by Gary Morland, Talent Coach
The thing I say most often to air talent in Christian music formats?
“Be in the boat with the listener.”
This means we say things in a way where the listener knows that WE know that what we’re saying applies to US, too.
“In the boat” means not just passing on good, true, information.
It means including “I” and “me” along with “you” and “we.”
Saying, “Be sensitive to people around you today,” is not being in the boat with the listener.
“I need to be sensitive to people around me today,” is in the boat.
“You know, Christians are Jesus with skin on,” is not in the boat.
“You know, I realized last night when I put my daughter to bed with patience and gentleness, that’s how Jesus would do it,” is in the boat with the listener.
Which way feels best to you as a listener?
We don’t need to be in the boat every single time. But usually.
The ultimate “in the boat” is our own scenes and stories.
Out of the boat sounds like, “It’s good when kids realize that God is always there even when he seems distant.”
That’s a true, good, but generic statement.
In the boat with your own scene and story sounds like:
“We went to the mountains with my 8-year-old son. He loved the views when we got there. The next morning was foggy. You know what he said? ‘You know what mom? Even though I can’t see the mountains I know they’re still there. Just like God.’”
Now the listener knows you ‘get it’ just like them.
The challenge is not having scenes and stories like this. We all have them.
The challenge is noticing and remembering them.
Here are some prompts to help you remember your own scenes and stories.
In the last 24 hours:
- What’s something I read that I’m still thinking about?
- What’s something I heard or saw that jumped out at me?
- What memories have I been reminded of?
- What have I had an emotional response to?
- What’s a conversation I had that I’m still thinking about?
Maybe you only come up with one to two things. Great!
This is valuable because usually we have emotional responses to things that matter to us as people and humans, just like our listener.
Chances are you’re still thinking about it because there’s something human and universal in there that causes all of us to feel or think something.
What is that universal thing? Usually it’s something like forgiveness, or the love of family, or second chances, or the power of encouragement . . .
This is a great starting place for including your own scenes and stories.
If you use the prompts twice a week, how many things can you come up with that you normally miss?
I have not yet said to an air talent, “I think you need to dial back being so human, and be a little more generic.”
Being in the boat with the listener is connecting. And including your own stories connects even deeper.
Letting the listener feel that you live in the same world with them is gold.
