The single best-kept podcasting secret ever!

Are you like me? 

Become a great listener! 

That’s it!

I know. To become a successful podcaster, I have to become a good listener SA, that’s it?

Well, tell me how so

Well, look at it from many angles, a birds-eye view, a bug’s eye view, as a subscriber, as a listener, as a follower, as a guest, as a host, as a co-host…

And the one common denominator is listening first.

• What are your subscribers asking for?
• What are the questions your listeners are asking?
• What is the quality of the messages, audio, and episode?
• What message are your guests trying to deliver?

These are just a handful of variable listening cues that, unfortunately, most podcast creators are missing.

Did you know?

“Listening is our primary com­munication activity.
We spend 80 percent of our waking hours communicating. At least 45 percent of that time is spent listening. Listening is central to our personal and professional success of all people.” – https://listeningwisdom.org

The more I dove deeper into becoming a good podcast host. The one thing I’ve heard over and over again from my guest is I’m a great listener. 

Through listening, I get to hear the underline stories. With practice, you can become a great listener and even better podcast, host.

Here are a few quick tips when you are podcasting:

1. 1st cue is listening for repetitive “keywords”
   For example, when I interviewed the founder of Redfin David, he brought up his “daughter” and “grandmother” at different conversation points. I assembled a connection between his daughter and his grandmother. Not only was it Heartfelt but eye-opening at the same time. 
2. listen for opportunities to inspire
   For example, when I’m interviewing someone, I already know they have not published a book yet. But as the interview continues directly or indirectly, the guest starts dropping titles of different books, alluding to being an avid reader. I hear the passion for the content and their conviction for the topic matter. That becomes the trigger for me to interject to when can we aspect their 1st book and why the world needs to hear their message sooner than later. 
3. Listening to when the person starts to trust you
   This is vital; people trust you to help them deliver their message only after the trust is earned. Most of the time, when I’m interviewing someone, the time of the interview is the first time we are meeting. So my formula to let someone know they can trust me is as follows.
   1. I give them a relative knick name when I 1st start the show. This at least lets them know I know what they do. It’s playful so that they can relax
   2. My 1st question is always tell the listener a little bit about yourself and what we are talking about today. This helps them to get the anxious bug out of the way. I give them the runway to tell the listener their high-level overview of who they are and what they do.
   3. Listening to how they describe themselves gives me critical insight into what means the most to them, so I target and zone in on that topic for the beginning of the episode.
   4. Assure them that their message is important. I do this by hinting that I have done my due diligence, by saying I have done my due diligence, or by bringing up something personal about their life that isn’t top level. For example, if they speak more than one language or a hobby
   5. The results of the above formula I being to hear a tonality change, they become more relaxed, they become more engaged at this point; they know this interview will be different because I’m listening to them, not just interviewing them. 

What I would like you to think about and take away from this article is very simple. And Bruce Lee said it best

“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

Listening is a crucial tool; much like water, it is formless, adaptive, a bloodline, and if you start listening, the answer will present their selves. 

Let’s grab a virtual coffee and talk about additional podcasting for your business. You never know; if you listen you might be able to help you turn your podcast into a lead magnet. 

Bossuncaged.com/vc

S. A. Grant

Over & Out

#podcast #listen #Marketing #podcasting #Leadgen