(#31) On Podcasting
“Be sincere; be brief; be seated.”
Among the million plus podcasts now riding our ever more niche airways, it's overwhelmingly unlikely that anyone will listen to yours. You might get a handful of listeners, you might get one, you will start (and might end) with none. Consider doing it anyway.
In a Glasgow pub, not far from my university office, I was once told - point blank, without blinks - that I'd struggle to work anywhere outside of where my native accent was commonplace. I didn't flinch at the time but I'd be lying if I said it didn't affect me. Tears and vulnerability porn aside, my egoistic half knew this assumption was wrong. I had plenty of evidence from national and international talks (some paid) that my native cadence wasn't holding me back. If anything, it helped make audiences listen. Still, feeling like an imposter doesn't demand such frivolous things as evidence. You judge yourself a fraud regardless!
To continue a desire to craft skill in public speaking, podcasting was my next adventure. Now, 50+ episodes into The reid_indeed Podcast, here are 3 short reasons that it's been worth it, without any care for likes, follower counts. If you're considering picking up the mic but don't think you can, use these points to challenge your over-justified procrastination.
1. FROM YOUR VOICE TO TECHNICAL VERSATILITY
Assuming you're able to utter something into a voice recorder on some sort of mic, then what? In the course of regularly sharing what is effectively my 'talking head' musings of my path into research leadership, I've learned about audio production, file formatting, platform hosting, logo creation, template setting, video accompaniments, microphone choices, sound treatment (where to record), and more. Consider the skills that will come to you as a by-product of your recordings. Create a diary without lifting a pen.
2. CREATE A DIARY WITHOUT EVER LIFTING A PEN
My podcast is primarily unscripted, save for deciding on a central theme of discussion in a particular episode. While I create narrated audio essays for some episodes, it has been the unguided ramblings that have taught me most about myself. The mindful magic of diarising your thoughts, of taking them out of your head onto the page before you, is well-known at this stage. Psychologist James W. Pennebaker on his work to pioneer the understanding of expressive writing, he said:
"People who benefit from writing express more optimism, acknowledge negative events, are constructing a meaningful story of their experience, and have the ability to change perspectives as they write."
And so, too, can it be the case with podcasting. The version of you who is talking into the mic isn't quite the same version of yourself who is listening. From your monologue comes a therapeutic dialogue.
3. ENJOY THE SURPRISE OF THOSE WHO REACH OUT…OFFLINE
My podcast doesn't have sponsorship, and it doesn't appear to get many views or likes or comments online. Nonetheless, those vacant metrics have, in turn, created the best surprise of all. Old friends and colleagues have reached out offline to kindly share with me that they'd enjoyed one episode or other of the podcast. It's been a refreshing reminder of how the most obvious metrics of success can be as misleading as they can be maddening. Consider that you can never really be sure who is (or how many people are) listening.
So, what are you waiting for? Surprise yourself.