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I was on Pinterest last night (which is the
way that most of my conversations start nowadays) and I saw a sign
that said: “Listen and Silent have the same letters. Coincidence?”
That started my brain wondering if, as morning show people, we are
ever truly silent and listening? Our mouths may be quiet but our
brains are usually going ninety miles an hour planning for the next
break, next phone call or the next button to push.
And I know from personal experience that there
are many times that I have been working on a news story or what I am
going to say in response to what the listener is saying then I
repeat exactly what the person on the phone or my morning show team
had just stated. (Then Johnny gives me one of those looks…) So, the
question is what gift would you give if you could be silent and
listen while still creating a compelling, entertaining show?
In “Likeable Business” author Dave Kerpen (who
started out selling spots for Radio Disney) teaches that listening
to your customer base and employees is imperative for success in our
new social world.
Chapter One of the book is on Listening and he cites the work of Dr.
Gerald D. Bell and his advice to “listen like children watch TV”.
When the DVD or show they really want to watch comes on, they are
focused, leaning forward and impossible to interrupt. This type of
listening is the perfect way to let someone know you respect them
and that you value the relationship you have with them.
To listen, be silent and make the person
speaking, whether on the phone or in studio, know they matter to you
means that you must be working no less than ten minutes ahead of
where you need to be. There is a gift given when you have the time
to take a call and not just tell the person you will pray for them
but actually do it right then and there. By planning your show that
far ahead you may also find that there is a gift waiting for you
when you ask that “question” that leads to radio greatness, all this
because you were listening and being silent in all ways.
The experts say that a morning show team is a
lot like a marriage and I suppose I can speak on that at both
levels. Listening and being silent are imperative to the longevity
and evangelism of both marriages and morning shows. Any wife can
tell you the moment that her husband stops listening during any
conversation and the person on the other end of that phone can also.
There is a change of voice tone and responses that happens when
someone is not listening or stops listening.
There is also something that is found in new
love that we can take with us every time we walk into the studio:
you hang on the other person’s every word, listening to their voice
and learning more about them each time they speak. Just like the
children watching television, young love listens and stays silent
because you want to capture every moment. Can you capture every
conversation with that type of intensity? Head into the studio
tomorrow and try it out.
And lastly, give everyone in your life the
gift of being silent and listening today. The One who will turn
around and give it back to you is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Have you taken the time today to be silent and listen to Him? In the
mad rush of our holidays, my prayers often sound like a visit to
Santa’s lap. “Please make the ham turn out okay. Please make
Madison, Ben and Peyton have the best Christmas ever. Please let
Maggie’s baby be healthy and happy. And please help Johnny and I
find the right jobs. Amen.” While, if I was being silent and
listening, I would know He’s already got it all under control. Now
that’s a gift we could all use today. Merry Christmas!
Because he turned his ear to me, I will call
on him as long as I live. - Psalm 116:2
Stacey is Afternoon
Co-host/National On-air Promotions at Family Life Radio based in
Tucson.
Contact Stacey at
stacwillsparkle@aol.com
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