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I wanna do everything!
How do you deal with the person who gets over enthusiastic and volunteers to change the world. Tips to keeping grips on people.
These are some tips to stop the over-enthusiastic volunteer get in the way of your work for your station, or your social life!
- DUTY EXEC: Assign one person to be "on call" each weekend, for example if there are eight members of your executive then that means once every two months.
- Agree as set of protocols as to when people can be contacted. For example "nothing after 10pm, or weekends (except Sunday evenings) and not on a work number."
- Add to that: "Ask yourself, do you really need to phone?" Have you got a studio manual, or a FAQ easily available? One of the chief reasons people ask for help (or more often, don't ask for help and get it wrong) is because despite people being told something, they forget (often because of information overload). Having it written down might seem a little patronising, but if people have something they can have a sneaky peak at without feeling stupid, you actually get a lot more best-practice. I'm a great advocator of putting that kind of info on the web, because it means people can look at it from home/work/wherever without anyone else knowing. Also putting pictures of people on the wall/internet means people learn who others are a lot better than just trying to remember who everyone is.
- What kind of questions is being asked? Are they more techy/operational questions "How do I fire up the jingles" / "The phone light is flashing, what do I do?" or are they more about the content or style of the show "Can I say 'crap'?" "Can I play 50 Cent?". If it's the former, the manual would be good. If it's the latter, then perhaps suggest they record the show each week and then find a time more suitable in the week to listen through the show. They are probably just looking for some support, and sat in a hospital radio studio on a Saturday night they probably feels pretty lonely. I remember doing a hospital RSL on Sunday nights and I was all alone for three hours - it is not the best presenting environment! - Be honest with them. Explain to them that whilst you think they are doing a top job they need to remember that you are all volunteers and need your free time.