John Simons, International Consultant for Simo Radio has been a programmer at BBC Radio 2, the LBC and headed up The Real Radio and Smooth Radio programming teams. Based on 35 years of experience, he offered quick tips to being a great presenter over a fast-paced talk which covered the tips like a top 40 round-up.
Here are 20 tips according to John Simon on how to be a great presenter.
1. Have an opinion.
Great presenters have something to say and they are not afraid of to say it. Make sure you always have something to say and when you say it, say it with conviction.
2. They listen to snoops of the show regularly.
Simon says great presenters identify issues to work and what to improve on based on listening to their shows. Professionals learn from their mistakes by identifying possible areas of improvement.
3. The talk frame.
They talk to one person and not the audience.
4. Social Media.
Great presenters use their social media effectively to stay relevant and connect with their audience.
5. Know their audience.
Go to places and do the things that their audience do. This is to keep their interest at the same level as their listeners.
6. Paint pictures with their links.
The pictures on radio are better than the pictures on television because they are in their minds. Radio is a wonderful media because you speak directly into the listener’s mind, so a great present must take advantage of this medium.
7. Share their life on are real.
Simon believes it’s important to share your life with your listeners as a presenter because it makes you real, relative and asserts your personality.
8. Keen to learn new skills.
It’s important to constantly improve one skills as a presenter and take up interest in a variety of topics and areas.
9. Friends with the commercial team. These presenters have good relations with the commercials team as a way of understanding the operations of the business side of the radio.
10. Always out in the community to talk to the audience and find out what’s happening in the communities in which they are speaking to and about.
11. Promote their fellow presenters. Simon believes that as a presenter, it’s important to have great relations with other presenters so that you can have a great idea of what your peers are up to.
12. Are well turned out and always on time. Arriving at a show on time means that you will be well prepared and gives you a professional image.
13. Can laugh at themselves and often do. A great presenter has the ability to take a negative situation and create material out of it by laughing at themselves, together with their listeners.
14. Are always hometown proud.
15. Do prep before and paperwork after the show.
16. Are never racist, sexist or bigotted.
17. Always pre-read scripts to arrive prepared for shows and deliver their content with ease.
18. Listen to the rest of the radio station. This is so that they have a strong understanding of the station and are well aligned with the values of the station and the broader conversation taking place on the station.
19. Are well read and not false. This is key for preparation when on air, being well read makes one a great presenter because you can handle almost any subject with ease if you’ve read.
20. Control stress and moods and can be relied on in a crisis. Sometimes things don’t go well, and a great presenter is one who will not panic or flunk in a crisis but is one that you can rely on.
Welcome Lishivha
(Edited by Simbarashe Honde)