61: The Art & Skill of Great Conversations With Your Podcast Guests

One of the reasons we do interviews at all is because we want the value a great conversation can bring to our show. But there’s both an art and a skill to pulling it off. I’ve learned - through a lot of mistakes and by watching others - that there are some very practical things you can do in order to turn the odds of having great conversations with your guests in your favor. That’s what this episode of Podcastification is all about - my lessons-learned.

[2:21] Why you need to show up on time and get off on the right foot.

There is never a second-chance to make a first impression - so you want to be sure you NAIL things when you first connect with your guest in person. That means being professional and respecting their time by showing up on time when you said you would. But that’s just one piece of making your conversation truly great. And you’re in luck - I’m going to walk you through those issues, as I see them, on this episode.

[4:02 ] Pre-recording small-talk. It’s a valuable thing.

I’ve been on a number of podcasts myself as a guest and I’m often surprised at how LITTLE small-talk goes on before some of those conversations. The host doesn’t take time to truly get to know me, understand what’s important to me, or find out how they can best highlight what I’ve got to share in order to be of the greatest value to their audience. I prefer to go another way. In this episode, I’m walking you through what I try to do with each guest to make for great conversations that my audience actually enjoys listening to. I hope you take the time to listen.

[6:27] My pre-recording checklist - and why I go through it WITH my guest.

If you don’t have a pre-recording checklist that you use every single time you do a podcast interview, you are probably making the same minor mistakes over and over again. I’ve learned that I can’t trust my brain to remember everything, every time - so I have created a checklist for myself to ensure that the important stuff is not overlooked. So… if you want to hear what I include on my checklist, I’m happy to share it - and I do on this episode.

[16:25] Once you hit the “record” button - don’t start your conversation just yet.

I know you’re eager to get started with that great conversation with your ideal guest - but once you hit the record button, don’t launch into your interview questions just yet. There are a few very small but very key things you need to do to ensure that your conversation actually makes it on-air in the way you are envisioning. It’s part of what makes great conversations as impactful as they can be, so don’t miss this important step!

[18:12] How to have great conversations with your guests? Focus on the emotion.

I’m not a particularly emotional guy, but as I’ve become a bit older and have grown in my relationships I’ve discovered that everybody speaks the language of emotion. And the more I can get my podcast guests to share on that level the more it impacts my audience and the more it makes for a great conversation with them. On this episode I’m going to tell you what I’ve learned when it comes to sharing on an emotional level and how I, as the podcast host, can get my guests to share on more of an emotional level as well. If you can learn this one - you’ll be on your way to great conversations that you can feature on your podcast.

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Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com

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