Reflection 9 of 52: Late night talk lessons.
March 03, 2014
The recent switch up of late night talk show hosts, spurred by Jimmy Fallon taking over The Tonight Show made me wonder what attributes makes the host succeed. That led to dissecting their performances from a communication perspective to see if there were lesson to be learned.
All of this gaggle of evening entertainers do a stand up routine to kick off the show. Aside from showing their sense of humour, it keeps the program relevant and topical. Good communicators are usually up to date on most current events so they can hold their own in just about any situation. Lesson number one!
Letterman's top ten list is always au current.
They have researched their guests and put forward questions they know the audience wants to ask. Lesson number two, know your audience and do your research on the topic. In this case the topic is the guest and we all know how good it feels when people have done some digging to find out more about you. I met a woman at an event the other day who remarked on my linkedin activity. It felt good that she could recall my name from that source.
They all seem to be willing to put themselves out there with skits or silly antics. Not taking ourselves too seriously seems to be an endearing attribute. The ability to lighten up at appropriate times just reinforces our sense of "fun". Who likes to be around people who are always uber serious?
Click here to see the lip sync battle between Jimmy Fallon and Paul Rudd.
The hosts all sit at an angle that has their body facing the studio/camera audience so they have to turn their head toward the guest. That is obviously strategic. If the host and guest are face to face, the rest of us do not feel a part of the conversation. If people feel excluded in any environment, someone is not focused on good communication. I see this at functions all the time. Someone joins a group and people don't move around to include the newcomer. Being totally present and inclusive is good communication.
The hosts also take great delight in the guest stories. While they occasionally add in a personal experience or anecdote, they stay tuned to their guest. Another great communicator attribute.
Finally, they know how to nicely break for a commercial or wrap up the discussion. Knowing how to end presentations, discussions, telephone calls or meetings is an art in leaving the recipients feeling heard. It is all about how you leave people feeling.
When we lay our heads down to sleep and recap what has transpired in the day we think about our interactions and think about how they make us feel. Even if you go to slumberville while watching television or surfing on your tablet... at some point you think about how people impacted you.
My all time favourite TV host was Johnny Carson. There was a vulnerability and lightness about that man that felt like a comfy old bedroom slipper.
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