The Talent Coach: Craig Bruce
I was talking to a radio friend of mine who does a breakfast show the other day and she said this to me…
‘Craig, I just want everyone to be on the same page.
‘I’m sick of having to explain to the team what fits with the show and what doesn’t.
‘I’m frustrated by the fact that I can’t be 100% sure that a creative decision for the show can be made without me being in the room.
‘I hate wasting time debating topic ideas and creative angles for stories that aren’t in line with the show we’re creating.’
I said to her… show me the page then.
She didn’t have one, and if she did I suspect it hadn’t been shared with anyone for a long time.
It makes sense that the people around you aren’t on the same page, if there is no page.
Call it a vision document, call it whatever the hell you like.
This page can have as much or as little detail as you think it needs, but it should include:
- Our content filters.
- Our tone of voice.
- The roles of the key players.
- Our weapons-what makes us a great.
- What we will say no to.
- Our intent-what are we trying to achieve and what will it look like when we get there.
When you have done this with your team, get your content director and breakfast EP to share this page with every single person who interacts with the show – from the GM, to the sales director and sales teams, to the product team and anyone else who will have an influence on the show.
One small tip – you can’t share the contents of this page often enough.
Regularly talking about the brand you’re building and the vision for your show is your best chance to have everyone who’s working on it on the same page.
About the Author
Craig is the former Head of Content at Southern Cross Austereo. Responsible for getting some of Australia’s best talent on radio, his true passion has always been the development and mentoring of young talent. He now works as a talent coach and radio consultant.