by Jay Trachman
A One to One Family Member writes, “Phones are a big part of many shows, and I’ve seen very little on the subject of how to give good phone. How does one set up, how does one wrap up? How does one pose questions without sounding scripted? What should one ask? How long should a phone bit be?”
Good questions; I’m going to have to reply in principles, rather than specifics, because everything depends on the purpose of the call and the format you’re working in. That said, here’s the first and, I believe, most important principle of all:
The phone caller is the surrogate for your listener. How you treat the caller is how your listener will feel treated by you. If you’re flat and scripted, if you’re unemotional and ungiving to the caller, your listener will get a sense that you’re either a cold fish or an insecure puppy. It’s okay to have fun with a caller — but never at his or her expense. (The exception is if rudeness is your “shtick,” and you can confidently say people are calling hoping to get insulted.) While most of us have the good sense not to insult a caller on the air, one place I hear a lot of jocks messing up is with kids, especially in contest phone-ins. If you sound impatient with a kid, not only will he or she resent it, so will everyone they tell. And that’s the least of it. Because I’m a parent and for that moment my main feeling will be, “Who the hell does he think he is — he better not talk to my kid like that!” So rule #1 is, if you’re gonna’ put ’em on the air – find some joy to share in the interchange and, above all, be nice!
Another point about contest callers: you are a participant in what may be the most important event of their day. The prize may only be a coffee mug, but you can bet the winner will tell everyone at work and at home that he/she won it. It’s not the prize, it’s the event. Thus, your attitude should be empathetic to your winner’s, just as any friend’s would be. That doesn’t mean “sound excited.” It means “Be excited.”
How do you do that, the 400th time you’ve given away a tee shirt? Like any good actor: you reach inside yourself for an instant and recall how you felt the last time you won something. Or your wife did, or your kids or your best friend. Recapture the emotion you felt then and use it to bring out the expression in your voice.
On the other hand, if you have a “loser”… (I’m of the opinion that nobody should be a “loser” in a contest. If they get on the air, they should win something, even if it’s only an autographed picture of the staff) a little genuine disappointment and sympathy is called for from you. You don’t have to do twenty seconds on how heart-broken you are, but the tone of your voice, as well as your words, should express this, at least: “I’m sorry — I was rootin’ for you… But at least you can try again tomorrow, okay?”
The same principles of involvement hold true for other types of phone calls. If you’re doing an interview, I urge you to do some research beforehand, so you have an idea of what the interviewee is about. And yes, I believe you should have scripted questions. More than you can use. It’s simple show prep: just as you need to start your show with more material than you can possibly use, you should begin an interview with more questions than you’ll ever need. That sets you free to be creative, because you don’t have to be. In my experience, the hardest time to come up with clever stuff is when you need to. By knowing you can coast if necessary, you free your mind to associate, to conjure new things up on the spot.
Once you’re into the call, lead with your prepared questions. And pay the same kind of close attention to your subject as you would with a friend, and as you hope your listener will. The minute a fruitful question or response comes to mind, set your script aside and wing it, knowing you can always go back to your prep when this particular thread is over.
Your questions should avoid pleasantries, whether you’re doing an interview or taking phone-ins on a “bit” or contest. “How are you today?” “Whatcha’ up to?” “How’s it going?” Wasted breath and time. You don’t really want answers to questions like that. Supposing someone replied, “Oh, just terrible. My dog died this morning, my husband’s in the hospital, I got fired Friday and my checks are bouncing all over town!”
Good questions to kick off a listener phone-in: “Are you calling from home or work?” “Where do you work?” “Do you have a family?” “How long have you been a KJT listener?” There’s your “pleasantries;” get past them quickly and then get to the “business” of the call.
These are just a few of the fundamentals of telephone use; there are more, but these are universal. Remember that the one on the phone represents every listener; get emotionally involved, find things to enjoy and express them out loud; be ready with more material than you can use; avoid meaningless questions.
Finally, the principle of brevity is as valid here as it is in any material we do. Like they say in Show Biz, “Always leave ’em wanting more.”
Jay Trachman is publisher of “One to One,” a weekly information and humor service for broadcasters. Jay can be reached at: phone (559) 448 0700, fax (559) 448 0761, e-mail at 121@att.net, or www.121online.net. Reprinted with permission.
