I am not sure whether I learn more from my mistakes or successes.
I can suffer from my first draft being too clever or obtuse. Created, crafted and honed but ultimately rejected. I have made things that sounded good to my ear, but my beta-testers, or coming back to it later, showed it wasn’t clear.
Rejection can feel deflating, of course, but it takes me a step towards better, both in the moment and the long term.
Friendly feedback from people who care is a gift. Where do you get yours?
We need clarity to communicate well.
As podcasters, that means staying out of the way of our message—no distractions, detours, or confusion.
There are two places we succeed or fail:
Purpose
Know what you want to say. Make sure you say it by removing what you don’t need. Stay on message. Everything should earn its place by contributing to the purpose of the episode.
If it is not clear to you, it will not be clear to your listeners. Your brilliant first idea probably needs more work – mine always does.
Good communication requires both send and receive. Are you achieving both?
“Spontaneity doesn’t just happen. “
Production
The first step is saying the right words for people to understand our message. Ensuring the audio is clean and clear is our next.
Choose appropriate levels, audio contrast, and avoid competition or distractions. Good editing is invisible.
Analyse as you listen to other people’s work. Note what catches your attention that isn’t the main message. Are we guilty of the same?
Give ourselves generous feedback and ask for it from others.
Take away questions
- Is my message clear?
- Am I saying what I intended to say?
- Is the sound free from distractions?
- What could I make even clearer?
Something to see
The 7 secrets of the greatest speakers in history | Richard Greene | TEDxOrangeCoast
Some thoughts on tipping points and how to make them as Richard Green considers lessons from some great speakers.
Something to hear
#80 COMMUNICATION INSIGHTS from hall-of-fame podcaster Dave Jackson
An episode from Dr. Andrea Wojnicki’s podcast Talk About Talk where she interviews the one and only Dave Jackson and talks podcasting and much more.
Something to read
Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg.
“Know what each sentence says, What it doesn’t say, And what it implies. Of these, the hardest is knowing what each sentence actually says.”
This is a book about communicating through writing but contains vital principles to help us with our podcasts. On my must-read recommendation list. This is a review from Maria Popova of The Marginalian
And finally
- A podcaster’s plea – “Let me be really clear!”
- Growth comes from the right food… and time… and some sunshine. Plants and podcasters both.