Podcasting – Is It Public Speaking?

A podcast is not a speech…..or is it? Why should you prepare for a podcast? It’s just an opportunity to have a chat about a few ideas.

Yes and no.

Podcasts are abundant – everything from millennial angst to dog whispering, advice on being a competitive runner to philosophical history. Chances are, if you are good at what you do, someone will suggest you create a podcast of your own or be a guest. Either way you need to prepare what you are going to say as though it was a presentation in front of a live audience. You still have an audience, you just don’t have the opportunity to gauge their immediate reaction to what you are saying.

So to preparation.

Firstly I recommend you listen to a couple of episodes of any podcast you have been invited to join. This will give you an idea of the format, formality and level of expertise being sought by the podcasters and their audience.

Think about:

Is the topic interesting to a wide cross section of the listening audience?
Is the information being presented in an easy to understand format?
How much time can be allocated to your part of the podcast?
Does the discussion make you look good?

I am a co-host for a weekly podcast for senior business executives. When we have guests we allocate them 90 minutes to cover recording a conversation. This is then edited into a 3 part series for future broadcasting. We also provide them prior to recording a summary of areas of interest we would like them to cover – these are a reflection of their own business or special interest background as well as topics that have been suggested by our listeners. See if you can get this for your upcoming podcast session too!

Always keep in mind that you want to present your information, not the interpreted opinion of the podcaster. In order to do this you will have to be well prepared or you run the risk of being side tracked by questions or interruptions from the podcast host. So prepare your presentation as though you were making it to a live audience.

Here, once again, are some questions to consider when you are preparing for a podcast.

Why am I talking?
What is my most important point or message to be conveyed?
Have I stated this?
How will this effect the listeners?
Is there any controversial point to be addressed?
What is the most positive point with which I can finish?
Do I want the audience to take some action?
Who will be in the audience?
How many will be in the audience?
Do I have to report back to anyone after this talk?
Will I be in a studio or some outdoor location?
Will I be using a mobile phone or landline? (This may affect the clarity of the transmission of your call and your concentration)

There is no situation involving a podcast where you should be unprepared. Take the time to gather what you want to present, enjoy the opportunity to present in a different format to a live audience, think about having a podcast of your own where you talk about issues that interest you – its great public speaking training!!

Next week I am going to do a direct comparison between how you write something (as in a report) and how you present the same information in a speech.