The Third Key to an Effective Pledge Break

"Think Like Goldilocks"

Most of us know the famous children's story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears".

Goldilocks is wandering through the forest and comes across the home of the Three Bears. She walks right in and sees three bowls of porridge on the kitchen table. One is "too hot". One is "too cold". One is "just right".

Then she tries the three chairs in the living room. One is "too big". One is "too small" (and she destroys it). And one is "just right".

The routine repeats in the bedroom of the Three Bears with Goldilocks finding one bed "too hard", one bed "too soft" and one bed "just right". Then the bears arrive home, find the missing porridge, the broken chair, and Goldilocks, and Goldilocks wakes up and runs away.

So what's the lesson here, other than "don't be a stupid burglar"?

The lesson is in an analogy.

In the world of our telethon, some people talk "too long", some people talk "too short", and some people "talk the just right length". In fact, the Corporation For Public Broadcasting has paid for studies on radio fundraising. In general, the studies found that ...

Talking about fundraising topics for more than 7 minutes is "too long"

Talk for more than 7 minutes, and I can almost unequivocally guarantee that your listeners will tune out mentally and then physically change the dial.

And, if you aren't organized about what you plan to talk about, 7 minutes will feel like 7 hours to both you and the listeners.

Talking about fundraising topics for 3 minutes or less is "too short"

In general, less than 3 minutes is not enough time to really hook the listener's attention.

You have to speak longer appeals to really build the case WHY we're doing the fundraiser, and what premiums are available, and how important a donation is to us and to the listener. Those appeals need to be longer than 3 minutes. So at the 3-minute mark, keep talking!

There are exceptions to this statement, of course. For example, it's perfectly fine to say "a phone line is open, we need to hear from everyone who likes this music right now, so call us on that open line at 216-368-2208." That's less than 15 seconds. BUT, you can't build a successful telethon show on just 15 second bits.

Talking for 5 to 6 minutes is "just about right".

The research shows that, assuming you're organized about what you're saying, if you speak for right around five minutes about the fundraiser you'll end right on the cusp of what the listener perceives as the "shut up already!" point.

More than five minutes is okay. 6 minutes is okay, too. However, at 7 minutes you better be shutting up, announcing the phone number, and returning to music. This applies to public affairs shows, too. Change gears with music after 5 to 6 minutes.

Know Your Time Limits!

There's an automatic timer on the console's display screen. It starts counting up as soon as you turn on any of the microphones. Obviously, if you're reading your playlist or announcing concerts, or reading a PSA that time will be counted, too. So, if you want to start the timer "fresh", either turn the mic OFF and then ON very quickly, OR press the Timer "Reset" button on the upper right corner of the console.

3 minutes ... too short

7 minutes ... too long

5 minutes ... just right!

Need Help Creating a Strong 5-minute Appeal? Download the worksheets on "How to Structure Your Appeals".

Read the Fourth Key to an Effective Pledge Break