5 Ways Talent Can Increase Their Impact This Year

People love to think about how things begin and they love to think about the result they desire, but it is rare that people keep their focus on process. Your job and my job is to glorify God. We may do different jobs, but the process involves how we impact others. 

What makes that even more difficult for a person on radio today? We live in a culture that often expresses itself through impression management. If you simply pull up Facebook you can see endless examples of the ‘cleaning up of a million lives’ so that everything looks only like the ‘influencer’ wants you to believe. In our society in the United States, that often means selling our lives or marketing our lives. That’s not necessarily real. Even worse, it paints a kind of two deminsional picture that is a controlled snapshot of what we want other people to think about our lives.

In radio, we often impact people from a distance. We use words, imagination and heart to connect often with individuals and the best among us sharpen their abilities to communicate rapidly warmth, encouragement, joy and vulnerability. The truth is that we are all vulnerable. If you work on-air today, you may be even more vulnerable than you think because the pressure is to not stand out. Be like the others.

By the way, when your world is focused on being like the others, you will end up only in the middle.

Even more challenging, most people don’t feel comfortable with risk. This is especially true for younger people in our business who lack confidence of pros that have been doing this work for decades. So, how do you ‘stack the deck’ so you stand out, show your vulnerablity and create more consistent opportunity to really connect with more listeners?

1. Develop mentors – We are stronger together. No one really accomplishes anything of value alone. Developing mentors to help you create balance makes you stronger. Mentors can help you make better decisions at work. They can help you become someone who shares…better. That can impact your success in a positive way.
2. Seek coaching from your company and others – The best on-air talent seeks coaching. In today’s media landscape, on-air talent needs every advantage they can get to build relationships with listeners. The best talent understands the need for continuous improvement. You see us recommend this a lot. Great coaching will bring out more of your personality and what makes what you do exclusive. If people love what you do and can’t get it anywhere else, your value rises.
3. Seek opportunities to reveal your real self to listeners – Human nature may be to hide or at least use impression management to encourage people to see your story as you would like, but the best on-air talent seek honest communication that opens them up in revealing ways to listeners that often shows vulnerability (not perfection). That can have a powerful impact on growing a passionate fan base.
4. Show what you care about to listeners – This goes a step further than simply being vulnerable. It shows your heart in a different way that can establish you as a leader within a large tribe of people who care about your cause.
5. Consistently self-educate – The smartest people know that they can never know too much. Reading, seeking wisdom gives you more opportunity to do your job better, help others and grow your audience. This happens with a focus on continuous improvement.

Think about your process. Your process for getting better at what you do. Your process for being helpful to co-workers. Your process for prep before you are on-air. Your process for creating vulnerability that connects you to listeners emotionally. We consistently recommend significant prep for on-air talent, but your life is lived in your process.  There arepeople that say the future doesn’t exist because it hasn’t happened yet and your past is occupied with something that is no longer real. What does that leave? The present. Be in it and find ways to make more impact this year using the five items above in this article.  Doing so will elevate your value and cause growth.

Loyd Ford is president and chief strategic officer at Rainmaker Pathway Consulting Works (RPC). They help local radio with ratings and revenue. Reach him anytime at 864.448.4169 or Ford@RainmakerPathway.com.