, forty-five if you’re really good. Media types like me aren’t looking for the big picture, we’re looking for the ‘hook’ that will get the audience to read or listen or watch the rest of the story on our website. That’s where you’ll be able to get your entire message out to the masses and hopefully get them to use your product, buy your book or follow your Tweets.

The best way to master this art (other than hiring me as your media coach) is to rehearse, watch and learn.

• Know your material inside out. Go over it again and again.
• Know who you’re talking to and adjust the message accordingly. Are these industry professionals or laymen? Do I have ten minutes or one? What does the interviewer want from this interview?
• If you don’t know the answer, don’t fake it. Truth ‘em.
• Find people who you think communicate effectively and use them to develop your own delivery.
• Watch and listen to your previous interviews. Be critical. Even though it’s exactly what they are, don’t let your sound bites sound like sound bites.

The last point is the trickiest. But if you know what to listen for, you’ll pick it up quickly. Watch the Presidential debates. Listen for what sounds like a genuine observation/answer/response vs. what sounds like a rehearsed sound bite. You’ll be amazed.

We all want the same thing. We want to leave an impression on the audience that will compel them to seek out our bigger message. Give them the right amount of the proper bait and you’ll succeed.

Be Brilliant!

Skip Mahaffey

skip@skipshow.com

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love.

The past few weeks have been totally exasperating, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you all are trying to drive me crazy. Pardon the sarcasm but c’mon, help a brother out. I am a faithful reader of the Daily Dog and at least half a dozen other similar publications and for some reason that only you and God know you have an aversion to being contacted for interviews.

I understand you are protective of your client’s privacy and need to filter their contacts. But if your job is to get publicity for your clients, to get them press in the media why do you make it impossible for me (the media) to reach you or your client in a timely manner?

If you are raising your eyebrows and uttering a defensive ‘what the hell is he talking about? I ALWAYS include my contact information!’ I’m not talking to you, take my thanks and carry on with the great work. But as for the rest of you…

I host and produce a daily two-hour radio talk show in Tampa, Florida. I try to stay away from heavy political bickering and try to focus on a range of topics that will inform, entertain etc. It’s more GMA/Daily Show and less Fox/MSNBC. Every day I am charged with creating an entirely different show from the day before and relevant content is what drives all media in 2011. If you want your client to get in the game, they need to be able to be interview-ready at all times. I’m not asking that you or your client be parked next to a phone waiting for the media to call, but can we at least get a phone number or an email that will get a response in a timely manner?

On at least three occasions in the past week, I have found an article or a blog that I wanted to feature in my program. When I say ‘feature’ I’m talking at least a twenty minute interview. When I open the link to you or your clients’ page, if I’m lucky I’ll be able to ‘leave a comment.’ Sure sometimes there will be contact information for me to reach you or your client for an interview, but that is the exception, not the rule. Registering information as a journalist is a swell idea but you have to understand we live in an ‘on demand’ world and most of the time we need what we need RIGHT NOW!

Here’s a lovely example: Back in July, there was the culmination of a local story here in Florida that made worldwide headlines (I’ll let you figure it out!) I contacted a prominent authority for a few comments, even just a statement from their rep. What I received (three weeks later) was a possibility of a 5-minute phone call the second week of December.

That’s timely.

Look, I understand I’m not Glenn Beck or Rush or even Entertainment Tonight. I’m just a little talk show in Central Florida but keep in mind that radio hosts and producers talk and network with each other every day. When one of us discovers a great interview, the first thing we do is make a note to share it with our colleagues.

[Side Note: Always be careful before you dismiss something like a little talk show in Central Florida. My show not only broadcasts on two AM signals in Tampa but is re-broadcast on a station in Little Rock that blankets the entire state and a significant portion of at least six other states and has seen a 4000% growth of internet listenership in three months. I also host a Sunday show that is broadcast on sixty stations across the Country. You never know who you’re talking to.]

For almost twenty years, I have been part of Bitboard, a daily prep service for morning radio whose membership includes hundreds of the top radio shows across the country as well as parts of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. We have developed boards with hundreds of experts covering hundreds of topics and we use them every day. But I can guarantee you your client will not be on that board if the only way we can communicate with them is by ‘leaving a comment’ at the bottom of their blog page.

[Another Side Note: According to Dan Lewis, author of Business Website Secrets 101: Secrets Revealed, the most common reason company websites fail is due to lack of basic contact information. A crime I was once quite guilty of committing!]

Competition is fierce over here. If you have read any of my previous articles, you already know that the media is always looking for that next potential Dr. Oz or (God help us) Kardashian. We cannot help you make your client shine if we don’t know where you are or how to get in contact with you.

Please understand that there is a great deal of sarcasm here and by no means do I want you to think that the media is made up of a bunch of idiot snobs (even though that’s a pretty accurate description). I’m just asking you to tilt the box and look at it from over here.

As lame as it sounds: help us help you.

(Wouldn’t it be hysterical if I just signed this ‘anonymous’?)

Be Brilliant!

Skip Mahaffey

Mahaffey Creative LLC

Skip@SkipShow.com

Nobody wants to sound like an idiot. But unfortunately there are way too many times we try to prove the opposite. You can be the most knowledgeable, well-read authority on your particular subject, capable of writing dozens of books and mountains of blogs on the topic and receiving praise from fans and critics alike. But for some reason, when someone sticks a camera or microphone in front of your face the Three Musketeers of Stupid Speech trip over themselves to be the first out of your mouth: “umm,” “yeah” and “you know.”

Congratulations, your I.Q. just dropped fifty points.

Don’t feel bad, I’ve been speaking professionally for thirty years and it happens to me all the time. I’m always searching for words. Even though there are literally millions of them at the tip of the tongue, sometimes finding one, one that best sums up what you’re saying gets stuck somewhere between the taste buds and the leftovers of lunch. Frenetically searching your expansive vocabulary, mastered after years and years of literary study and hours of reading Reader’s Digest “Words for More Powerful Speech” while in the ‘loo, out comes the staple of lame speech: “ummmmm”

Beauty.

In broadcast terms, these are what we commonly refer to as ‘crutches,’ it’s really nothing more than a brain stall default: words, phrases, utterances anything your mouth says while your brain is formulating answers or looking for a starting point. Don’t feel bad it’s perfectly natural and we all do it to some degree. When we’re involved in everyday conversation, these crutches generally happen without notice (think of little potholes when you’re driving). But when it’s just you listening to the radio in the confines of your car or sitting in front of the TV, these crutches stick out like a sore thumb. More often than not, you don’t remember a bloody thing that was said beside “umm,” “like,” “yeah” and “you know.”

In my never-ending effort to make your clients media darlings, I humbly submit to you:

Five Things to do to Prevent You From Sounding Like an Idiot

(In no particular order):

1 – Rehearse: When your client steps up to a microphone, they usually know the subject matter they’re going to be asked about. By rehearsing the answers to the most common questions, they become rote and automatic. Be careful not to say the same thing in the same way every time you’re asked; think consciously of different ways to say the same thing, have a list of key words and phrases and repeat them over and over and over. Rehearsing under real-life circumstances (with a microphone or camera in your face) will relieve the intimidation and nervousness, bolstering your client’s confidence and comfort level as well. (BTW: There is a fine line between ‘well-rehearsed’ and ‘over-rehearsed.’ For the love or God, please avoid the latter, it’s annoying)

2 – Pace: Pacing is probably the quickest, most-reliable way to cast away the crutches. Crutches come out in droves when we get excited, passionate or nervous. We start to talk faster and faster and that makes things ripe for verbal stumbling. As you are delivering information your mouth gets ahead of your brain. When your brain tries to catch up you hit a speed bump and as you hit that bump, you stumble, reach for a word and ‘you know’ comes out. (Another side effect of this rush is that when your speaking quickly, your audience can’t absorb as much information.)

Slow down, measure your tone and measure you thoughts. A friend of mine actually would rehearse his speeches with a metronome. When he would speak in public you’ll always see him tap out a rhythm with his foot to help him with pacing.

3 – Pause: The most common place for verbal crutches is at the beginning of an answer or between trains of thought. It’s really nothing more than your brain taking a beat to formulate the answer to the question or a transition in subject. It’s been beaten into our heads that silence = death, so there’s an involuntary crutch that slips out between question and answer, thought and thought.

The solution here is simple: pause and think. Wait a beat for your mind and your mouth to get in sync. It’ll feel like an eternity but in truth it’ll only be a second. The legendary radio commentator Paul Harvey once told me the secret to being a great communicator was to: “Learn the power of the pause.” Ronald Reagan in his prime was a master. This can be tricky; you don’t want to overdo it because you’ll appear clueless. Practice pacing and pausing, it’ll get easier, I swear.

4 – Watch (Listen) and Learn: It is the most painful thing for anyone to do but do it you must. The only way you’re going to catch these crutches and correct them is to go back and do some self-critique. Be aware that you will never get comfortable watching or listening to yourself…it’s ugly and it will make you crazy but it’s the only way you’ll improve.

5 – Give it Up: If you try all of these practices and you still sound like an idiot, turn over the public face of your client to someone else. If you are uncomfortable, everyone will know. A very successful, bright and articulate restrauteur I knew in Phoenix would turn to stone in front of a microphone. After some trial and error, we discovered that one of his line cooks was positively brilliant in front of a camera.

Remember, the audience doesn’t care what title your spokesperson carries, all they’re interested in is the information you are presenting.
Some media coaches will suggest to your clients that they find other words to substitute for “ummm,” “you know” and “like.” A great idea but, like ketchup on fries, too much of a good thing can ruin a meal.“Absolutely,” “Thanks for asking,” “Good question,” they all work but beware that they don’t turn in to crutches themselves.

While I’m here, may I request that you please quit using the following words and phrases:

“I can answer that.” No sh*t? That’s why I’m asking you.

“At the end of the day” is “night.” Period.

“Runnin,” “Askin,” “Thinkin,” any word ending in ‘ing. Stop dropping the ‘g’. It’s there for a reason. Even if you are a renegade maverick, when you do that you sound like an uneducated rube.

“Nook-ya-lur.” Only Jack Bauer and George W can get away with that. The word is “nuclear.”

[Good rule of thumb: If you’re not certain of the correct pronunciation or you know you’re going to stumble over a word, get rid of it. If you’d like to see an example of what not to do, I suggest you find the CNN clip where I tried unsuccessfully to say ‘promulgated.’ I hate that word]

“Yep,” “Yeah,” “Nope” etc. You sound like a teenager, stop it. However, if you insist on using these words, I insist you please be a heavy mouth-breather as well.

There is no ‘b’ in “supposedly.’ Quit putting one in there.

There is no such word as “irregardless.”

I could go on but I have exceeded my thousand word limit again. I hope you remember that there is a serious message beneath the sarcasm. I want you and your clients to be wildly successful. If I can be of any assistance to help you improve the interview skills of your clients, please feel free to contact me. I’ve worked with authors, athletes, CEO’s and politicians. I can help and I am CHEAP!

Good luck and Be Brilliant!

Skip-

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love. Skip is available for consultation by calling 813-388-1035 or email: skip@skipshow.com

I had the strangest thing happen yesterday. I was driving home from work, listening to the radio when I heard a song I had not heard in forever.

And I mean forever.

I turned the volume way up and enjoyed every second of the song, the production value, the infectious rhythm, the great lyrics and the amazing harmonies. I remembered the first time I heard the song and I remember how much it stuck with me.

I was sad when it ended.

The song was “Long Time Gone” by the Dixie Chicks.

My days with the Chicks go back to a conference room in Ohio around 1996. It was (and is) common practice for a record label to bring their new performers to radio stations across the country just as a way to meet and greet radio folks and hopefully make some friends.

And I have made many friends as the result of conference room concerts, Chesney, Faith, Martina, Rascal Flatts and dozens more.

But on this particular day, I didn’t want to sit in the conference room, I was tired and had a ton of things to do and I wasn’t in the mood to listen to some group that would probably just be a one hit wonder. That attitude changed immediately. I sat in the far end of the room with my boss and my partner. One of our sales reps and our receptionist rounded out the entire audience.

The three girls, all in black and obviously a little tired, stood quietly at the other end of the room. We spent a few uneasy minutes sizing each other up as the music started.

When they hit the first notes of “There’s Your Trouble” I literally got chills. The moment Natalie Maines opened her mouth and started singing, I knew these three ladies were going to change Country music forever.

For 30 minutes they played. No big production, all acoustic: a guitar, a fiddle, a mandolin, a banjo and those amazing voices. These ladies were master musicians and phenomenal performers.

We are all way too aware of what happened after that. In the years since the incident on a London stage a lot of people still harbor resentment for what happened and that’s fine. Right or wrong, remember one of the reasons the Chicks were SO amazingly popular was their ability to speak their minds. I for one was thrilled (and still am) that my youngest chose to be a Chicks fan than a Britney fan.

What saddens me most is that we are being denied the joy of hearing that music. Yes, we can get downloads and CD’s but there’s something about driving down the street and hearing the familiar open to a song that just brought you joy on the radio. Of course, I have to point out that I was listening to satellite radio because radio stations are still terrified to play the Chicks. And I think it’s time to change that.

What happened happened. It was a throw away comment in the middle of a concert that was unfortunate and stupid. If you’ve never said anything that fired up someone, then you’re a liar. She just happened to do it in a microphone. But it’s done its history. You can’t change it but you can change how it affects you. Think about it, with all the things in this world that are wrong, where does this fall? I actually know people that will get up and leave a restaurant or a bar if a Chicks song comes on their muzak system.

Really? It affected you THAT much?

What I’m trying to say is let it go. So much negative energy is being spent on things that in the big picture really don’t matter.

Homeless people selling bottled water on a street corner. This is the greatest injustice in your world today? If it is, congratulations. Here’s an idea, take your dollar, set it on the dash and drive by. If you really want to get rebellious, tape it to the window in open defiance.

Red light cameras. In the past weeks, I have heard people go apeshit over red light cameras. Really, this is what has you so torn up?

They’re here they’re not going anywhere and if you want to get the best revenge and beat the red light cameras at their own game…slow down.

Listen, I’m guilty too. I still get irritated at one pitch that was hung in the face of Dave Henderson in the 1986 ALCS that took my Angels out of the World Series. For decades I cursed the poor SOB who threw that pitch. But you know what? Had it not been for that pitch, Boston never would have been able to advance to the Series and there never would have been the Bill Buckner blunder. And where would baseball be without that?

So, I guess what I’m saying is don’t let the BS get to you. Just crank the volume and enjoy the music.

And remember: at the end of the day, is night.

Earlier today I received a notice that I had been mentioned in a Facebook posting by a person whose name I did not immediately recognize. When I investigated I found it was part of a thread started by Continue reading →

My life changed a little this past Labor Day weekend – for the first time in my lifetime, there was no Jerry Lewis. After half a century of being Continue reading →

Well, it’s definite. This is THE most dysfunctional Congress/White House in the history of the United States. Believe me when I say “I know from dysfunction” because when I was Continue reading →