As grandparents, my wife and I have to travel frequently to see our children because we live quite a distance apart. We prefer to kill time on lengthy drives by listening to podcasts and music. However, it's been hard for us to find shows that we can watch for longer than a few minutes lately.
I recently finished producing my own podcast, "Standing At an Angle to the Universe," and in light of that experience as well as the flaws I've seen in other shows, I've developed a list of improvements that will truly elevate the medium and better cater to listeners' preferences.
Podcasters, first and foremost, must maintain focus. Get right to the topic and don't waver. A lot of the shows we listen to have hosts who talk endlessly without realizing how ridiculous and conceited they are. Occasionally, it takes the programs under consideration close to ten minutes before they eventually address the subject at hand. When it came time to conduct my own series, I ensured that all 10 episodes were meticulously edited and structured, eschewing extended, meaningless sidebars and irrelevant musings.
2. Secondly, if there are multiple hosts, kindly refrain from competing with one another's absurdity. We downloaded an episode of Dana Carvey and David Spade's podcast for our most recent vacation since they were supposedly interviewing the witty and talented actor-comedian Bill Hader. Hader put up a solid fight throughout, but he hardly said anything. Hader had little to say other than the occasional snicker while Spade and Carvey babbled away, repeating anecdotes from their "Saturday Night Live" days that had long since been forgotten. It was awkward.
Furthermore, you are not required to vocally react to anything your co-host says on television just because you are a co-host. In one podcast, the hosts talked about the legendary Clutter family massacre that happened in Holcomb, Kansas, which is detailed in Truman Capote's outstanding work In Cold Blood. Interesting things however, each time one of the hosts mentioned a graphic detail or made a statement regarding what had happened that evening, the other would stutter something like "Oh," "That's terrible," or "Oh, my gosh." Please refrain from making these needless interruptions. At a family picnic, they are just as welcome as an inquisitive skunk.
3. One last thing: BE READY! With "Standing At an Angle to the Universe," I never quite made it. As I mentioned, it was pre-written, but I also made a point of practicing and rehearsing until I could deliver it without any hiccups. I feel like a lot of the podcasts I've listened to look improvised and ill-prepared, which is just reckless. In our industry, professionalism is crucial, and amateurs and dingbats simply damage the platform and turn off potential listeners.
4. Work on your delivery as well. Warm up your voice and make sure you're drinking enough water. It contributes to the complexity and timbre of your voice. Nothing is more unpleasant than having to put up with a boring host who lacks personality like an oak plank. Take a seat behind that microphone. It took me two or three episodes to get comfortable, but by the tenth episode, I felt like I knew my AKG mic well.
5. "Don't bore people" is Octavia Butler's first writing rule, and I wish more podcasters would heed that advice. Yes, find a worthy subject, but don't limit yourself to a documentary approach; instead, approach it from a whole other angle. Google can provide that for all of us.Doing extensive research, looking for numerous sources, and taking lots of notes is crucial. To demonstrate that you've done your homework, don't blurt out random facts all the time; instead, keep everything in the background. It's important to do your research before an interview so that you can ask thoughtful, succinct questions that elicit information beyond the typical, canned answers from the guest.
6. Lastly, don't obsess with "monetizing" your program, hounding companies for sponsorship, and other such activities. If I do say so myself, the finished product of my low-cost, home-office podcast production utilizing readily accessible software is as polished and captivating as anything that is now available. Children, it has nothing to do with creating a name for yourself or developing a brand; rather, it is all about participating in a conversation that is always being formed and helping to shape the future.
In light of this, every voice matters and every perspective is valued. We are constructing a society that must be able to withstand the strains of disagreement and the cacophony of opposing opinions with every discussion and exchange. Give your speech, and give it your all. Nothing less is what your audience deserves and expects.
Yeah, most of the time. Nobody is flawless.
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