They’d Really Rather Not Hear

I was hired to coach a big-name national platform talent a couple of years ago. It was fun. Working with super-talented people is always fun.

But he got a bit prickly when I suggested he spent too much time talking about his “fabulous London vacation.”

My belief was that his listeners cared more about the hot topics of the day than about what he and his family ate in London. It was a minor part of the overall coaching session and I was surprised at his defensiveness, because everything else I heard was really, really good – and I made sure he knew it.

It turns out my gut reaction to that topic on his specific show has a scientific grounding.

“People are more likely to enjoy talking about an ordinary experience they have all had rather than hearing about the fabulous one they didn’t. So sharing the details of your singular experience in a social setting can indeed backfire, leading to feelings of being excluded.”

“…the pleasure of a social encounter is built on commonality.”

One of the reasons depression is on the rise is because we all see only the best of our friends lives posted on Facebook, and in comparison, ours doesn’t measure up. The most recent example is Kim Kardashian's 40th birthday bash.

If you’re an air talent, you’ll be more relatable, more acceptable, and probably more popular sharing something any of your listeners could do rather than spotlighting your unique access or experience.

“We’re so attracted to extraordinary things that we don’t think about their cost — that they make you different from anyone else.”

Living vicariously through another’s extravagant expenditures may have its advocates, but that seems less and less so this year, with the pandemic and all the social justice and political mayhem. Today, it seems like self-sacrifice is the beacon we’re all drawn towards.

Still don’t believe me? Check THIS out.