We are a storytelling species. There you go, finished.
Not quite. What is a story? Why do they matter?
A story in its most basic form is a journey from one state of being to another. It is rooted deeply within us. Imagine a band of hunter gathers, small groups travel out in different directions and return to the base camp later in the day. Now they gather around the fires.
Do they sit in silence, eating quietly? I think not.
“Out towards that river we saw gazelle tracks.”; “We saw the berries ripening early this year.” and “I see the little birds have left their nests.” and so on. These stories all point to a change. Prior to people interacting, one level of understanding existed and afterwards a new one.
Now these are little stories, the things of everyday existence. But they form the background, nay, the backbone of whom we really are.
From these daily interactions to creation stories, to the heroes and heroines of myth and legend, the “story” has been part of how we interact and communicate.
As Podcasters, we are communicators. If can craft our shows to tell a story, then it will more easily connect with our listeners. So taking our listeners from a starting point to a new place is the Way of the Crafting.
The process can be varied. Give the new destination at the beginning and then walk through the steps it takes to get there. Begin at the beginning and proceed forward to the new state.
There are any number of ways to do this but, and this is a big but, but there is a need for conflict, struggle, obstacles overcome and so on. The hero’s journey is the common example given.
Starting off with naive understanding, our hero overcomes challenges and arrives at the destination a changed person.
This works for a sales podcast, a creative writing story, a teaching show indeed I cannot think of a podcast that would not benefit from just using the hero’s journey.
This link: here explains in greater detail the 12 stages, no less, in the hero’s journey story.
Think about these things, they will improve your podcast.