Personalities naturally fall into patterns over time. When you find a formula that works, repeating it becomes second nature. On one hand, the familiarity adds a subtle sense of comfort for the audience and confidence in your performance. But it can result in a sense of sameness that doesn’t generate as much excitement as it could or should. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep performances fresh.
As with most things, these performance-enhancing methods start in show prep. Applying the ones that fit your show best can add variety to your routine.
How to Keep Performances Fresh
The most common method of launching a topic is:
Set it up.
Offer an opinion or point of view.
Invite listeners or ask/beg for calls.
Let’s get more creative. Here are a variety of ways to engage the audience:
Issue A Challenge: Make a statement that there is no way anyone listening who ______, then let the audience take the challenge. An excellent example of this technique is here. Listen to how this show brands a segment by making a strong claim.
Stake A Position: State something as an absolute fact, but it’s just an opinion. Claim you are right, and everyone will agree. However, leave the door open for listeners to change your mind. Listeners love proving wrong, and when the challenge is issued, you’re likely to get a spirited debate.
Is Anyone Listening Who: This is similar to a challenge but wrapped in a compelling feature. Ask if anyone is listening who fits the description of what you want. For details and examples, go here.
Book Of Records: Set a topic and ask listeners for the most extreme story that fits the description. Details and examples are here.
The Dilemma: Set up a problem and respond to a potential real-life situation. This is often managed in a daily or weekly feature like The Panic Button or Group Therapy.
