Please Listen Carefully
My eight year old son has a great teacher. She's not long out of college and is clearly full of enthusiam for her job and the children in her charge. Every other day my wee boy comes home with some kind of sticker-festooned certificate to prove that he did something remarkable in the classroom. There are stickers for Good ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖwork, Magic Maths, Cracking Work, Super Science and Good Effort. My own favourite is the one showing a cute baby panda and emblazoned with the slogan "My teacher says I've listened carefully".
Of course we all know what she's up to. It's the old reward and reinforcement technique. Look, I didn't spend four years studying psychology for nothing. You want to talk about Freud? You want to talk about Skinner? I'm your man and, by the way, I also interpret dreams as a kind of party-piece.
But where was I? Oh yes..rewards. Now, let me share with you one of the difficulties I face in running a radio station like Radio Scotland. Frankly, we make too many programmes. Or at least too many programmes for me to listen to if I'm also trying to attend meetings, make future plans and get to the canteen in time for lunch. Naturally our programme makers are an understanding lot and will send me CD copies of anything I may have missed. There's also our Listen Again facility on the website, so I've no excuse really. Except that every time I'm listening to something on CD or PC it means I'm missing something that's being transmitted at that moment. I can never catch up. Is it any wonder I have that recurring dream about painting the Forth Bridge?
Yet, in a recent staff survey, the one thing everyone wanted more of was feedback - especially about their programmes. Some may also have wanted feedback on their haircuts, but that wasn't captured in the data. So, I'm trying to implement a new feedback system. This begins with me blocking out time in my day just to sit in my office and listen to the radio. (Look, I've never claimed this job was hard! Please let me finish.) I make detailed notes and then I arrange a meeting with the production team to discuss the programme. I'm hoping this works and gradually I'll make my way through the whole schedule and then start all over again.
I've also set myself a personal target of giving feedback at least ten times a day. This is becoming something of an obsession. Today, for instance, I was in Edinburgh with our Editor of Speech Programmes, Jane Fowler. We were in a hotel just around the corner from the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ studios. The waitress was friendly and attentive and so, at the end of the meal, I decided to give her some feedback. Well, talk about an over-reaction. She became quite emotional. I swear there were tears in her eyes as she stammered out a "thankyou...that's so lovely of you."
At which point I went red in the face and quickly gathered up the paperwork I had spread across the table. It was only when I got back to the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ that I realised I'd also scooped up two of the hotel's fancy menus. I had to sneak back ten minutes later to replace them.
As for programmes, well, I could do with your help. It would make it more real if actual listeners were to use this diary to comment on any programmes they have heard. What have you enjoyed and what would you change?
If you like, I'll even send you a sticker. Maybe not this one though...
P.S. One bit of late news tonight. Radio Scotland has secured two nominations in the . Looks like I'll be heading for the awards ceremony in May with some of our sports team. That should be a wild night!
