Nobody wants to listen to a cruddy podcast.  It’s embarrassingly akin to reading a memo with typos and bad grammar. With that in mind, here is how to create a great podcast for business messaging, using the story method to convey the information. Before you begin, select one topic, and then map out a format. Let’s say you’re interviewing someone about what makes them the #1 salesperson at Company X.  This provides a recognition opportunity, which top performers crave. Plus it can motivate others and increase their seller acumen, too.

Effective interviewing begins with preparation. Write down your goal for the interview. Create questions that answer who, what, where, when, why, and how surrounding the topic you wish to explore. When thinking about types of questions, consider the following.

Certain questions yield a succinct answer and are good for clarifying a point but not for expanding on a thought, “Do you attribute your selling success to sales call quantity or sales call quality?”  

You’re leading your interviewee into a corner.  If you open it up and ask the question differently, the response can be very different: “What do you attribute your selling success to?” The person being interviewed is now free to elaborate and be authentic, even funny, giving you a better story to work with.

Transcribe each interview word-for-word. This is essential in determining which parts of the interview you will use. It is also easier to move the interview segments around in print first.  Often the responses are edited to make them sound more succinct or to account for the completion of an earlier thought.

Chances are you’ve heard a podcast created by professionals. National Public Radio (NPR) is an example. The sound quality is superb, the content is well written, and the topics are interesting.  They have an advantage of course. NPR has deep pockets employing passionate audiophiles schooled in the art/science of audio production.  

Here are hallmarks of an engaging podcast. It starts with a passion for excellence. If you don’t have an interest in this medium and a desire to achieve a great outcome, don’t bother. After passion, comes exceptional planning.  Listen to a few podcasts. You can tell when someone has taken the time to develop one. Or not.

A well-planned podcast is both concise and limited to one topic or theme. Next comes the interviewing to capture the content. People love to hear stories. By delivering your message through a story, you will delight your target audience. Top-notch writing can’t be overlooked. While the interviews will flow freely other portions of the podcast will be tightly scripted. The production process weaves the whole thing together. This includes the announcing, editing, and sound effects. The next section looks closer at each step.

What follows is an article I wrote as an introduction to business podcasting. I'll post it in several parts for the sake of attention spans and eye strain. Enjoy!

Set Your Team on Fire: Podcasting for Business Communication

“What can you do to set people on fire?” It’s a question posed in the article, “Storytelling that Moves People,” from the Harvard Business Review website (hbr.org) on the subject of persuasion and motivation. The authors of the article, McKee and Fryer, suggest storytelling as a means to a more personal, emotional, and engaging method for connecting with people in the business world.

The goal of this article is to help you gain an understanding as to the potential of high-caliber audio storytelling to deliver internal business messaging. First, why is this relevant? In a March 2013 article on DailyDot.com, the author quotes a popular podcast producer who said, “There’s something like 31 million people that are downloading at least one podcast a month in the United States.” This illustrates the popularity of podcasts in general. So why should a business think about podcasting when communicating to employees?

One reason is to cut through the noise. Employees are bombarded with emails, snail mail, presentations, and texts. It’s easy for an important message to be missed, lost or ignored. Tone and emphasis can be difficult to gauge from an email, which can lead to confusion or misunderstanding. Podcasts, as opposed to written messages, can lend sincerity, personality, and also humanize the experience.

Another reason for businesses to consider podcasting is the variety in creativity they offer. Content can be developed a number of ways: Create messaging stories by interviewing and recording senior company leaders, marketing, HR, or sales leaders on topics such as best selling practices, new hire training, new company initiatives, core values or industry trends. The only caveats are as follows:  1) ensure the topic is vital to your company and 2) interview someone both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the topic you wish to cover.

Reach and convenience are further reasons a company would choose podcasting for their messaging. Podcasts can be listened to in the car, while waiting in line, at the gym, at the desk, and often while doing many other tasks. If it’s a place you normally use a tablet, MP3 player, smartphone, laptop, or desktop, you can listen to a podcast.

When you’re in dialogue with another person, you’ve got to “go with the flow”. These dialogues can be electronic or live. 

If the person you’re interacting with is slammed and needs a piece of information fast, don’t launch into your life story.  Cut to the chase and give them the information.  If they want to shoot the breeze and your schedule allows it, relax and engage in some of that, too, as appropriate.

When a person adjusts to another’s style and situational needs, it can lower tension and increase productivity.

This adaptive behavior requires intentionality until it becomes natural.  Like so many other things in life the return is there as long as one is willing to make the adjustments.

Next week:  I goof off.

Your boss can have a major impact on your success.  Explore with them how they can help you.

Treat him or her like royalty.  Always make your word “concrete” with this person.

How can you make their life easier?  How can you make them look good to their superiors?

Present this person with issues and answers.  Learn from them.

Bundle your questions for them.  (You don’t have to call this person five times per day.)

Keep your personal issues to yourself. Err on the side of non-disclosure.

Find out your boss’s priorities and align yours with them as best you can.  (Remember: these change.)

Earn their respect and then treasure it.

Next week:  Secret Number Ten.

Time on this planet is too precious to spend gobs of it in ways that don’t make your heart sing.

Happiness in work affects all other areas of your life, including health.

So, does your work matter to you? Are you challenged? Is it satisfying?

Importantly, are you appreciated?  Are you proud?

Don’t blink because years will fly by that you will regret.

Happiness leads to excellence.  And dollars follow excellence.  Not the other way around.

Also, if you are interested in what you do, that in turn will make you more interesting! True story.

Next week:  Secret Number Nine.

“Be a Great Listener”. This one sounds kind of easy doesn’t it? Here’s one of those areas that people often give themselves a higher grade than they deserve when they do self-assessment.

Great listening is not just being silent when the other person is talking.  It’s being engaged with what they are saying. It’s giving them 100% of your energy at that moment.  It’s making them the center of your universe. Now, given those standards:  Do you still rate yourself currently as a “Great” Listener?

We have a lot of noise in our heads, don’t we?  Our “to do” lists, “Oops I forgot to pay that bill”, or “I’m hungry”, or even our anxiety that this person is taking too long to get to the point, etc. A million things.

Becoming a better listener starts with intent. It will not be achieved accidentally. And it does take discipline.

The payoff is there, though. This skill definitely improves dialogues and enhances relationships. Ponder the rewards and then consider working to improve this skill. It’s actually rather calming and fun.

Next week:  Secret Number Eight.

Often we take an action and then maybe follow-up once or even twice. And then if a certain result is not achieved, what happens next? NOTHING. Let's be honest, we drop the ball.

Somewhere in our brain, we give ourselves a free pass to move on to the next thing.

The truth of the matter is, if we really want something badly enough, we can make it happen.

Rewards can come from sheer persistence.

This is another terrific example of how to move from good to great.

As hard as it is to accept: Don't give up!

Next week: Secret Number Seven

Most people pay some attention to creating a good first impression.

But what about adjusting the paradigm, taking into account that we continually need to impress.

We always need to show up on time, look presentable, offer a firm handshake, exhibit a “Can Do” attitude, smile and be prepared.  Incidentally, “on time” is 10-15 minutes early, often referred to as “(Vince) Lombardi Time”.

And what about handshakes?  Unless you’re a million years old and frail, handshakes should be firm.

Notice I did not say “bone crushing”!  Limpy handshakes are gross.  If a man offers me a handshake that is, shall we say “adjusted”, I will seize the opportunity to remind him that I ain’t dead yet.

Final tip on this subject, always look the other person in the eye when shaking hands.  If it’s not 100% clear that they know your name and company name, It helps to simply say “Mary Ellen Forszt, Solutions Unlimited.  Nice to meet you.” This is a good opportunity to ascertain how they want to be addressed, too.

Next week:  Secret Number Six.