by Gary Morland, Finney Media Talent Coach
We’re privileged to work in the greatest radio format in the world. In the end, it’s about the questions every person has: “Who am I? Why am I here? How does life work?”
We answer those questions with music, and with air talent who are examples of people faithfully trying to live out the answers.
We also answer those questions by making friends. In radio, making friends looks like winning listeners. And in our kind of radio, winning listeners means connecting with the heart.
When I was first hired in this format, I knew how to entertain. But connecting with the heart over the radio was going to be a new skill. I had to be coached in how to do that.
This new coaching was not like when I was in mainstream radio, where one time the program director took the air check tape from our morning show out into the parking lot with us and set it on fire.
He was trying to be funny. He said, “That’s all we need to say about that.” But I never knew what it was that made him do that. I just knew not to do “that” again, whatever it was.
But that was a different kind of radio. If we want radio that makes a positive emotional connection with listeners, wouldn’t coaching that is a positive emotional connection with the talent seem appropriate?
It’s consistent with how we grow as Christians and move toward becoming the person God has in mind for us: God majors on encouragement, with some specific criticisms.
The experts say we actually need a ratio of about five to one of encouragement to criticism. If we get four encouragements and one criticism, we don’t feel the encouragement. It needs to be five to one to get us over the hump. That’s how sensitive we all are to encouragement and criticism. Negativity is our default, both on the giving and receiving end.
Encouragement takes work. It can be discouraging not to be coached or to receive inconsistent coaching. We can think it must not matter. Or I must not be worth it.
And it can be discouraging being coached with a major on criticism. As an air talent, it was easy for me to hear so much of “Don’t do that” that after a few years, I felt I didn’t have anything left that was valuable.
Coaching that will change lives says, “Here’s what you do well that fits what’s needed. Here’s who you can be. And here’s where you have an opportunity to grow.” That kind of coaching changed me and impacted the listener.
We want radio that majors on encouragement. Air talent can get discouraged without coaching, or with coaching that ignores the five to one ratio all human beings experience. Good coaching creates a culture of encouragement in the building and on the air. And it wins listener’s hearts.
I’ll be sharing more tips on positive encouragement through talent coaching during our upcoming Finney Media Webin8 on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at Noon CT/1pm ET. Join us for eight minutes, and we’ll give you more ways you can connect with your listener and offer them the encouragement they want from you. Registration is now open. Visit our REGISTRATION PAGE to reserve your spot.
Want more specific talent coaching help? EMAIL US today and let’s see how we can come alongside to help you meet your audience growth goals this year.
