From news anchors and radio/TV personalities to online influencers and podcast personalities, aside from basic charisma and presence, an effective, experienced coach can unlock the full potential and help talent create and deliver the most compelling content possible.
The process can often be a difficult tightrope walk, and we must be sensitive to talent egos and their view of their own abilities. Some may look at a coach as both intrusive and obtrusive, but even Nolan Ryan, arguably the greatest pitcher of all time, had a pitching coach until the day he stopped throwing a ball. Most understand that even the greatest talent has a coach on their team, and in fact, the best talent is often willing to invest financially in it themselves.
There are many great talent coaches, many of whom I have hired to work with talent. I won’t mention anyone here since I am certain I may forget someone who is terrific. While they each have different styles and methods suffice it to say they build their model on positive versus negative reinforcement, focusing on what the talent does well. This is the best way to lead them to the desired creative, compelling content while the material of lesser quality simply begins to fall away.
A coaching relationship starts with a complete assessment of the talent’s strengths and areas of improvement. (Notice I didn’t call them weaknesses.) Evaluating performance, personal and professional goals, and identifying challenges they may be facing.
Since most in our industry focus on content creation, coaching will help with structure and quality. Is it informative, engaging, and aligned with audience interests, culture, format, lifestyle, etc.? This is where local talent can excel, as most non-radio platforms cannot create content for any one specific area. Over my 4-1/2 decades in the business, I have learned there are a few basic elements that great content should possess… important/local information, drama, conflict, humor, character development and most important –great storytelling.
I remember asking a member of a morning show I worked with, “How would you describe what you do for a living?” He responded, “I’m a radio personality.” While that isn’t wrong – it just isn’t hyper-focused on the most important element. Whether you’re a news anchor, radio/TV personality, or podcast host, you are a “Storyteller.” From the time we were toddlers we asked our parents to read or tell us a story. The greatest books, movies and TV shows tell compelling stories through great characters that possess the basics above. We all know someone who tells the most amazing, compelling stories that make you want to sit and listen for hours. That’s the space in which great, superlative talent lives, and coaches help them create that home.
It is important to remember that great coaches can teach someone the structure of a great story but cannot create great storytellers. That’s a gift that can only come naturally. The coach will help them capitalize on that ability.
Talent coaching never ends with a single training session. This should be an ongoing process that should continue in perpetuity, helping talent identify and adapt to new trends, technologies, audience preferences, hot new celebrities, events, etc. This continuous coaching strategy will keep talent focused on remaining relevant and will also encourage, inspire, and empower every other department in your building and of course, help generate more revenue.
Start the process by asking yourself if the talent you are considering for coaching has natural charisma. Do people enjoy being around them? Do they have the drive to succeed and the desire to work hard to get there? Are they performing well on the air, understanding that a coach can’t create great talent, rather they make raw natural talent great.
Bob Lawrence serves as a Market Manager for Seven Mountains Media, overseeing the company’s Parkersburg, WV/Marietta, OH cluster. He has held virtually every position in the business over his 40+ year career, from being on-air in Philadelphia, San Diego, and San Francisco as well as programming legendary stations including KHTR St. Louis, KITS Hot Hits and KIOI (K101) San Francisco.
Bob also honed his research skills over ten years as Senior VP of Operations at Broadcast Architecture, eventually launching his own research company and serving as President/CEO of Pinnacle Media Worldwide for 15 years. Bob spent five years as VP of Programming for Saga Communications before joining New South Radio in Jackson, Mississippi as GM/Market Manager. Prior to joining Seven Mountains Media, Bob served as General Manager for the Radio Advertising Bureau, overseeing its “National Radio Talent System”.
