Every podcast host's worst nightmare is having a guest on their podcast who provides long-winded answers, shares lengthy monologues, and goes down every rabbit trail possible. In this episode, Paul Granger explains the art of concise communication for podcast guests and how mastering this art can lead to more podcasting-related opportunities. Get ready to learn the benefit of brevity and simple ways to hone your stories to impact your podcast guesting and even your everyday conversations!
00:00:15 - Introduction to Roblox obsession 00:02:09 - Goldilocks and the Three Types of Guests 00:03:29 - Understanding Your Why for Sharing 00:06:09 - Honoring the Host and Context 00:07:19 - Achieving Brevity in Storytelling
Timestamped Summary:
00:00:15 - Introduction to Roblox obsession The host's son became obsessed with the game Roblox, a global gaming platform where players can build landscapes and adventures together. The son's love for connection and external processing led to endless soliloquies about his Roblox experiences.
00:02:09 - Goldilocks and the Three Types of Guests The host discusses three types of guests: those who say too little, those who say too much, and those whose content is just right, like Baby Bear. He emphasizes the importance of finding the right balance in sharing as a guest on a podcast.
00:03:29 - Understanding Your Why for Sharing Before sharing your story, it's crucial to understand why you want to share it. Knowing your why will impact how and what you share. The host provides examples of different motivations for sharing and highlights the importance of considering the value for the host and listeners.
00:06:09 - Honoring the Host and Context As a guest on a podcast, it's essential to respect the host's space and understand the context of the show. Guests should consider whether their content brings value to the host and listeners and be willing to adapt their sharing style to honor the context of the space.
00:07:19 - Achieving Brevity in Storytelling Many stories can be too long for a podcast context, but the host assures that brevity is achievable in four steps.
You're listening to Podcasting Made Simple. I'm your host, Alex Sanfilippo. For this episode's guide and resources, please visit podprosecom. And now let's get to the episode.
Speaker 2:
There was a time in my life when I knew nothing about the game Roblox, and then my son became obsessed. Roblox is a global gaming platform that allows gamers all over the world to build landscapes and adventures together. Our kids don't do much gaming, but our son was introduced and latched on fast. Here's what you need to understand about my son. He loves connection and he's an external processor. Functually, this means when something has caught his attention, he will share it with those around him at length. I can't tell you how many seemingly endless soliloquies would take place over dinner. Whereas my wife and I went from room to room, our oldest set our heels telling us about the avatar he created, the bricks he assembled or the creeper he avoided. What I can tell you is that I had to look up Roblox terms for this, because, despite the number of hours I've heard about it, there's very little I've retained. I've been told enough consent on Roblox to qualify for college level credit, and yet those hours of unloaded game facts have yielded little fruit. In other words, saying a lot doesn't always mean you're saying a lot. Where did my son go wrong and where can you, as a guest, go right? I'm Paul Granger, the host of when Did you See God and what's God Doing? And I've run across three types of guests the guest who says too little, the guest who says too much and the guest whose content is just right. Imagine Goldilocks creating a podcast where she interviews anthropomorphic animals. Mama Bear comes on and gives one sentence answers to every question, leaving Goldie struggling to cultivate dialogue. Papa Bear is long-winded and it's 45 minutes before Goldie can get a word in. But Baby Bear, whew. Baby Bear's answers are just right Not too short, not too long, leaving Goldie engaged and wanting to hear more.
Speaker 2:
Typically, the Mama Bears on my podcast are those that have never guessed it before and are so uncomfortable they subconsciously minimize responses. It's very likely that the fact you are here means most of you are comfortable in the mic, and when you're comfortable in the mic, you can end up getting too comfortable in the mic. You may not be Mama Bear, but you may be a low-quacious Papa Bear. Hosts can struggle with talkative guests and so can listeners. Lengthy monologues can lead hosts to feel disengaged and listeners to lose your story amidst the rabbit trails. Naturally, this can lead to fewer invitations and even fewer listens. The tragedy is your voice matters and it's a travesty that word count could be the difference between it being heard or not.
Speaker 2:
I want to help you become the Baby Bear of podcasting, because brevity can be beautiful. So how do we grow less verbose and become a guest who gets more shows? We have to begin internally, and there's no better question to start with than why, before you share, take time to ask why you want to share. The answer to this will impact how you share. For example, let's say you lost your job and you have a story of finding new purpose. If your why for sharing is because you know the host has a similar story, you may find your story coming out organically and conversationally. Conversely, if your why is because you've got pent up frustration and need to vent, your host may find themselves navigating an emotion-filled diatribe. I'm not going to tell you what your why for sharing should be, but I need you to understand that knowing it matters and there will be situations in which it may be wise to pivot. When I share my personal story of toxic work environment and unjust firing, I've learned to be aware when I'm sharing from a healthy or unhealthy place and how that positions me as a guest. I have friends with whom I can vent To care for the host and their listeners, I should consider what would be valuable for them. This leads to the next bit of internal work. Am I doing this for me or am I willing to see this as a partnership?
Speaker 2:
When you join as a guest on a podcast, you are coming into their home and you have a responsibility of respecting that space and understanding the context. I've guested a few times on the Bible Says what, which presents itself as an Atheist vs Christian podcast. As a Christ follower, I knew it was important to understand the space into which Michael was inviting me and shape my engagement around what would show respect to him and his listeners, even if we disagree on many things. However, many guests have gone on his show without the due diligence of looking beyond the title. They saw the Bible, assumed it was a Christian show, and many have overshared in ways that were not honoring to the space. For some, their why was simply to talk or self-promote. As a result, the conversations became awkward, messy or disrespectful to Michael and his listeners. You have to know your context. My son's Roblox diatribes might not have landed with me and my wife, but could land well among his peers or other players.
Speaker 2:
Your story matters, but when you go on a show, you are sharing it as a gift to others. You wouldn't offer fries to someone allergic to potatoes, and too many guests have offered content their host wasn't looking for. When that content becomes a basket of bottomless fries, it becomes problematic. This doesn't mean you can't share certain things, but does mean you should ask certain questions. Am I willing to shift how I may normally share in order to honor the context of this space? Does what I'm saying bring value to the host and the listeners, or am I sharing just to be heard? Am I willing to not share something if it feels forced? This is important work before you record, but is equally important during.
Speaker 2:
Keep an eye on the host. Do they seem engaged? Are their facial expressions showing they are following your story or do they seem distracted? Is it clear they're trying to speak but can't get a word? In Observing your host and responding accordingly is an important way to honor them and is actually beneficial to you. After all, they know their listeners, and good hosts know how to keep you from veering as well as guide you to the best topics. But let's get practical. The best way you can honor the host and their listeners is by equipping yourself to share well. Unfortunately, we often default to a mode of sharing that works well for an unrestricted conversation with a friend at the park, but not for a structured 30-minute show.
Speaker 2:
The hard reality is our stories are often far too long for a podcast context. But, paul, you can test. You don't understand. My story is just that long. I can't help it. Oh, but you can. I want you to think right now of one of your go-to stories. How long is required to tell it? 10 minutes, 20 minutes an hour? What if I told you that the long story you love to tell could become only two minutes If your gut reaction was doubt, defiance or rage? I was right there with you. I once did a fundraising training where I was told the same thing. That story that I know takes time to tell needs to be converted into a two-minute version. Impossible, but why? We are convinced brevity is impossible with certain stories, but in four steps you can achieve the impossible.
Speaker 2:
To start, you'll wanna type out your story and try to be mindful of length when it's inevitably more than two minutes. You'll begin with step one. First, we tend to load our stories with descriptive details that are vital for us but may not be necessary for the podcast. They may not need to know that it was the hottest summer on record, when you lost your job. And while you were dealing with losing your job, you were also dealing with a broken AC unit, which added more stress. And it can feel wrong to strip those details out, but so many of them are only carrying value to us because we were there to experience them.
Speaker 2:
As you rework your story into a two-minute version, start by finding as many non-vital details as you can and delete them. You'll be surprised how quickly that long story trims down. Second, you don't have to tell them everything Now. This is different from stripping descriptive details, because there are valuable sub-segments of our story that we can put to the side, at least for now. For example, though important, they may not need to know that as you were losing your job, you were working through a related difficult situation with a coworker and came to a place of healing as you departed, we have this fear that if we don't say it, they won't know it, but by dropping these parts, it can leave the host desiring to know more, at which point they may ask. In fact, you can plant those seeds by saying something like I'd be happy to share more on this, but, as I lost my job, there is an unexpected restoration with a coworker. Trust the host to know if they should water the seed or not.
Speaker 2:
Go back to your story, pull out the sub-stories and now your soliloquy is significantly shorter. Third, just straight up, shorten it some more. It's nice to have guidance on how to shorten it, but sometimes it's good to just be blunt. Make some cuts, get it to two minutes. However, you need to Don't stress about if the cut was right or not. Remember you aren't crafting a new life story here, simply a short version. By all means, you can still tell the long version at the park, but you need something succinct that is flexible to work in the most structured podcasts. Last, spend some time telling the shortened version. Notice I didn't say reciting.
Speaker 2:
You could choose to memorize what you've written, but the process has actually equipped you to be a more efficient storyteller. By practicing telling it, you'll remember the details to strip the stories to set aside and succinct ways to capture key points. Practice sharing it with a friend who can spare two minutes. Record yourself sharing it with a stopwatch going and, as a bonus, post it on social media. This may stretch you, but I can guarantee you can make two-minute versions of your core stories that flow naturally. This is valuable for a few reasons. It keeps you from being long-winded or lost on rabbit trails. It helps you discern and protect the purposes of your stories. It helps you sound professional and confident. It gives you content for short-form podcasts, everyday interactions and more. And, of course, it's easier to add to a short version if you discover you have more time than to take back any oversharing.
Speaker 2:
My homework assignment is for you to work this process through your top three stories. Again, you're not eliminating how you normally tell it, but creating a new version that has the benefit of brevity. By doing this, with at least three, you'll build a mental portfolio of vignettes that you have ready for any podcast or conversation. But what if there are elements of the longer versions that you don't want them to miss? One powerful solution is to record them and make them accessible.
Speaker 2:
I've captured long-form versions of a few of my core stories, like the story of when God invited me to pursue an impossible house. This story has amazing elements that simply can't fit into a standard podcast, but by recording it I can say and there was one time God invited me to pursue an impossible house, and you can hear that story on my website. In this way, you are opening the door to even deeper engagement from listeners. And here's an unexpected perk You'll discover you are more than your one big story.
Speaker 2:
We may be on Zen Podcasts and discover that we basically told the same long story on each one. As we grow our mental portfolio of vignettes, we can challenge ourselves to hone more stories, giving us more depth. That would draw the listeners deeper. The reality is we're not saying only baby bears should be on the mic. There are places in which the styles of the mama and papa bears are just right. What we're saying is that we not only need to be mindful of our default style, but be willing to put intentionality into making our storytelling more versatile. The simple act of doing that internal work and crafting brief vignettes will make us the type of engaging guest that hosts bring back multiple times and listeners pursue when the story stops.
Speaker 1:
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