If you have a client or you are a client, being on the radio can be one of the most effective ways to get your message out to the public. They typically have more time than other platforms, which can allow you to really make your case to an external audience. But “What Makes a Great Radio Interview”? Join “Can You Hear Me?” co-hosts Eileen Rochford and Rob Johnson as they ask WBBM Newsradio Anchor Rob Hart that very question.
If you have a client or you are a client, being on the radio can be one of the most effective ways to get your message out to the public. They typically have more time than other platforms, which can allow you to really make your case to an external audience. But “What Makes a Great Radio Interview”? Join “Can You Hear Me?” co-hosts Eileen Rochford and Rob Johnson as they ask WBBM Newsradio Anchor Rob Hart that very question.
Meet Our Guest
Rob Hart, a Chicago native with over 20 years of experience on some of the great radio stations in the Midwest. His radio career started in 2000 at WTMJ Radio in Milwaukee. Since then he has worked at WGN Radio in Chicago, the former WIQI-FM, and 97.9 The Loop. He was also the host of “The Daily Dish” and a Martin Luther King Jr documentary for CBS News Radio.
Click the links below to follow the Podcast and Co-Hosts on LinkedIn!
Eileen Rochford [00:00:18] Hello again, everybody, and welcome to Can You Hear Me? I'm Eileen Rochford, CEO of the marketing and strategy firm The Harbinger Group.
Rob Johnson [00:00:26] And I'm Rob Johnson, president of Rob Johnson Communications. For professionals like Eileen and me, who have clients who judge their success by appearing on earned media like traditional TV, radio or print. Getting them prepped for that engagement can make or break the interview, but each interview is different depending on the realities of that particular outlet.
Eileen Rochford [00:00:46] Like radio, for instance. Since you're heard there and not seen at all, it's okay to have notes in front of you, just as long as you don't sound like you're reading from them, right? I mean, nobody wants to hear that, and the formats on radio, depending on the show can be very different. Many shows have longer form interviews. They can last as long as seven, eight, nine minutes. And those are great because they can allow you to really show your personality comfortably weave in stories. Examples. Others, like NewsRadio 780 WBBM in Chicago are typically straight news with much, much shorter segments where getting to the point is paramount.
Rob Johnson [00:01:23] And speaking of news radio WBBM, we're honored to welcome to Can You Hear Me? Veteran award winning news anchor Rob Hart. Rob, welcome to the program. We appreciate you joining us.
Rob Hart [00:01:35] Well, thank you for having me today.
Rob Johnson [00:01:36] And I do have to say right off the top, it's odd for me to be to have a podcast with Eileen and I'm the Rob with the second best voice today, so I'm just going to have to get over it. We're going to plow through. It's going to be awesome. We're looking forward to it. (laughs)
Rob Hart [00:01:50] That's very flattering because every time I hear myself on the radio, I say, I'm like, "why do I sound like one of the superfans this year?" To me, it sounds very nasally.
EIleen Rochford [00:02:00] I think you guys are both amazing.
Rob Johnson [00:02:02] You're doing just fine.
EIleen Rochford [00:02:04] Coming from a total amateur rookie. You guys are great. Okay. (laughs)
Rob Johnson [00:02:09] I have voice envy of Rob Hart, but that's beside the point. We're going to plow through here. So, Rob, for our listeners, why don't you give everybody a little bit of your background so they know how you got to one of the preeminent Chicago radio stations, not only in Chicago, but in America?
Rob Hart [00:02:24] Well, I started out, my journey into broadcasting began at, Marquette University, where I was a, communications major with broadcast in electronic communications. Back then, I was on the, campus radio station. I did some, work on the campus TV station. And then, in my sophomore year, the, executive talk show producer at WTMJ Radio in Milwaukee. It turns out he played racquetball with my broadcasting advisor at Marquette. And he told him, I think we have a couple of openings for a, part time, producer/newscaster. Someone who would work on the weekends. Do you know of anybody? And, my name was at the top of his, mental list. And that was the very beginning. My first day on the air in Milwaukee as a professional broadcaster was April 22nd of 2000. And my job was to answer the phones during the sports talk show. That would lead up to the Brewers or the Bucks. And then I would play the commercials during the Brewers games and the Bucks games. And then we'd go into programing afterwards, and we had a three minute local news cut in after the network news at the top of the hour. And that was my first entry into big time radio. And the funny thing was, back then, you know, you're a sophomore, your junior at Marquette, and, I would get off the air at 1130 and then go straight to campus parties where everybody else was. And, I thought like I was an astronaut returning from the moon or something like that. I was like, oh, by the way, I was on the radio. And then they would say, oh, where? And I'd say, well,WTMJ AM620. It's like, oh, my parents listen to that. And that was the end of all the, the social cachet that, that would bring you. But, five years of WTMJ, led to, to, WGN in Chicago. My first day on the air in the city was, October, 17th of 2005, the day the White Sox, won the American League pennant. And, that was a heck of a way to start. And, from there, it was, they did an all new start up. You may remember FM news 101.1 and its, 11 glorious months of operation. And then, when it went off the air, I was still under contract for another year. And you talk about pivots, I go from doing all news, to going down the hall to the loop. Classic rock. They had a new morning show that was, underway, and they said, do you want to give that a shot? And it turns out, the host and I had some chemistry. I stayed there until 2015, and from there it was on to BBM. And I've been there ever since.
Rob Johnson [00:05:04] That is awesome.
EIleen Rochford [00:05:05] Just a smashing success of a career.
Rob Johnson [00:05:07] Can I just say for one second though. Your journey though. And radio, anybody's done TV. I mean, I interned. Did all that started in small markets to start at a powerhouse like TMJ. I mean, because it owns Milwaukee. Everybody, I think nationally who pays attention understands that it's a great brand radio, television, the Milwaukee Journal. So I'm just saying that was not a normal way to start and to be like, hey, I'm in college, I'm going to parties. Oh, and I'm also, you know, anchoring the news at WTMJ. That's pretty special.
Rob Hart [00:05:39] I was very fortunate because there was, my senior year at Marquette, I took what spending money I had and spent it on a huge Chevy Blazer, thinking that I needed this big SUV to cart all of my stuff across the country because I'm going to graduate and then start working through small market radio and eventually get to Chicago. By the time I turn 30. And I did have a job offer from Dubuque, Iowa. KDTH Am 1370, the voice of the tri states. And I would do morning news and agriculture reports, and, the news director at TMJ said, what's your goal? And I said, I want to get to Chicago eventually, back to my hometown. And he said, it's a lot faster through Milwaukee than it is there. Dubuque. And, sothe decision was made right then and there.
EIleen Rochford [00:06:26] That's great advice. As one Marquette grad to another. Well done.
Rob Hart [00:06:32] Well, thank you very much.
Rob Johnson [00:06:33] And you guys are enjoying a nice year. If you're a college basketball fan, I know you guys want to get that in. And what a cool ride. What a cool ride the team is having.
EIleen Rochford [00:06:43] I'm not wearing a Marquette shirt! What are you talking about?
Rob Hart [00:06:46] How could you tell?
Rob Johnson [00:06:48] Yeah, it's a podcast. They can only see it. They can hear us, not see us. But, Rob has his nice, he's a good Marquette man with his tie on and everything. So you all are definitely representing the alma mater.
EIleen Rochford [00:07:01] Well, darn right, someday, I will interview Shaka Smart.
Rob Johnson [00:07:05] There you go.
EIleen Rochford [00:07:05] It's my 2024 goal, people. We're going to figure out a way. That man is just the best. Awesome program. Hot off a big win today. So I'm feeling it for sure. It's funny Rob I have a similar but I'll make it much, much shorter because it's not as interesting, story of being in the Milwaukee market and attending Marquette as a journalism major made a huge difference because of access to at the time The Journal Sentinel, in Milwaukee, where I worked as a junior and a senior, and and I also worked at the Associated Press here, as an undergrad, which led, you know, to my first job, too. So it's pretty cool that, you know, you go to a school in a market like this with a great connection to the city through all the awesome, educators and faculty. And they really do make connections for us. So it's pretty awesome.
Rob Hart [00:07:49] I tell people that. I mean, not to turn this into a you should send your kids to Marquette podcast, but.
EIleen Rochford [00:07:54] What mine goes there! (laughs)
Rob Johnson [00:07:55] But apparently it is! (laughs)
Rob Hart [00:07:56] I do say, one of the great things about working in Milwaukee and, given the fact that Marquette is right next to downtown and you have that access to downtown Milwaukee, is that, you can do a lot of stuff professionally early on, in any discipline. And, because I'm part of the mentor program that- you mentor students, along the way. And, we have a lot of a lot of wannabe sports guys and a lot of sports gals, come my way. And I say, you're in a great place in Milwaukee because you have the Bucks right there. You have the Brewers, right down I-94. Things are happening. I mean, one of the ways I earned my spurs in news broadcasting was it was and is the center of the political universe. I remember, there was a Democratic debate in 2004 hosted at Marquette. And, one of the moderators was Lester Holt, a guy I had grown up watching on channel two, and I was a very terrified 24 year old going up. "Mr. Holt, I just want you to know that I've watched you my entire life," and he couldn't have been more gracious. And the amazing thing it was, he had his teenage son along for the ride to observe everything. He's like, oh, by the way, this is my son Stefan who of course, now is on channel five.
EIleen Rochford [00:09:12] Exactly. That's really cool.
Rob Johnson [00:09:14] Lester is such a great guy, and, I echo everything. Yeah, I echo everything you say about him.
EIleen Rochford [00:09:20] Yeah. That's funny. I know when I told my kids that I was on the overnight news desk at the Sentinel the night that Jeffrey Dahmer was apprehended. I waited till they were old enough to know who that was. (laughs )
Rob Hart [00:09:31] They're old enough to watch the Netflix movie.
EIleen Rochford [00:09:33] Yeah, exactly.
Rob Hart [00:09:34] That's when you dropped that particular bomb on them? (laughs)
EIleen Rochford [00:09:36] Yeah, that was eye opening. And you talked about, you know, getting off at 1130, go to the bars. I had to walk home at three in the morning after having, you know, cover the desk that night. It was that was, you know, surreal, shall we say. Okay. Now, here we are here to talk about how Marquette is, how great Marquette is. No. Just kidding. (laughs)
EIleen Rochford [00:09:54] That was such a great intro, by the way. I mean one of our best, if I may say so, but it also depends on having a great guest. So thank you Rob. You brought the both of us.
Rob Hart [00:10:02] Happy to jerk the wheel from the show.
EIleen Rochford [00:10:05] No, we because we encouraged the direction.
EIleen Rochford [00:10:10] Okay. So Rob Hart let's talk about when an expert or a thought leader is preparing to be on any, radio show format, because I think you could probably have some universal tips here. What guidance would you give them? Because you've listened to thousands of people either do really well, or maybe not so great over the many years. I want to hear your guidance on what they could do to make, as much of a success as they possibly can during that interview.
Rob Hart [00:10:38] I would say the first thing is, don't panic. I mean, that's good advice in life, but it's especially good in an interview setting because, people, when they say, okay, you're gonna be on the radio, are going to be on TV. Depending on your mindset, you can think, oh my goodness, you know, hundreds of thousands of people are listening. And, I'm going to be this is 60 minutes. The reporter or the anchor of the broadcaster is, coming after me to make me look terrible. And nothing can be further from the truth. If you are on as a thought leader, from a interviewer perspective, you are going to get, slow fat ones over the plate, over and over and over again, many opportunities to knock it out of the park, because what we're doing is just giving you a chance to show off what you know. It is a thing that, people fantasize about, throughout their life, you know, just an opportunity to have the floor and, and talk about what they know. I mean, if you went to a party and somebody said, "just tell me about what you do for a living" and then just kept asking you questions about it, you would be thrilled. Like, you know, like, I want to hang out with this person because all they do is ask me about my career and the things I know and all of this knowledge that I carry with me, that I use to make money, but also just because I'm really passionate and believe in it. And that's what we're doing on the radio. We're giving you an opportunity to talk about what you know and fill in the gaps for the rest of us. And I think that is, that will help you calm down and, help you, really understand what you're trying to do, as part of the interview. So you're playing on your home court, and we want you to succeed because, if you, as the interviewer, tell us what you know, then the show was very informative.
Eileen Rochford [00:12:23] That's great advice. I really like the concept of thinking about it as your party guests. And you found the nicest person in the room who's going to ask you all the questions that you've always wanted to be asked. So talk away.
Eileen Rochford [00:12:35] Think about, you know, Eileen, from our perspective, you know, as we guide our clients, that's always the thing. It's like the elevator speech, the cocktail party, wherever you are, how can you make a compelling case for yourself without going on for five minutes straight, where people's eyes will glaze over? And that you answer the question in an interesting enough way that elicits another question. So this is kind of- this falls in line with what we kind of I think, you know, consult our clients on is how do you answer that question? And what Rob's talking about is we're just going to tee you up because we want to hear your subject matter expertise. And the more comfortable you are, the more it's going to come through. Is that right, Rob?
Rob Hart [00:13:12] Yeah, that's correct. And of course, if the interviewer is any good, he or she is listening and then will also guide the conversation based on what you're saying. But, you should know this as, as an interviewee. It doesn't necessarily work out that way. Sometimes the interviewer just has like three or 4 or 5 questions, and they want to get those questions answered. And that's the end of the segment. They're not going to really kind of listen and respond to what it is you're saying. But the better ones will. And so that is going- they're going to guide the conversation based on how they're going to listen to you and ask questions based on what you're saying.
Eileen Rochford [00:13:47] Those are the best interviews. Don't come in with a list of questions. And then you're like, oh, 4 or 5, six, eight, ten, 12. Listen to the answer, because it might take you places you weren't counting on going. So now, okay, we mentioned off the top of the type of station you're on makes all the difference when it comes to prioritizing your messages and your pacing. So what would you say to guests who need to consider, when coming on your station news radio WBBM and it's very quick paced with short stories and interviews. We talked about some places where you can answer longer questions, but yours, you're looking for that quick sound bite. So what do people need to think about when they're coming on a place like yours that has a more, you know, quick pace?
Rob Hart [00:14:26] Well, I will say this both as a person who as who's now behind the microphone and BBM, but also, who was on the station as a guest, what? I used to be a reporter in Milwaukee. And I'll give you an example. There was a day in 2005, there was a very big story that, it ended in Milwaukee, and that was the case of the, the person who, shot and killed the family of a federal judge. He drove he drove up to Milwaukee. He ended his life there, and we were getting phone calls from all over the country about this. And the two that I fielded, one was from GN and Spike O'Dell. The second one was from BBM, and, Pat Cassidy and Felicia Middlebrooks. And the first one was Spike. And that was a seven minute interview, and I thought I was part of the show. By the time we were done, it was very chatty, very relaxed, and I just couldn't believe it. That I was, you know, doing, you know, Chicago radio and just. I felt like a part of the gang. I was prepared to do that again on BBM, and, that was 90 seconds. And it was, it was basically I said my name and just kind of explained what happened, and I was like, all right, that's Rob Hart with WTMJ. Thank you. Like they hustled you off the phone because the formats are different. GN you can speak at length or a less or another news talk station at any- anywhere else in America. But BBM is all news and it is, an ancestor of the all news format that was developed by Westinghouse in 1965. You give us 22 minutes, we give you the world headlines, boom, boom, boom. So it's a lot faster than, a traditional news talk radio show. So when you're on my show, it's three minutes at the very at the there's one segment that goes for four. And so the answers to questions, you kind of have to structure it as I would a news story where the most interesting fact or the insight that you want to get out or, the piece of advice that you want to give out that's got to be the first thing you say or close to the first thing you say, and that's how you should probably organize your thoughts when you're going into that situation. A seven minute, news talk radio interview, you can afford to be a little more loosey goosey. You can do the hey, how's it going? You can kind of, follow the host on tangents. But in that situation where you have a seven minute interview, that's where preparation comes in, and and just having more to say, will serve you in segments where you have more time in which to say it.
Eileen Rochford [00:16:49] Very good. So I, I totally appreciate your point of know the contrast and formats and making the first, most important thing that you say, you know what you start with when you get a real short one 90 seconds maybe 3 minutes. But how do you be pithy? How do you get to the point? How do you prepare to be that instead of it's I have a client who loves to say, you know, his son's coach used to tell him he was a pitcher. Throw strikes. Okay, how do I do that? Just kidding.
Eileen Rochford [00:17:19] Thanks for the advice, right?
Rob Hart [00:17:21] Yeah. Well, I mean, it's it takes a lot of practice. Just like how if you are a pitcher and the advice is throw strikes. There's a lot of bullpen sessions involved. And I think in, in my case, you know, I started doing, talk shows or long form type coverage, from being a news anchor where you have, you know, you have three minutes, you have six minutes, and that's it. That's all your time. And it's scripted in front of you. When I switched over to being a talk show host, in 2010, 2011, I had to teach myself how to be pithy because there were a lot of, like, long, rambling questions where you can kind of, as the listener, just kind of hear where my thought process was going. And it was if we had to illustrate it, it was like looking at the game board from Candyland, where we're just twisting and turning and going here and there and not a straight line from A to B. So I the one thing I learned that I kind of applied from news writing, which was interesting stuff on top, that helped me become a much punchier broadcaster when it was time to speak off the cuff.
EIleen Rochford [00:18:22] If I could add something to what you just said, because you just nailed a really important point. And and I'm not trying to turn this on me other than to say I've had that experience coming from TV. And your format and TV's format are very similar in terms of you got to get to a quick. Yeah, and I had this internal clock and get to it and don't waste time. And then I started filling in, as I still do from time to time on WLS radio, where it's 7 to 9 minutes as we're talking about. So I do that on occasion and I enjoy doing it. But they had to remind me, Rob, quit hurrying. Slow down. You don't have to get to it in 20s because my brain, for all those years on TV was used to doing that. Much like your brain is used to doing that right now, where you sit and all of a sudden they were like, hey, slow it down a little bit. So that's a really good point that you just made.
Rob Hart [00:19:09] And again, it's just like it's it's one of those things that, you learn by doing. I mean, the more you do it, the better you get, the more comfortable you become.
EIleen Rochford [00:19:16] Good advice.
EIleen Rochford [00:19:17] Absolutely. So so you touched upon it and then I just brought it up. But I really want to give people an idea. And you said you're you really need to prepare when you're on those longer interviews because you've been at all these various stations all over the place. But when you do have that extra time, when you can be more deliberate, how not only from a prep standpoint, but how are you able to paint that picture when, you know, I don't have to give this answer in 10 or 15 seconds, I can give it in 30 to 45. I don't encourage anybody to do it in like 3 or 4 minutes, because then you don't, you know, you just kind of bore people to death. But, how do you kind of coach people through that painting, the picture idea? If you can slow it down a little bit?
Rob Hart [00:19:55] Well, I think in this type of situation, you, where you have more time, you can tell a story to illustrate a point. You can add, more background, on whatever it is you're talking about. I mean, for example, I mean, going back to that day in 2005 when, I was. On the news talk show explaining, you know, where they found, where they found the vehicle, what is you know, where they found the car in West Allis, Wisconsin. Where is West Allis in reference to downtown Milwaukee compared, you know, t how does that compare to the geography of Chicago, trying to, just provide more grace notes to the information as opposed to just doing, basic bullet points and just being more conversational? I mean, I think that is, you know, going back to the cocktail party aspect of it, you have 30 seconds on the elevator to explain what you do, but, now we're at the cocktail party, and we have a little more time, to have a discussion about what we're doing, between the ourderves and, trips to the wine rack.
EIleen Rochford [00:21:01] Yeah, yeah, I love it. And do you ever encounter folks? I'm sure you have, because I hear this, from my clients who? They're asked a question and they freeze, and maybe they say, "yes. No."
EIleen Rochford [00:21:12] Yeah, don't give that answer.
EIleen Rochford [00:21:14] Because sometimes your brain, you know, just freezes. And we'll get on that in a second. But how do you coach or handle, you know, coach people through or handle situations like that? When you have guests who are maybe not giving all the color that you'd hope they were going to deliver?
Rob Hart [00:21:27] Well, I tell you, how this usually progresses is that we usually have someone who's new on the show. They haven't done this before. And so question one. Question two are the yes and no answer because they're just trying to get their footing. And then you try to ask it a different way. Or maybe you look on the prep sheet and you see another interesting fact about them, and you try to talk about that. And what I have discovered is that, you know, the first three questions, maybe yes or no. And then you're thinking, all right, well, I can wrap them up, inside the allotted window. And then question number four, they're fully relaxed. They're they're here to talk. Now. They understand. They understand. It took a little while for that to connect in their head. But once once it does, you can't get them to stop talking. And then it's like okay we got to go now. And but so if somebody has a yes or no question, what I've discovered from a guest perspective is that it's usually the first two. Once they develop a comfort level, then they are the dynamic and interesting person that, you know.
EIleen Rochford [00:22:29] that's great.
EIleen Rochford [00:22:30] I would also say to to add on to that, Rob, as somebody that used to interview people all the time, I put it on myself. If I asked a question and it was yes or no and they were nervous or whatever the case was, that was my fault. I should be asking what and how that leads them down a pathway of having to expand upon what they're saying, as opposed to a yes or no question. So if I ever heard a yes or a no, I thought, "you can do better Rob."
Rob Hart [00:22:55] Well that's - No, I, I agree with you completely because that was a real problem I had early on, which was I didn't ask the question. It was kind of like a rambling statement based on what I knew. And then you'd say, like, what do you think about that? And you've already said what they were going to say. So my role as an interviewer is to get you to talk. So if you're talking about being pithy, it's the interviewer's job to make sure that the questions are short and punchy, and so the other person feels they have the air space to answer the question and fill in the gaps. I mean, people are tuning in, do you hear you as the host? Obviously. But they want to hear the information that you're conveying. They want to hear what the guest has to say. They don't want to hear Rob Hart bloviating for 45 seconds. And then the guest, the expert, the financial person with all the letters after their name, say yes or no. I mean, you have to give the guest the opportunity to demonstrate that they are the expert.
EIleen Rochford [00:23:52] And your earlier point preparation well ahead of your interview, as the person answering the questions is going to get you to that comfort level to help you be able to take advantage of the time that you have, whether it's short or long.
Rob Hart [00:24:04] And preparation to. And I'll give you another example. And this is, when I'm a guest on Chicago tonight, they do that Week in review show on Friday nights and they will send you the producer will the packet of all of the things they are talking about on the show. And I read the whole thing and I make little notes. This is what this is the point I'm going to make about this particular subject. This is my thought on, on, on some ongoing trial because, it's a slam bang format. And, Paris Schutz. Who's the host is going, you know, what do you think about this? What do you think about this? What do they do with this? And you have to be ready to say something, even though it's like taking a, like an oral exam about what's happening in the city of Chicago. So if you are going to be a guest on a show, you know, know the material backwards and forwards, know your, your area of expertise, your subject matter backwards and forwards and maybe, you know, make a couple of notes about like, well, this is my point on this particular subject. This is, you know, if we're talking about, a new report on manufacturing, you know, these are just some little bullet points. You want to make sure that you get out, while you're talking. I mean, don't sound like you're reading an outline, but just know it's there to refer to in case you're you're grappling for something to say.
EIleen Rochford [00:25:21] Very good.
EIleen Rochford [00:25:22] I would also mention that shows like WBBM news hour. it's got a very consistent format. So as a guest on the show making sure to listen and learn and pay attention and be prepared, you know, based on kind of the flow of, that specific show that you're going to be on, that would certainly help you feel prepared as well and be prepared.
Rob Hart [00:25:44] Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Just, just watch the show, listen to the show, you know. Know what you're going, you know, what you're getting into first. And then you can prepare just based on on the vibe of what you're listening to or watching if, you know, it's like a very relaxed, conversational show. Be prepared for that. If you know, it'sshort, pithy questions. Prepare for that.
EIleen Rochford [00:26:04] Right. Good. Well, let's conclude with, the the guest who might be a little more anxious, you know, for whom being on being interviewed, period on any media outlet, might really, you know, cause them to get hives or, you know, just to kind of get a little worried. What advice would you have for folks like that? What can they do to prepare to kind of calm themselves down and still make great, use of the opportunity to be interviewed?
Rob Hart [00:26:32] Well, first off, we're all nervous. If you're not nervous, you're unprofessional. I think there there is a level of of heightened anxiety, heightened awareness, before a program begins, even as, a broadcaster. I mean, I've been doing this, you know, my first internship was the summer of 99. So I'm going to say I've been doing this for 25 years. And even now, at 1003 on a weekday morning, once that music is going, I still get nervous. And I think it's you can use that nervous energy to focus. It will make you a better performer. It'll make you a better interview subject. It allows you to organize your thoughts in your head and, just know, question one. Question two. Once you get those two answers out, you're going to feel a lot better. You're you're going to be in it and you're like, man, this is great. And then you're going to be surprised when it's over. So, you know, use that kind of anticipation, that nervous energy to focus your mind and on what you're going to say. Because once you are two answers into the interview, you're going to be relaxed and you can talk all day at that point.
EIleen Rochford [00:27:38] You know what I tell my clients? There's a fine line between I'm nervous and I have adrenaline and I'm so yeah, I can feel it coursing through my veins. There's a very fine line there. You can either lean into the oh, I'm nervous and I'm, you know, I can't swallow and I'm, you know, breaking out into hives or sweating or whatever or saying, I'm going to embrace this, because if you don't feel that adrenaline, then you're not a competitor or performer or whatever the case is. So that's a really great point. But I always tell people there's a fine line between I'm so nervous and man, I got this adrenaline pumping.
Rob Hart [00:28:09] You know, make it work for you, make it work for.
EIleen Rochford [00:28:11] You. And I can give you a real edge. All right. I'm going to ask one more thing. Which is, is there anything we didn't cover here, Rob, that you think based on the subject, our listeners might want to hear or advice you were hoping to be able to impart today?
Rob Hart [00:28:23] I mean, I think, you know, we talked about it earlier, and that is, if you are nervous and you have a prep sheet in front of you or some notes, don't read the notes. And I've been in those situations where, they will send you kind of a background about what they're talking about, and then I'll say, hey, you know, what do you think about this? And then they're clearly reading off of the sheet. So don't do that because you're not doing yourself any favors. I mean, this is this is part of a, a practice exercise for you and as as my kids like to say, practice makes better. I guess practice makes perfect is out of vogue, in schools. So practice makes better. And so. And that that is, that is the case for, reading at a second grade level. And that is the case for, talking on the radio. The more you do it, the better you get. And, and you'll just enjoy speaking extemporaneously. So don't limit yourself by just reading off the prep sheet.
EIleen Rochford [00:29:16] Very good.
EIleen Rochford [00:29:17] These Marquette folks are solid.
EIleen Rochford [00:29:20] Thanks, Rob. You're the best. I'm unhurt. Just say it.
EIleen Rochford [00:29:24] I knew, but thank you for clarifying.
Rob Hart [00:29:26] Well, this is I mean, this is, you know, this is how we, we amazed so many people at, you know, 19th and Kilbourne way back when.
EIleen Rochford [00:29:34] That's right. Five star form is to my, back right now. You guys can't actually see it, but I am here in the hood, so we are representing.
EIleen Rochford [00:29:41] Well, Rob, we're so appreciative of your time and your expertise, and it's just an absolute joy having you on today. So thanks for being with us.
Rob Hart [00:29:47] Well, thank you so much. This was a lot of fun and I was very nervous beforehand. So, once you get a couple oh.
EIleen Rochford [00:29:53] We are very intimidating. I can see why. And two.
Rob Johnson [00:29:57] And two Questions in we're just having this long conversation.
Rob Hart [00:29:59] All of a sudden. Yeah, I just relaxed and I could talk forever.
Rob Johnson [00:30:02] I got to tell you, the ten minute preamble. That's is that's as good as we've ever done. So that was awesome. And you were terrific. So thanks.
Rob Hart [00:30:08] Again. Well, thank you so much.
Rob Johnson [00:30:10] And folks that's going to do it for another edition of can you hear me I'm Rob Johnson. We would love. Love to hear from all of you. If you have any thoughts on today's topic or any other topic you'd like for us to cover in future episodes, please reach out to us on social media and we should tell you we now have a Can You Hear Me podcast page on LinkedIn.
Rob Johnson [00:30:27] Yes we do. So look for that. Well thanks everybody. This has been a great show. Again, I extend my gratitude to Robert, fellow Marquette alum and awesome guest and awesome news radio host, I'm Eileen Rochford. We thank you guys for listening. If you loved this show. I have a request. Would you please consider giving us a review on any of those platforms where you can find can you hear me? Everything. Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, you know the drill. Please give us a shout out in a review. It certainly helps other good folks find our show, and we appreciate all of you for listening. Thank you. Take care.