I have officially recorded 12 podcast episodes! If I released them monthly then I'd have a one-year set! If I released them hourly, then I'd have half a day.
Each of these episodes has featured a conversation with a different guest. Each conversation has ranged from just over an hour to more than two hours. Each time I record an episode, I always go back and listen to it during editing and then do a quality control listen after mastering - this has given me ample time to reflect and digest. That being said, here are three of the many takeaways that I've mentally noted:
- It's not worth it to interrupt (most of the time). I say most of the time because it's not a hard and fast rule. I have noticed that when I interrupt someone, it is mostly because I think we're getting away from what I think is valuable in the conversation. This approach has many downsides, namely the idea that I am able to assess what's valuable better than the other person in the conversation. There have been many moments where I am about to interrupt and then we get to a profound or awesome part of conversation.
- Doing research before a conversation is preferred, but don't let the stress of not having done enough research impact your conversation. I mention this because most of the avid conversationalists I listen to are known for their research - like Lex Fridman with the Lex Fridman Podcast or Sean Evans with Hot Ones. Researching your guest is important because you don't want your conversation to be a carbon copy of others, instead you want your conversation to build on the others. Yet, if you stress out about inadequate research, then it negatively affects your experience. If you feel unprepared for the conversation, start with broad questions, and then get more specific once you get to something that interests you personally. We're all different - so this will help your conversation be unique.
- Ask short questions, unless you have a really good one. I have noticed that I have a habit of asking a question one way and then I ask it another way before I let the person answer. Sometimes this is to avoid the seemingly awkward moment of the guest saying "what is the question?" and me having to rephrase so I ask it several ways to protect myself. But, I have noticed that most of the time I should have shut my mouth after the first question. Hedging the question with more questions adds unnecessary filler. The person answering the question will more than likely answer the initial question just fine, and if they don't, you can always ask a follow-up question.
As I write this, I am mentally reminding myself to apply each of these tips. I know that the second tip won't apply to every conversation because we don't research everyone we talk to, but it is important to remember during an interview or high-stakes conversation that may require preparation. All in all, just be sure to not take yourself too seriously, because there are many more conversations to get another try.
Talk to you next time, folks.
Chris Miller
