The Fifth Key to An Effective Pledge Break

The first key was "Enthusiasm". You need to demonstrate your enthusiasm for your show, the station and the telethon.

The second key was "Emphasizing Benefits." Talk less about the "features" of WRUW and more about the benefits the listeners receive.

The third key was "Think Like Goldilocks." Don't talk "too long", don't talk "too short". Talk "just the right amount of time". Each time you talk about the telethon, shoot for 5 to 6 minutes. That doesn't include your playlist or any PSA's. That means 5 to 6 minutes just about the telethon, within the context of other talking.

Our fourth key was "Have a Plan". Know what you'll talk about and when you'll talk about it, as well as what music you will play.

Here's our final key of the "5 Keys to an Effective Pledge Break":

"Plagiarize!"

When it comes to talking on-air during the fundraiser, it is completely allowable to copy, lift and steal what your fellow programmers are saying at other times during the week (assuming the facts are correct).

The later you're on during the week, the more time you have to listen to everyone else, figure out what worked and what didn't, and use it for your own show.

Even if you're on during the first day, we have recordings you can listen to on this website for ideas on how to talk about the telethon.

I say it's okay to borrow liberally (assuming the facts are correct). However, it's even better to give credit to the original source.

For example, suppose you say something like

"I heard Melissa on Monday evening and she talked about something that really stuck with me. She was talking about how she brings guests into the studio to talk and play live in the studio. That's one of the great benefits of this new broadcast studio we built in 2006 ..."

If you phrase your comments with credit to the source, you indirectly show that YOU listen to the station, too, and are just as much a listener as anyone else.

And you show how we're all in this together to raise as much money as we can in this one sensational week!

That's Key #5 ... plagiarize. Copy, lift and steal what your fellow programmers are saying at other times during the week (assuming the facts are correct).

Thanks for reading these "5 Keys". I hope you've found them useful as you prepare for your Telethon show!