Recently, I came across a link to one of my posts about “12 reasons to podcast.” These tips were picked up by Cordell Parvin, who writes about client development for law firms.
I agree with his suggestion that lawyers can use podcasts to demonstrate expertise and share knowledge. In fact, a few years ago I did an interview with Ian Hull, a high-profile Canadian lawyer who specializes in a niche area, estate law. He was fairly new to podcasting then, but is now a veteran. The interview is still online here.
If you wish, you can listen to an audio version of this post here:
Every few weeks I get a call about producing a “CEO broadcast,” a “CEO podcast” or a “CEO audio message.” Essentially these are all the same thing: an audio version of a message from the organization’s chief executive officer, so he or she can reach out to employees using a medium other than text. To be sure, most CEOs continue to communicate within the organization with emails, memos and newsletters, but they’re increasingly adding audio to the mix.
Why use audio? The warmth of the voice imbues a message with sincerity, humanity and personality. Most CEOs wish that they could personally visit every site and department in their organization, shake hands with each employee, and have lunch with all the teams. But unless the organization is very small, this just isn’t possible. So the CEO broadcast is the next best thing.
Focusing on the CEO message Yes, we need to talk about technology, but even more important is the message itself – the tone of the message and the content of the message. Do spend some time planning this. If you are the Director of Communications or the VP of Employee Engagement or whatever – whoever is working with the CEO on his or her message – it’s important to invest the time to plan the message. Doing it on the fly is probably not the most effective way to proceed. I promise that you'll regret it later.
Producing the CEO audio message After you’ve decided on the messaging, it’s time to think about technology. The easiest way to produce an audio message is to use a handheld digital recorder. But don’t rely on the built-in microphone. Spend $100 or so on a good-quality microphone. In a pinch, if you don’t have a portable recorder, you can use an iPhone with a mic/earbud headset. Just be sure the mic is placed properly.
Be sure to record in an uncompressed format, such as WAV, for best quality. Also make sure that your recording mode is set for 44.1 KHz and not 48 KHz. This will ensure that your file will sound fine if people listen to it with a Flash player. (Have you ever heard an audio file where the person sounds like Daffy Duck? It was probably recorded in 48 KHz.)
If you need to remove any errors or stumbles, you can edit the audio file using Audacity, which is a free, open-source program. You can also add a musical intro or other additional audio material, such as a call to action at the end, perhaps using the voice of someone else within the organization. The final step is to save the audio file as an MP3. This is a compressed format, which makes the file smaller.
More tips Most people speak with more passion and energy when they stand, rather than sit.
Also, it is possible to record the CEO’s audio message remotely, when you’re not in the same room. You can record over the phone or Skype if you need to. The quality won’t be as high as in person, but it’s still pretty good.
Distributing the CEO audio message Some organizations actually produce true podcasts with RSS feeds, but more likely, the audio file will be placed on the intranet or even emailed.
More resources for you A couple of years ago I produced an episode of the Trafcom News Podcast on the topic of CEO podcasts. Here is a link to it.
If you need help creating your CEO’s audio message, I offer coaching to help you get started, or to actually produce your audio broadcasts for you.
If you struggle with writing (or if people find it hard to read what you write), you might want to listen to this interview with my friend Barb Sawyers of Sticky Communication, author of Write Like You Talk, Only Better.
Many years ago, I was working on contract doing technical writing in downtown Toronto. When the woman who hired me invited me to a meeting of her professional association, I went. To be polite. The next day she asked me what I thought of it. Being young, green and rather foolish, I answered: “Well, the speaker was pretty good, but I would rather stay home than go out for potato salad and cold cuts.”
Ever so wise, she looked me in the eye and countered: “Donna, you don’t go to these meetings for the bologna, you go for the networking.”
Her sage advice was lost on me at the time, although for some strange reason I can remember this conversation verbatim years later.
Up until that point, I had been hired for full-time jobs and contracts based mostly on luck. As well, I had benefited from networking, even though I would have referred to it as “who you know,” as in “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” I actually viewed this as a little shady!
More than 20 years later, I have become an inveterate networker; it has been the single most important factor in the growth of my business.
Lately, I’ve met a few people who have been let go from long-running corporate jobs, and have to start from scratch to build a network that will lead them to a new opportunity. Truth be told, I feel sorry for anyone today who has no online presence and no in-person network. They’ll be banging their heads against the wall searching through job ads.
The message is clear: Start building your in-person network right now. Join a professional association; go to meetings and get involved. Create a profile on LinkedIn. Consider blogging or Twittering about a topic you’re passionate about. Not only will you learn immeasurably from the people you meet; you’ll also be building a powerful group of friends and colleagues who want to help you succeed.
This post by my friend Heidi Miller is right on the mark:70 million Americans agree: podcasting is still cool. Heidi cites an Edison Research study that shows an 11% increase in the U.S. podcast audience since 2006. I would guess that among business people, this growth is even higher.
Heidi also points out an important benefit of podcasting: the commitment required to listen. She writes:
Podcasting is different from newer social networking tools. Podcasting requires a commitment. Not just from the podcaster, but also from the listener. Sure, listeners can download a file or listen directly from their computers, and Webster [presenting Edison's research] did point out that many listeners never even transfer the podcast to a mobile device.
Regular podcast listeners must not only subscribe to a feed, but also download the file to an mp3 player and commit to listening to the entire episode in a linear format. No skimming, no scanning, no tl;dr (too long; didn't read). There is no shortcut for listening to a podcast.
You have to want it, not just "Like" it.
In this age of short attention span theater, how much value would a podcast listener bring to your organization? Someone who would be willing and eager to pay attention to your content for, say 30 minutes straight every week or month?
Some people would point to this commitment as a liability. Sure, it can be. And that’s why many communicators and marketers don’t rely on the podcasting channel alone. But if you’re looking to engage with an audience that’s truly interested in what you have to say, a podcast can be the perfect solution. Over the past five years, I’ve worked with dozens of organizations that have used podcasts to:
Establish thought leadership in a niche
Nurture a community
Educate listeners on a particular subject (science, technology, health)
Engage far-flung employees
Build relationships with customers
Get prospects interested in an idea, product or service
Generate buzz before an event
Create interesting content during a conference or trade show.
These are just a few examples. What do you think about podcasting? Is the commitment a liability or an asset?
In their book, Meister and Karie Willyerd look at what innovative organizations are doing today, and the challenges and opportunities they face in the future as they tap into the talents of five distinct generations. As I listened to Shel interviewing Jeanne Meister, I wondered about the implications for my own clients.
I can’t tell you how many times people tell me: “I would like to produce a podcast for my organization, but I don’t have a good voice.”
Yes, you do.
Unless you have a serious speech impediment, you have a voice for podcasting. For sure, having pleasing pipes is a plus, but there is so much more to podcasting than nice vocal tone and clear diction. Can you do research? Can you structure a story? Can you interview people? Can you engage your listeners?
I listen to plenty of podcasts where the host’s voice is far from perfect, but the content is valuable enough to entice me to tune in again and again.
Of course you can capitalize on your natural talents by learning how to use your microphone effectively and, if needed, to modulate your voice. Listen to yourself without being too critical. Is your voice too high? Try bringing it down by relaxing your throat. Do you speak very quickly? You may need to work on slowing down, taking time to breathe, and not swallowing any syllables.
I wonder how many of us hate the sound of our own voices. I think we need to be critical enough of ourselves to want to improve, but not so critical that we cringe when we replay our own podcasts!
What do YOU think? How important is a podcaster’s voice?
I'm fortunate to be able to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday twice; the Canadian holiday is this weekend and the American one in late November. To me, it's important to be grateful for something each day, even when you get soaked in the rain, your furnace is on the fritz and your Internet connection is sketchy. Let's face it, on what we think is our worst day, we are better off in North America than most inhabitants of this fragile blue marble.
As I prepare and consume an abundance of food this weekend with my family, I know I will be grateful for my friends and loved ones, my colleagues, my home and the work that I get to enjoy each and every day.
Earlier this week, I was gratified to see a contingent of students from Lynn Gough’s class at Durham College at our IABC/Toronto PIC meeting. Apparently she had assigned them the task of going to an IABC meeting. Smart prof!
Around this time of year, advice for students abounds. This morning at the gym I caught the September 15 edition of Inside PR, in which Joe Thornley, Gini Dietrich and Martin Waxman shared some wisdom for students in PR and communications. (Yes, I’m a little behind in my podcast listening, but I refuse to delete episodes of my favourite shows.) Among this trio’s tips are:
Build a professional profile online from day one.
Blog on a regular basis; be active on Twitter and LinkedIn.
When I meet fellow members of the Toronto chapter of the IABC* (the largest such chapter in the world, by the way), they usually know of the subgroup within IABC/Toronto called PIC or Professional Independent Communicators. We’re a band of solo practitioners spanning all kinds of disciplines, including graphic design, public relations, facilitation and training, photography, writing, new media and more.
Benefits for indies The PIC group is a wellspring of knowledge for independents, who can share leads, learn strategies and tactics from each other, celebrate successes, and sometimes commiserate when projects don’t proceed as planned.
Resource for corporate types For communicators in the corporate sphere, PIC can act as a valuable resource of skilled professionals who can be called in when internal teams are overwhelmed or just don’t possess the particular skills needed to get the job done.
See you in November? If you’re a member of IABC/Toronto and an independent practitioner (or perhaps you're just considering a solo career), please come out to our next meeting, on November 3, 2010, where we’ll be learning about financial strategies for the sole proprietor, with financial planner Rona Birenbaum. Check the events page at the IABC/Toronto website for details; it should be online soon. (Please note: IABC/Toronto members do not pay an additional fee to become PIC members, but we do charge a nominal fee for our meetings, to cover costs.)
Listen! Here you can hear highlights of two of our recent meetings, where we were fortunate to host some very talented speakers:
Please check us out If you’re a corporate communicator who needs help on a project, please check out the PIC Toronto site, which includes a list of our members, events, and more. *IABC is the International Association of Business Communicators
