Continuing along The Way of The Podcaster, as we’ve covered “How much less is actually more?”, podcast hosting services and writing for podcasts, today we delve under the bonnet: Thinking for Podcasters.
A point worth making first is this. Podcasting is a discipline. In the same way as science, history, sociology are disciplines in the academic sense. The thing with a discipline is, it trains the practitioner to think in certain ways. My academic training was in archaeology. It was years later I realised I approach problems by looking for the under layers, searching until I find “bedrock” and then work forward from there. Podcasting is a discipline. The thinking processes it engenders are significant.
A Framework for Passion
At the core of every great podcast is a host who is passionate about their subject matter. Passion drives creative content. It’s what keeps you going during late-night editing sessions or when you’re researching for hours on end. What the discipline, the Way of The Podcaster, does is give a structure and a framework to your passions. This takes time as you develop your “Voice”.
The coalescence of the Voice and the Passion is how the Way of The Podcaster develops your thinking processes. This becomes a way of seeing the world. It becomes the lens through which you view your life.
Your passions are what they are and become. Usually narrowing and deepening over time. A passion for general history usually develops into a deeper yearning to understand a particular era, culture or individual. This is to be expected as you continue on your Podcasting Pathway. My first show: “World Organic News” was as it sounds, very broad in approach. Over time I realised I was focusing more and more on regenerative farming and gardening with a passion for soil and all its myriad intricacies. I rebranded the show: “ChangeUnderground” to better reflect the content and my passion. This usually happens once you have a body of work behind you and can see clearly where you want to head along the Way of the Podcaster.
Your “Voice” arises out of your authenticity. To quote Groucho Marx: Authenticity is the key to a successful life. Once you’ve learned to fake that, you’re home. This is a little tongue in cheek but there will be a time, especially in the beginning when you might just have to fool yourself into believing what you’re doing is worth the effort.
The “Voice” isn’t just the spoken word. It’s the culmination of self developmental work whether that’s been the point of you podcasting or not. It is this self referencial observation of your work, podcasting, writing, painting, sculpting or any creative activity that leads you to you and in the knowing of you comes your Voice, your authenticity.
Authenticity builds trust and connection with your listeners. When you’re genuine, your audience feels it. That’s what keeps them coming back for more. The levels of trust built by podcasts are second to none. No other medium does the job quite as well as this one. It takes time to build and that’s another key to podcasting, it’s a long game.
Voice, Passion and Authenticity
These three, Voice, Passion and Authenticity, underpin the most creative and efficient ways to think about podcasting and as a podcast producer. You will note these three are not related to anything of a tech nature.
In podcasting’s version of Maslow’s hierarchy, tech matters. Things like hosting, software, mics and DAWs are the very bottom of this pyramid. Whilst these things matter, they do not determine the quality of your content. They determine if your content is deliverable and listenerable. The next level in this hierarchy is your passion and authenticity. These drive your creative vision. They are based on the confidence of a tech stack that works. Knowing your base level concerns are covered allows you to expand into whom you are.
From these two levels of the pyramid comes the pinnacle of the hierarchy: The Voice. The way you deliver your content, solo, interview, round table or fiction, it is your Voice driving the power of your show.
Do learn a tech system that works, unleash your passion authentically and your Voice will arise.
With this pyramid or hierarchy in mind, you have a lens to focus your thinking processes. Every step in the storytelling process will be parsed through this pyramid. This is why, when done effectively, podcasting is a discipline in the academic sense.
Each paragraph, each sentence, even each word filters through this hierarchical worldview over time. Do these add to the story you are telling or do they detract? This is a little easier when a show is scripted but even then it’s not until you hear the audio can you be certain.
This highlights the importance of audio editing. Again does a section help the argument you are selling your audience or is it a distraction? Sometimes diving down a rabbit hole is of great value for the listener, mostly it is not. With your Voice in mind, a disciplined, I would argue even a ruthless, approach to audio editing will create a better show than a more wandering approach.
Takeaways
Walk before you run. This tightness of editing will come with time. You have to fulfil the requirements of the base level of the hierarchy, the tech stuff before you dive too deeply into savage editing. My first episode I cut to ribbons, asked a colleague to have a listen and received the feedback: “There’s no pauses, no breathing, not even any sentences, it’s just words.” So I re-recorded and re-edited to sound “normal”. Be gentle with yourself, ask for help and reiterate constantly.
Once you have your tech stack working you can almost ignore it. You’ll have checkpoints along the way, recording with headphones to monitor as you go, re-listening as you edit and being subscribed to your own show so you are one of the first to listen will catch just about any glitches in a timely manner. Allowing you to make the necessary changes. Just let the tech stack be for 12 months once you’re happy with it. Work on what it is you really want to tell the world, dive into it with gusto. This will unleash your passion and demonstrate your authenticity. As these grow your Voice will manifest. Your shows will be yours and yours alone. No one else on the planet will have your Voice and your tribe will coalesce around you.