Mike, who do we have next? -- Thanking People

[Pat Bouvry]

I've been an avid listener to audio podcasts and FDR contributor for a while now.

 

I'd like to contribute towards Stefan improving his call-in shows.  Please let me know if it's not the right place to share this feedback, or if it's only me who feels this.

 

Almost every time Stefan ends a conversation with a caller, he'll says something like: "Mike, who do we have next?".  There's nothing's wrong with saying that, except that maybe it should be preceded by a conventional "thank you" and/or "bye bye" exchange. I feel that ending of a seemingly ongoing phone discussion (audio only) without an appreciative verbal hand-off can leave an impression of disrespect, which I know is not the case with Stefan, but still that's my perception every time.

 

I know Stefan thanks everyone a lot in a general way, but since perception is reality and for new listeners out there, I thought that maybe some sort of polite { "Thank you for calling" - wait for the reply - "bye bye" - wait for the reply } process at the end of each conversation would be beneficial to not leave the impression of cutting them off and being rude.  It may be tricky if some callers hang on to the discussion, but in most cases, it would leave a positive impression.

 

I may be wrong, maybe there's no other way than to dry-cut it.  

 

____________________"Mike, who do we have next?"_______________________  :-)

 

Or maybe not...  Just food for thoughts.

 

Regards,

 

Pat

 

 

[Mishelle]

Hi Pat, I think it's great you want to contribute to making the show better!

 

I'm wondering what other hosted shows you listen to?  I found myself at first thinking the same thing with Stef, that it seemed abrupt somehow.  But when I started to analyze the feelings more I realized I was comparing him to a therapist, not a "radio show host', if that makes sense.  I was doing that because in so many other ways the show comes off as much more personal and the topics oftentimes more delicate, and so there feels like there should be more "cushion" like at the therapists office.  I've listened to so many different types of radio shows, and I've never felt they applied appropriate phone etiquette.  For better or worse!

 

more food for thoughts!

[PatrickC]

Yes, I've listened to Stef for a number of years now and you're not the first to suggest he is too abrupt. I have to say though I'm not particularly bothered by it myself and actually think it's essential sometimes when he's up against annoying callers that want to prolong a poor argument. On the other hand I have also heard him thank callers as well. So I'm not really convinced there is a problem.

[LovePrevails]

This is a simple but heart-warming suggestion, I fully endorse it.

[Clay]

Yes, I've had similar thoughts about that.  I think it's a good suggestion.

[BrianBrian]

Isn't this akin to every caller asking a host how he's doing when they call in, call after call? So redundant.

[cynicist]

I'm wondering what other hosted shows you listen to?  I found myself at first thinking the same thing with Stef, that it seemed abrupt somehow.  But when I started to analyze the feelings more I realized I was comparing him to a therapist, not a "radio show host', if that makes sense.  I was doing that because in so many other ways the show comes off as much more personal and the topics oftentimes more delicate, and so there feels like there should be more "cushion" like at the therapists office.  I've listened to so many different types of radio shows, and I've never felt they applied appropriate phone etiquette.  For better or worse!

 

I agree. I think the delicate nature of a lot of the topics on the show make it seem like Stef is being impersonal, when in reality he is just trying to answer as much as he can and get to as many callers as possible. The balance between efficiency and empathy is challenging for this kind of show, and I don't think there is a clear answer to it. For example if you make sure to say "thank you for calling" or even "bye" after every call, you risk it sounding forced and fake which is even worse than not saying it at all in my opinion.

[MysterionMuffles]

I noticed that he does get abrupt more near the end of calls. Like past 2nd hour mark or so as he is now doing 3 hour calls.

 

I guess he's just trying to trudge through as many callers as possible, and if it's a very sensitive issue that the caller wants to talk about, he does offer a kind of empathy that is rare. Sometimes he does have a long winded and original farewell to callers, like "I hope you end up doing the right thing," or "I'm incredibly sorry for your situation but I hope this helps." And then bye. Not all the time, and there's no way for me to measure how often he does that, but is that kinda what you mean?

[ribuck]

A radio host needs to keep the show moving along, otherwise the audience drifts away. I'm happy with how it is now. Extra filler may be more courteous to the caller, but it's less courteous to the listeners.