Public
Speaking for DJ's: Jeff Blackman Interview Part II
September 2004
Editor's Note:
Whether it's "last call for alcohol," the cutting of
the cake, or announcing next week's Oakenfold appearance -- at
one point or another -- most club and mobile DJ's speak on the
microphone. While speaking clearly at the right volume level
is essential, the content of a DJ's speech is often as important
as the song selection. This month's tip features one of the top
public speaking coaches in the United States, Jeff Blackman.
He is a speaker, author, success coach, broadcaster and lawyer.
His clients call him a "business-growth specialist."
If you hire speakers for your organization, please contact Jeff
at: 847.998.0688, by e-mail: jeff@jeffblackman.com, or visit
his Web site: www.jeffblackman.com and subscribe to his
free e-letter, The Results Report. His new book, Stop
Whining! Start Selling! is available wherever books are sold.
"Words
Can Bring People Together" -- Jeff Blackman (during this
interview)
Disc Jockey
101: How can a club or mobile DJ become a better speaker on the
microphone?
Aside from the
technical aspects of a microphone -- I let the audio engineers
take care of that -- there are a couple of things. What you are
really asking is what can a DJ do to best prepare for the event.
First, get there early and know your environment and surroundings;
Be willing to make changes, such as staging and lighting -- so
that you can be seen. Staging and lighting are important considerations.
You want to do everything that is conducive to an outstanding
presentation, program, and performance.
A good DJ knows
how to ride the roller coaster -- there are moments of emotion,
excitement, and enthusiasm. When appropriate, the DJ knows when
to be serious. All these things can occur during the course of
an evening. It involves pacing and rhythm.
To actually learn
how to speak, the best thing to do is to study other speakers.
You should watch professional speakers on television. You can
watch the political debates, and instead of the political message,
watch people and their cadence, the rhythm, the use of language.
You can watch televangelists -- believe it or not -- forget the
nature of the religious message, but watch how they communicate,
watch their body language, their choice of words, what activates
an audience to get them excited, die, show affirmation or agreement.
Thus, there are a lot of ways to learn about public speaking
by observing others speak.
Disc Jockey
101: Do you believe that a DJ can be more effective if she or
he is seen -- like being located in the center of the room?
It depends on
the environment and it depends on the role of the DJ. Sometimes
it's not necessarily the role of the DJ to be the center of attention,
but instead, the coordinator of the attention. For example --
at a wedding -- the focus of attention should be on the couple.
At a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, the focus should be on the boy or girl.
At a corporate function, the focus is likely going to be on the
members of the corporate leadership or the top sales professionals.
At the same time,
the DJ needs to understand his/her role or purpose. The role
should be to provide a seamless evening of entertainment. Therefore,
a DJ can take a front seat or a back seat depending on what's
really important to the decision-maker -- who hired you, what
do they want you to accomplish, and what do they perceive your
role to be?
One of my pet
peeves is when you hear a voice at a venue and you don't know
where it's coming from. Thus, when the DJ goes to the microphone
-- they should see you, they should know where you're at -- as
opposed to some voice that is coming out of some undisclosed
area. That often happens, I'll find myself asking 'where the
heck is the DJ, the master of ceremonies?' That's a reflection
of the light and sound coordination and creating the right culture
and environment. Those things require the right planning.
Disc Jockey
101: What can you suggest to help those DJ's that weren't gifted
with a strong "radio" voice?
I'm lucky that
I have a so-called 'radio' voice. There are things that can be
done to improve your voice. When I was young, I took speech correction
lessons. I literally worked two to three years on my "r's"
and my "l's" until I could eventually enunciate, articulate,
and communicate. I became fascinated -- at an early age -- with
language and words. I had no idea that at the age of six, that
my life in essence was being shaped.
The main thing
is whatever your voice is -- that's your voice. Once you
go beyond your voice, things such as language, intonation, inflection,
expression, rhythm, and pacing. I know a lot of folks that have
a great set of pipes, yet they're not very effective communicators.
Their words don't stir emotion or create action.
Whatever your
voice is, accept it, be proud of it. If there are things that
you believe can make it better, then work on those things. It's
a skill, it's a tool, and you have to use it effectively.
Disc Jockey
101: Your book, Stop Whining!, Start Selling!, became
an Amazon.com bestseller in January 2004. In your opinion, why
is this book so popular?
I can only give
you the opinion of those that matter -- and that's the people
that bought this book. I think that the reason it became a best
seller quickly -- and the reason why it's continued to do well
-- is because it works. Everything that's in that book is based
on fact and experience. These are proven strategies that any
individual -- including a DJ -- can use to make their business
grow fast. The ideas are based upon sound, proven, practical,
profit-producing principles that are ethical and effective.
Disc Jockey
101: So wedding DJ's that want to book more gigs or Club DJ's
that want to market their skills should benefit from your book?
Absolutely. If
you ask the DJ's that read Disc Jockey 101 what they do, they
might answer "I'm a DJ." That's a bad answer. In Stop
Whining!, Start Selling!, I address how you creatively respond
to answer the question 'so what do you do?'
A DJ might look
to respond by addressing the outcome of the results that you
may help a customer attain.
Disc Jockey
101: So you are referring to a DJ, for example, that helps a
customer to have a good time and escape from life's everyday
problems?
If you're talking
to a club owner, you might say 'I help your customers have a
good time, escape from their problems, to have one of the most
memorable evenings of their life, and I help you make more money
then you ever thought possible.' That's one of the things that
I teach in the book, which is how to respond to the question
'so what do you do?' Instead of telling the club owner about
your scratching, mixing or technical skills, you may want to
ask the owner 'so why do you want to have a DJ?' What image do
you want to convey? What are some of your favorite songs? What
do you want people talking about when they leave? Everything
that you do is to help people attain just that.
The typical DJ
may say something like 'I have over 15,000 songs to choose from.'
Who cares? Maybe during the course of four hours you're going
to play 40 or 50 songs. The decision-maker may want to pick the
songs to start the evening, end the evening, and the songs they
believe will get their customers on the dance floor -- to unite
people.
A really great
DJ asks great questions, such as 'what are the problems that
you want to solve, the needs you want to fill, what are the dreams
and goals that you want to have in your life?'
When someone
throws a party, they want it to be really memorable. The DJ's
job is to help them achieve that. By the way, in all stages --
before, during, and after the party. Your job is to be flexible,
gracious, and courteous. We've been at events where the DJ refused
to play a request. The DJ might say 'that really doesn't fit
into the mix.' Who cares about their mix?
Many ways that
Stop Whining! Start Selling! might help DJ's is the fact
that there are strategies there that might help someone if they
are serious about the business -- and to have their business
grow fast. In addition, I write very conversational and folksy.
The book is also inexpensive.
A good DJ knows
what's going on in the world; has familiarity with other cultures;
politics; society; and fashion. Because knowing all those things
will help you to better relate to both the audience and the decision-maker.
Good DJ's are also well read.
Click Here for Last Month: Part I
-
- Get over
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book, Stop Whining! Start Selling!
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- Here's a special
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monstrous results, increased revenue and greater earnings, plus
get over $500 worth of FREE stuff, then buy Jeff's new book at
big savings at www.amazon.com or www.800ceoread.com/blackman.
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Club
of the Year
Disc Jockey 101
Nightclub of the Year 2004 is (tied): Club Space (Miami, Florida) and
Fabric (London, UK).
Industry
News
* Turntablism
I (NC 500, Section 8201) will be offered at Scottsdale
Community College
beginning October 6, 2004. The class is taught by DJ
Radar
and has limited seating. Class fee is $79. To register, call
480-423-6321.
* The
Nightclub and Bar Beverage and Food Trade Show will be held from October
25th to 27th at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando,
Florida. For attending information, contact: 888-966-2727.
* The Mobile
Beat DJ Show and Conference takes place February 22-24, 2005 in Las Vegas,
Nevada. Held at the Stardust Conference Center, early
registrants can save by purchasing passes before October 15,
2004. To phone, call 525-385-9920 (M-F, 9am-5pm ET).
Tip of the Month