As a podcast guest, we might think drowning the audience in a wash of facts and details will be the best course of action. After all, if the host asks about our areas of expertise, then information (think "data" in both numbers and sentences) will sate the listeners thirst for knowledge, right?
If this is our thinking, we would be wrong . . .
Like really wrong . . .
Like wrong with a big giant . . .
Why?
Because facts and bullet points slide off the brain. They just don't stick. The solution may seem simple, yet it will make your responses memorable to the host and the listeners.
Tell a Story
Repeat after me, "Stories will be remembered for years. Facts will be forgotten in moments."
<Pause while we say it aloud together. đ>
Stories make a connection with the audience and bring them into the conversation. Examples of success, of failure, of what you have learned, of what you would do differently--all of these can be used. Plus, you only have to share what you feel comfortable sharing. This doesn't have to be a tell-all documentary. Examples of people or businesses you have helped show expertise and authority. Stories of mistakes in the past and what you learned from them will show empathy.
I listened to a podcast called "My Life in 4 Trades". The guests all come from the financial sector and the host asks them to recount the four most significant trades they have made in their lives. They share two of their best trades and two of their worst trades. The host and guests have both commented in different episodes how their peers are always quick to tell about their mistakes and screwups. The same holds true with the stories on a podcast. Don't feel like you have to be "perfect". In fact, I remember the stories with mistakes and struggles far more than the stories about successes.
Try it for yourself with this test
Let's test our theory here when our podcast host asks a question to a parent. Which answer would you most likely remember?
Question from the Podcast Host: What is a piece of sage advice you would like to share with our listeners who are new parents?
Answer #1
It is important to wrap up your baby's dirty diaper and place it securely in the trash after you change them.
Answer #2
As I stumbled down the hallway toward the coffee maker in the kitchen at 6am, still reeling from the 3am feeding of my two-month old daughter, I stepped in something squishy with my bare right foot. Before my groggy brain processed the squish between my toes, I took another step and felt a similar squish between the toes on my bare left foot. Then a noxious odor blasted my sinuses. I reached for the light fearing what awaited me.
You see, before I fed my two-month old at 3am, I had to clean up a major blowout in her diaper. I laid her down on the floor in front of our couch on a blanket to change both her diaper and pajamas. I thought I would never get all of the đ©off of her--it was horrendous. Wanting to feed her and get her back to bed as quickly as I could, I set the soggy diaper on the floor along with the nasty pajamas wrapped up in the now equally nasty blanket, picked up my freshly cleaned daughter in dry pajamas, and fed her a bottle. Once she ate, I laid her down in her crib and then I went back to bed.
All of this raced through my mind as I turned the light on. My mouth fell open as I stared at a shredded diaper strewn all over the floor along with what it formerly contained. My eyes then landed on our dear puppy snoozing serenely by the couch, covered in đ© and snuggled in my daughters nauseating dirty pajamas and blanket which I had left on the floor.
So, don't forget to throw dirty diapers in the garbage can and dirty clothes in the laundry bin.
â Which response do you think would more likely be remembered? â
See what I mean? You remember stories. đ
Action Items
⥠Have three or four stories to share on your interview that you have down cold. You can use them as part of your answers and weave them into the narrative. The more stories you can include, the more the audience will remember.
Bonus tip: Role playing or recording yourself on your phone telling these stories. Find what is important and what is fluff. Be able to tell them succinctly as well as to elaborate more fully depending on the context.
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P.S. If you don't want to mess with all of the headaches of creating a podcast for your business (scripting, recruiting, production, etc), my white glove podcasting will take care of all of it so you can focus on your business. Reach out if you would like to know more of what is possible (contact information below).
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Till next time!
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