10 New Year’s Resolutions For Air Personalities

As you put away the last of the holiday ornaments and get on the game face to enter another ratings battle, take some time to plan how this year will be better than the last. Whether or not you believe in New Year’s Resolutions, it’s always a good idea to find ways to improve.

So here are suggestions of New Year’s Resolutions for air personalities. Choose some that fit or just use them as inspiration.

New Year’s Resolutions

Bring It! Every Day. Every Hour. Every Break. Everyone can control is how much effort they put into a show. Most listeners will draw their only impression of you during the short time they listen during a daily commute. Resolve now to never waste a single opportunity to influence the audience.

Steal Something. No, don’t shoplift or become part of a Smash And Grab gang. Listen to great shows and find something worth adapting. NBA great Kobe Bryant said he stole from his heroes by studying them, then adapted their moves to “make them my own”. Do that.

Become The Best Possible You. Accept the challenge to understand who you are and are not on-air. Then be your best self. It’s the one thing nobody can compete with. Find your on-air “voice” and develop your unique personality by starting with a detailed Character Profile.

Bring a Positive Attitude. Listeners have plenty of drama in their lives. They tune in to escape with personalities that make them feel good. The best way to do that is to have a great attitude because how you feel influences how you sound. Being upbeat and positive is a choice. When it becomes difficult, Fake It Til You Make It. This is particularly important on team shows. Resolve that every cast member works to make the studio a happy place.

Do Something New Every Day. It’s easy to get into a rut. Soon, every day feels like the day before. You can prevent that! Try something new every single day. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Change how you get into a segment. Update promos and imaging. take show prep meetings to a new location, like a coffee shop or a pub. Make it a priority to stay fresh.

5 More Resolutions

Fail at Something. Not deliberately. Don’t set out to fail. That’s ridiculous. Find something new and different that could be a major breakthrough. Then work at it until it’s a strength. Give yourself permission to fail. It’s okay to suck at first. Learn from mistakes. It is a necessary part of the journey to mastery.

Turn Up The Volume. Audiences react to exciting, colorful stories and descriptions. Learn to tell better stories by turning up the volume on content, personality, and language. Don’t settle for ordinary. How are you curating content to make it stand out?

Edit. Voltaire once said that “the best way to be boring is to leave nothing out”. Winning personality radio has nothing to do with how long a segment lasts. But it has everything to do with whether the segment is worthwhile. Learn to edit through Concentration Of Force. And review performances regularly. Uh, that means airchecking.

Put Personality Into Everything. Never turn on a microphone without having a perspective or point of view. If you don’t have one, don’t do it. Listeners should get to know you better in every segment.

Tease! Do it more and do it better. The fastest way to improve time spent listening is getting those that already listen and like you to listen more. That happens when you become proficient in the art of prepromotion. For details check out our seminars here and here.

Conclusion

Today’s listeners won’t tolerate ordinary. They only respond to extraordinary. Make this the year you resolve to become a difference-making air personality that attracts attention and leads a fan base.

Of course, it takes talent. But more than talent, it demands a commitment to being the best you can possibly be. What are your New Year’s Resolutions?