Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Tag: american idol

  • American Idol Savvy: Coaching From The Sidelines

    IdolThey are known as the judges. Much of the time they evaluate as judges. More and more, though, Simon, Randy, Kara and Ellen are coaching the young singing contestants.

    Judge or coach. Or does it matter?

    Both roles provide good entertainment, which is what the show is about. (See our discussion last week.)

    But as coaching goes, they leave much to be desired. Their primary context for giving constructive feedback is once a week during the show itself. In other words, they are coaching from quite a distance.

    It’s the difference between a soccer coach taking a player aside in order to talk over his or her performance one-on-one, and yelling feedback from the sidelines during the game.

    It’s difficult to understand the long distance coaching in the midst of an intense game. The player’s focus needs to be on the game more than the coaching. The coaching tends to be extremely context-specific; that is, related to the particular moment, decision or action. Such advice can be difficult to integrate into one’s overall improvement strategy.

    Hence the confusion many contestants express about the seemingly contradictory advice they are receiving. They are thinking in terms of their overall strategy. (The big picture.) The judges are commenting on a specific performance. (A much smaller picture.) The two pictures relate intimately, but it can be confusing for a young contestant to sort how how.

    What about your coaching? How do you help people integrate context-specific feedback into their overall improvement strategy? Or do you?

    – Karl

  • American Idol Savvy: Content Loses to Commercials

    IdolInteresting decision, isn’t it?!

    The judges are giving feedback in pairs in order to save time.

    It’s an interesting decision because there are still as many commercial breaks.

    In other words, to solve the problem of the show exceeding its time slot, the producers cut back on the content instead of the commercials.

    Is it pure greed?

    The biggest implication is that not every contestant is at risk of experiencing Simon’s withering critique. (Or his highly coveted praise, as was the case with Kris Allen, whose feedback time this week was dominated by Randy’s negative comments.)

    Here’s the rub. The content that has become so valuable as to attract top advertising dollar is being compromised, which in turn risks reducing its advertising value.

    Obviously the producers are supremely confident that nothing they do will lose a single viewer, which may be true. But I’m disappointed nonetheless. I want each contestant to hear from each judge. It’s more fair. It’s better entertainment.

    I already get up and complete a week’s worth of chores during the marathon commercial breaks, so I can’t protest by boycotting the commercials.

    I guess I’ll just have to redirect my frustration toward my campaign to replace Ryan Seacrest as the show’s host.

  • American Idol Savvy: From Zero to Hero

    IdolThere’s something to say for sheer determination.

    Determination to stay in the game. Determination to play at the top of one’s game.

    How close to being eliminated has Anoop Desai come over the last several weeks? He didn’t get the votes to make the top 9 chosen by the viewers. He was the last wild card contestant announced and surprise 13th overall. His first performance was panned by the judges, and the producers chose to him to stand with Jorge as the next most likely to be voted off.

    Enough to shake the confidence of the best of us. Not Anoop.

    He worked even harder. His energy and determination levels grew. He pulled together everything he had to violate one of the judges’ most sacred rules, “Don’t take on a haloed classic.” And he pulled it off to their astonished admiration.

    There’s something to say for sticking with something we love. Something we want. Something we’ve worked hard for. That others are doing better, getting more attention, experiencing more success cannot be the criteria by which we measure our own success.

    Until Anoop is voted off the show, he is very much still on the show and in the running… no matter what the odds… no matter how well the other contestants are singing… no matters what the pundits think. (Who would have believed Taylor Hicks had a chance?)

    Going from zero to hero involves not giving up on yourself. Are you pulling out of the game when you need to be adjusting your strategy and pushing harder? Are you disqualifying yourself by letting discouragement, long odds, or criticism from the sidelines drag you down?

    You know you’re good. You know you have a lot to offer.

    What do you do to up your game, bolster your confidence, or push from a different direction? What do you need to go from zero to hero?

    On your side,

    – Karl

  • American Idol Savvy: Cut and Paste Feedback

    IdolIt’s not uncommon for the judges to give what seems like contradictory feedback.

    “Don’t mess with the melody” and “Put your own twist on the melody.” “That song was too big for you” and “You played it safe and didn’t stretch yourself.”

    The contestants get frustrated, “But you told me last week…”

    While I feel some of the judges’ feedback is confusing and contradictory, the contestants’ real problem is their own “cut and paste” response to the feedback.

    It’s as if their only goal for the next performance is responding to the judges’ most recent criticism. I call this approach, “cut and paste,” because it (more…)

  • American Idol Savvy: Simon Dilutes His Brand

    IdolSimon Cowell is sabotaging his own distinct brand.

    Known for his direct but not always sensitive feedback, Simon is increasing his air time with additional antics that are coming at the expense of this powerful “brand.”

    His inability to resist throwing barbs while the other judges (particularly Paula) are talking, has the effect of diluting what we like best about Simon… his withering critiques of the contestants.

    (All right, his homo-ambiguous sparring with Ryan Seacrest is becoming an Idol staple. But this is the exception that proves the rule.)

    The proof comes when Simon wants to give positive feedback. It gets diluted, if not entirely lost. Watch for this.

    Disastrous for Simon, in my mind. There’s a lot of power in his positive responses precisely because they are so rare and (previously) so focused. Is he forfeiting his power to influence?

    What are your brand distinctives? Are they getting lost by trying to be too many things to too many people? Is it time to refocus, get back to basics, or cut out the side shows? What power are you forfeiting when you dilute your brand?

  • 10 Tasks You Can Complete During An American Idol Commercial Break

    IdolI love American Idol, but its commercial breaks are longer than the show itself. If you add the previews (which duplicate most of the content,) there’s time to accomplish quite a bit between segments.

    How do you use all that time?!

    Here’s my list of 10 tasks you can complete during an American Idol commercial break:

    1. Pay the bills.
    2. Give the dog a bath.
    3. Clean out the garage.
    4. Make popcorn… for the neighborhood.
    5. Repair a popped balloon.
    6. Install software on Windows.
    7. Navigate the menu of telephone prompts to get a live person at the phone company.
    8. Replay Obama’s inaugural address.
    9. Explain Twitter to your grandmother.
    10. Delouse a screaming child.

    Those commercials make up a good part of one’s evening. Why just sit there?

    What else belongs on this list?