A young radio jock asked me to comment on his aircheck.
A couple of my remarks might be useful to someone you know….
1. My biggest suggestion is that you infuse your delivery with a bit more energy.
I don’t mean you should sound hyped or phony, just a bit more intense.
It sounds as though you’re sitting back in your chair. If so, sit up straight and then lean into the mic a bit, tensing your stomach muscles (i.e., tightening your diaphragm).
That change in your physicality will increase the alertness and intensity of your voice because your body will be more alert.
Sounding casual is good; sounding bored isn’t.
2. When you’re talking to a caller on-air, your voice tone should alter to reflect that of the caller.
Do you use the same voice tonality when talking to your mother as when talking to your best friend, your girlfriend, or a prospective employer?
Probably not.
Is the caller excited, but you still sound completely laid-back? How about letting some of her excitement inform your own vocal delivery?
Is the caller whispering? Maybe you should respond in a more confidential, personal tone.
I’m not talking about “pretending” or “mimicking.”
I’m talking about establishing rapport with your callers and thereby making the conversations more interesting to your mass audience.
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RE: Tip #1: What should you do if you’re standing up to achieve the same effect? Just suck in your gut?
Don: Yep, that’ll achieve the same effect.
Dan,
Your words werre very well spoken regarding posture, voice inflection and energy. Listeners can tell if the announcer/jock is “into” his/her show by he level of energy. This includes reading the PSAs, promo cards or even delivering the weather.
Here are a couple of other suugestions: change the chair you sit in, stand up, stretch ocassionally and come to work ready to work. This is important no matter what shift you work. By this I mean announcers must be “fresh” and alert. If a jock/announcer isn’t getting enough rest, then the audience will suffer. The energy level is diminished. This is true even in recording voice tracks.
One more comment, knowing how our body reacts to food, such as carbonated drinks and a heavy meal before going on the air , is helpful in make a good on air shift enjoyable. No one wants to hear a dj fight a belch or burp on the air. Dan, Thanks for your great efforts to teach. Paul Tinkle, President, Thunderbolt Broadcasting, Martin, Tennessee