The second of the Podcasting 4 Cs – Communication

This time, we are moving on to the second of the Podcasting 4 Cs – Communication.

This may seem a bit counter-intuitive. After all, a podcast is by definition a form of communication. However, it’s essential to consider how you are communicating with your listeners. If you get it right, this will naturally lead on to the next C – Connection. (You may like to read or re-read my blog post ‘Why Terry Wogan holds the key to your business’ or organisation’s success‘ which talks about communication leading to connection.)

People have written courses and whole books about effective communication and how to achieve it but here are just a few pointers for podcasters:

Avoid using phrases like ‘all you guys out there’ – podcasting is an intimate medium and most of your audience will be listening alone. Your communication will be much more effective if you use pronouns such as ‘you’. Speak as if you are talking directly to a friend, not to a general mass of people at an event.

Try using an avatar – some podcasters actually print out a photo of their ‘ideal listener’ and set it up in front of their microphone to make sure they remember they are talking to a single person, and in an appropriate way.

Mention listeners by name – everyone loves hearing their name in a podcast episode. However many times you mention someone, it’s probably not enough. Try to include thanks for some feedback, mention a tweet or update they posted or an email they sent. You’ll be amazed how excited listeners will get when they hear their name – and they’re much more likely to tell their friends about your podcast as a result!

Try to avoid exclusive chatter – for some listeners, this will be the first time they have heard your show. Put yourself in their shoes – would ‘in-jokes’ enhance communication or hinder it? If your new listener doesn’t understand what you are saying or why you are saying it, they are much more likely to press stop and unsubscribe. Familiarity with the ways in which you talk about things in your podcast is a great way of encouraging listeners to become fans because they will feel part of the group but just be mindful that you risk putting new listeners off.

These are just a few of my thoughts on communication. Let me know if you have come across other barriers to or enhancers of effective communication in your podcast by pressing reply to this email