Ventriloquism On The Radio

presented by Jane Sheehan

My family laughed out loud the first time I told them that I was going to be doing foot reading on the radio. “Isn’t that a bit like ventriloquism on the radio?”

It’s probably one of the most effective things that I do to promote foot reading. When you listen to the radio, you feel as if the presenters are talking directly to you. It’s a very intimate medium and as near to being able to emulate that therapist/client relationship on a large scale.

Sally Teixeira asked me to write an article about foot reading on the radio for Universallyrio.com around the same time that I was asked to prepare for a January radio appearance. I thought I’d use that as an example.

I was asked to appear on The Ted Robbins’ radio show on BBC Radio Lancashire at 10.15am on 8th January. I’d already been on the show once so we needed to find a new angle. Usually they are looking for interviews that are unusual, unique, topical or news worthy. I’d already played the unusual and unique angle the first time I appeared on their show with very good results. Within minutes of explaining what foot reading is, and encouraging listeners to call in with their foot questions, the switchboard was fielding calls asking for foot readings live on air. This time, they were interested in the idea of ‘New Years Resolutions’ – not surprisingly – it was January after all.

Before I even think what to say, I need to prepare my “key messages”. I don’t get paid to do radio interviews so I’ve got to make it work for me. I think about what messages I want the listener to remember and then prepare backwards from there. For example, do I want the listener to know the title of my book, the date of my next workshop or the name of my website?

My key messages:

• I will be available for foot readings in the Lancashire area from 9th to 12th January
• My website is www.footreading.com
• Details of my books and seminars are on www.footreading.com

It’s best not to have too many key messages but rather to stick to just a few and repeat them often. I decide that if I only get the chance to say one key message it will be my website address. The radio station also has their key message. They will focus on New Year’s Resolutions. So now I set about combining the two sets of messages to devise something that will work on the radio.

Key tips to remember for a radio interview are:

• Imagine you are only speaking to one person. Avoid using phrases such as “all your listeners” or “any of you” and instead address the person directly. On Radio Two, Terry Wogan often reads out letters saying “your other listener mentioned…” implying that it’s only Terry, the writer and one other person out there! Everyone knows that it’s not the case, but it does add to the feeling of intimacy and the idea that the show is just for you.
• The listener cannot see what you are talking about, so describe it accurately so that they can imagine it. Appeal to all the other senses by conjuring sounds, smells, feelings, and visual images. (Actually, when I think about it – if you’re talking about feet, maybe mentioning smells is not such a good idea!)
• Rehearse the most common questions you think they will ask and practice adding your key message into the answers. For Example: Interviewer: "So Jane, what is foot reading?" Me: "In my book, Let’s Read Our Feet! I explain how…" You get the idea. Its fun to listen to politicians being asked questions and how they side-step the question asked to deliver their key message.
• Know who the audience is likely to be and tailor what you discuss accordingly. For example, if it is a breakfast show audience I’ll not be discussing fungal infections whilst they may be eating their cornflakes!
• Sit up straight and smile – you can hear it in your voice.
• Aim to arrive early to the studio so that you can be cool, calm and collected. Once I got stuck in traffic on my way to the studio. I’d allowed an hour to cover a thirty minute journey but there had been a breakdown causing the traffic to be so bad that despite an early start, I was still ten minutes late. If you upset the interviewer they can set the whole tone of the interview. On the occasion I was late, they announced “it says here, Jane’s most embarrassing moment was…”
• Wear your best outfit! Even though you are on the radio, you will feel more confident and it will come across in your voice. There have been a few occasions where they have produced, without warning, a camera and taken photographs for their website. Expect the unexpected and be prepared for anything!
• Send the producer of the show your biography, your press release and your key message and type in large print with one and a half line spacing. This is a tip I picked up from a radio station in Australia where the interviewer admitted that she actually needed glasses but was too vain to wear them. Because I’d prepared my information in large print she was able to use it despite the lack of ‘face furniture!’

If it is a commercial radio station they will have less time for interviewing you as they will need to intersperse the interview with advertising and regular features. If it is a non-commercial radio station they may not allow you to mention your website as this may be seen as advertising. If this is the case, make sure they put details about you on their website so that people can find out more. One way I’ve found to overcome this is to say that I am “Jane Sheehan of footreading.com” as if that is my company name.

• Commercial radio stations often run competitions. Sometimes you can donate a prize for a competition and it may gain you extra mentions on air. However, sometimes you may be charged an advertising fee for the privilege.
• Don’t be fazed if they throw something unexpected at you. Just be honest. There’s no shame in not knowing an answer.
• I’ve placed a list of 'The Top 10 Things Your Feet Say About You' on my website, so I can direct a listener to find it.

New Years Resolutions and the Feet

Once I’ve decided upon my key messages, then I work out what kind of information I will be giving in the interview. There’s often not much time to give huge amounts of information so I prepare small sound bites and pick a few ideas that I can bring into the conversation.

Big Toe
If your big toe is leaning towards the little toe, then you are ‘bending over backwards’ doing far too much for others and not enough for yourself.
New Year’s Resolution: Practice saying “No” more often before you burn yourself out!

Note: If it’s only bending over a little bit, then you’re motivated by helping people so your New Year’s Resolution could be to become a volunteer for a caring charity.

Necks to toes
If you have long thin necks to your toes, then you are extremely creative.
New Year’s Resolution: Take up a creative project – whether it’s writing, drawing, snow sculpting or learning to play an instrument!

If you have wide short necks to your toes, then you are practical, down-to-earth and solution orientated.
New Year’s Resolution: Finish your “to do” list!

Second Toe
If both your second toes are shaped narrow at the base and wider at the tip then you have drama queen tendencies.
New Year’s Resolution: Count to three before you react! Or better still, channel that drama into the local amateur dramatics club! (But only if you have long feet too. Long feet indicates a love of being the centre of attention!)

Extra long third toe
If your third toes on both feet are longer than you’d expect, then you have so much drive and determination that you can do twice as much as the next person given the same time and resources.
New Year’s Resolution: Learn to delegate more. Just because no-one else can do as much as you given the same time and resources, that doesn’t mean that you have to do everything. Allow them more time and resources and they’ll deliver the goods.

Fourth toe clawed
If your fourth toe is withdrawn (a hammer toe) then you have a relationship or family issue that needs tackling
New Year’s Resolution: Stop putting it off and tackle the relationship issue calmly. Say what you’ve noticed, factually and non-judgementally. Say how it made you feel, then ask how you’d like it to be done differently next time.

Little toes up in the air
If your little toes are not touching the ground, you are one of life’s worriers! You worry all the time. And if there’s nothing to worry about, you worry that there’s nothing to worry about!
New Year’s Resolution: When you find yourself worrying remember that FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. How likely is it that your fear will come true? Resolve to ask yourself “in this situation, what do I trust?” For example, perhaps you trust your training, your knowledge or your colleagues.

How flexible are your feet?
If your feet are very inflexible, this would indicate an inflexible approach to life.
New Year’s Resolution: Try something different. To encourage a different way of thinking, try spending a day doing the opposite of what you would normally do. For example, if you’re right-handed, spend the day doing everything with your left hand.



Article by Jane Sheehan of www.footreading.com
Jane Sheehan is the charismatic author of “Let’s Read Our Feet!” and “The Foot Reading Coach” and her ability to identify and analyse personality traits and emotions from the shape of the feet and toes has been honed through years of work across the globe. Her third book “How to start a holistic business” will be released in Summer 09.

Jane has featured in the press, on radio and television worldwide, reading celebrity feet and sharing her enthusiasm and passion for foot reading. Hawaii, San Diego, Dubai and Australia as well as Scotland, Ireland and her native country, England, have all benefited from her expertise via seminars, workshops, interviews, talks and foot reading parties (a great fun way for groups of friends to get together for an enjoyable evening).

Jane’s website www.footreading.com has attracted photo reading requests from all over the world, and over a thousand have subscribed to her online newsletter, “The Pampering Times”. Her skills are in demand for cosmetic and product launches and by corporate events organisers. Her talks have been well received from companies as diverse as Lighter Life (dieting company), Bourjois (cosmetics), J-Junction (a Jewish dating agency) and Glaxo SmithKline (pharmaceutical company) to mention but a few!

Jane is also a fully qualified and experienced Reflexologist and her foot reading seminars are accredited for Continuous Professional Development points with the Association of Reflexologists, Embody, and the Federation of Holistic Therapists.