Performance Coaching

“Rob has a rare gift for meeting talent at any level and breaking down complex concepts into clear, actionable steps—his coaching delivers real, undeniable growth. His track record speaks volumes, with countless past mentees thriving across the industry.” – JH Jacksonville, FL

Whether you need a few meetings and reviews to sort out where you are vs. where you vision yourself, or something bigger, I have been there, done that, and can help you get to where you want to be.

Everyone needs a coach. Even coaches need a coach! In the past most broadcast talent coaches were station Program Directors, News Directors, or (heaven forbid) consultants. But due to broadcasting becoming a “do more with less” business, your immediate boss is likely bogged down with Brand Manager duties that most air talent aren’t aware of. Which leads to less personal attention to air talent development. That’s where my services come in…

Along with being lucky to have been mentored by many top radio and performing arts coaches in my career, I have networked with numerous national radio and televison performers about what has made them successful, often when others with even greater talent have failed. And I’m eager to pass the things I have learned on to you, so you can impress behind the mic, in front of the camera, or on-stage.

How we can help your performance…

Through human analysis of past and current performances, we will build on strengths, work toward eliminating weaknesses and help you get better, faster, in a process that is much less nerve-wracking than meeting with the person responsible for your paycheck. All sessions are confidential. My goal is to have your manager and listeners/viewers notice your improvement and come to you to compliment you on it, without being asked.

“I love seeing the excitement of air talent when they achieve a new level of performance, leading them to not only professional but personal success. These small jumps now, often pay off in future career arc. I love being a conduit to improvement.” – Rob L.

How we’ll start: In our free initial conversation, I will become familiar with your goals, what you feel your strengths are, and where you feel you need to improve. I will share what you can expect from me, and come up with up a plan of action. Whether you want just a few aircheck/performance reviews, or longer term coaching, we can work out a plan to fit your time availability and budget. My goal is to have you learn a lot, over a little period of time.  Review and analysis will cover aspects from the basics to the advanced including:

For Radio Performers and Podcasters:

Voice and Delivery:

  • Pacing and Breathing. Mic mix & technique, especially over audio content/music
  • Energy and variety in emotion to complement content mood
  • Being authoritative vs “just talking”
  • Attitude and persona
  • More vocal depth and range = a more confident listener.  
  • Listener eye contact.
  • Overall polish and professionalism
  • Work the quirks!

Structure and Content:

  • Character development and role definition.
  • The Rules of Three
  • Forward momentum and linear content development
  • Relatable and tangible to local/immediate target
  • Relatable and tangible to new listeners who know nothing about the host or guests
  • Content development and its appeal toward the target listener
  • Cut-through moments
  • When to go against the grain and totally surprise the listener
  • Topic mix
  • Why talk set entries and exits are everything. (All interior content will happen naturally) 
  • Transferability to video and social media
  • Interviewing skills

Podcasters Extras: 

  • Are you taking too long to get to headline content?
  • Resetting the scene and target; who you are and what you are doing

For TV Performers:

  • On-Camera body language
  • Mic placement  
  • Clarity of message/segment story writing
  • Breathing, pacing and tempo
  • Smile vs serious
  • Depth of voice: calm and confident transfers to the viewer
  • Honesty in a tough situation: Describing what is happening, and letting viewers know what you are feeling, without making it about you
  • Response when nothing is working technically, is defining
  • Being human and authentic while still being a factual reporter

For Public Speaking and more:

  • Body language, head connection and eye-contact
  • Work the quirks!
  • The entrance, the content, the exit
  • Story development. (You aren’t giving a speech; you are telling a story!)
  • Customizing your message for the audience
  • Speaking from the heart vs the mind
  • Preventing Powerpoint zzzzzzzz

This is just a minimal list of challenges we may cover. Coaching sessions can be on phone, zoom, in-person, or combination, and will include written follow-up material. The above listings may sound like a lot, but they will come easy and organically if you have passion, love what you do, and work your craft. We’ll simply work on getting better, faster, together!

Coaching Point:  No matter what you do in life, your performance will always be graded. Just make sure that no one grades you harder than you grade yourself

Work with me…