The most important part of show prep is transforming ordinary content into exciting entertainment by personalizing a topic. Brainstorming what will we do with this topic can be the difference between a listener saying, “That’s interesting” and “Didja hear what Jonathan and Ayla did this morning?”
This two-part segment from WKLB/Boston’s Jonathan Wier and Ayla Brown is a great example. During the recent arctic weather in the northeast, Jonathan found a story about a Canadian politician being attacked on social media because his wife was scooping snow from their driveway instead of him.
Listen to how the show hijacked the topic by injecting the story with their perspectives. They converted a common story to something uniquely personal.
This is not hard to do, but many shows just get lazy in the preparation process.
The takeaway: Insist that every member of your team dig into the preparation process to find the emotional triggers that will resonate and be more memorable. For details, watch my seminar on demand Prep Like a Pro.