Speaking In Soundbites
Michelle Prince is a motivational speaker, author, and owner of Performance Publishing Group. Listen to this episode to learn what soundbites are all about and how using them in the way you communicate is going to make your podcast interviews memorable.
Rambling Isn’t Your Friend
It’s ok to ramble as the podcast host but things are different when you’re the invited guest. You have to be thinking about what you’d like to say and say in a way that’s short, succinct, and as straight-to-the-point as possible.
When you’re asked a question, answer that question and not 10 other different questions. It’s as if you’re selling the sizzle and not the steak.
What Soundbites Are All About
Soundbites date back to the ‘60s and ‘70s. At the time, when a presidential election was underway a member of the media would ask candidates ‘Ok, as a wrap-up, could you summarize your overall message in just a few words?’
They would then use that in advertising and similar.
Now, how can you use that in podcast guesting?
If someone asked Michelle ‘Could you tell me what Performance Publishing does?’, she could go on and on about all the different things her company does.
Or, she could give a soundbite-worthy answer and say something like “We create authors. We help people get their story out of their head and on to paper so they can leverage it and make an impact in this world.”
The big thing with soundbites is making it clear for the host to know you’re done.
Keeping Podcast Listeners Interested by Thinking Like a Publisher
Thinking like a publisher can help you keep podcast listeners engaged.
Something that Michelle tells authors she works with is
“If you can say something in a paragraph versus a chapter, say it in a paragraph.”
The worst thing you can do is to drag something out to where you lose the reader – or the listener.
Keep it short and to the point but make it engaging and interesting.
Using Your Tone of Voice for Engagement
One of the things some podcast hosts, guests, and even speakers, completely ignore, and that has an impact on audience engagement, is how they use their voice.
Michelle recently attended a presentation by a very popular speaker. Even though the 45-minute session was packed with stellar content, the speaker’s monotone inflection made it hard for her not to lose her attention and engagement… From beginning to end, all monotone and without soundbite-worthy moments (other attendees shared the same feeling with Michelle after the presentation).
Voice inflection speed matters. If you’re in the middle of explaining something you may be speaking faster and keep your inflection pretty high. But things change as you’re approaching the end of an answer or comment. That’s when you should slow it down, bringing it down a pitch.
By doing that, you’ll also let the podcast host know “Ok, I’m done”.
A Big Podcast Guesting No-No
As you’ve probably got by listening to the interview or by reading this show notes, one of the cardinal sins of podcast guesting is giving answers that are too long winded.
Not that long ago, Michelle interviewed a woman on her show and asked for her background, her back story. She got an answer that was about 7 minutes long! And as if that wasn’t enough, Michelle couldn’t even get a word in for the fact that the guest wasn’t pausing – soundbite-style – and kept using connector words instead.
Take example from newscasts: you’ll see soundbites all the time. They use short, little bursts of great content, then they create segues like “Ok, coming up next…”.
Our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter every day. As much as a listener wants to hear what the guest has to say, at the end of the day we read books and listen to podcasts for our own benefits.
Listeners have a mindset of “What can I take away?” And “What can I learn from you?” If there’s too much of a backstory or too much of a side story, there’s no benefit to the listener.
The Two Jobs of a Podcast Guest
As a podcast guest, you only have two jobs you have. The first one is to make the host look good, while the other is to give great content to the listener.
About Your Area(s) of Expertise…
One of the things Michelle does as a podcast guest is to add a series of questions – or talking points – to her podcast guest One-Sheet.
She has individual soundbites, short valuable teaching points to go with each of these questions.
Doing something similar not only is going to help podcasters because they’ll know what your area of expertise is and what to ask you but it will also help you give answers that actually answer questions in a succinct but valuable manner.
The Influence Power of the Microphone
Michelle believes that being a podcaster or a podcast guest can help you in terms of authority and influence. It gives you the ability to be heard by someone.
You have a story to share. If you’re a leader in a corporation, a manager or have people working for you, then know that they’d like to know you as a person. Showing a more personal side to yourself through some of the stories you share on podcasts is going to go a long way.
Same if you’re an entrepreneur. Remember: people buy from those they know, like and trust. And it isn’t all about you, it starts with your message and how it can help someone else.
Back in the days, influence and authority focused a lot on public speaking. Michelle, however, believes that this approach isn’t doing you justice for the fact that the speaking stage only has a limited audience.
With podcasts, podcast guesting in particular, there’s an unlimited audience.
And this is true particularly for authors. “Having a book makes you talk show worthy,” says Michelle. If you happen to be an author know that your book immediately positions you as an expert – and both media outlets and podcasts typically don’t want someone who isn’t an expert.
About Michelle
Michelle Prince is a best-selling author, sought-after motivational speaker, publishing expert, leadership coach, and CEO/Founder of Prince Performance Group, LLC, a “partner” publishing company dedicated to making a difference… one story at a time. She is a certified Human Behavior Consultant and dedicates herself to helping leaders impact the world, using the strengths and talents already within them, to create an extraordinary life and exponentially grow their business. She’s helped thousands become published authors through her consulting, courses, seminars, and publishing services, and founded the ”Book BoundWorkshop”. She has also published many successful books, including her best-selling Winning In Life Now and The Power of Authority.
Michelle is also an enthusiastic, dynamic speaker who captivates with her authenticity, high energy, and natural ability to connect with any audience. She has been endorsed by some of the most influential speakers in personal development, including Zig Ziglar. She is a Ziglar Legacy Certified speaker/trainer and is honored to be named the Ziglar Brand Ambassador, representing the values and legacy of the late Zig Ziglar. She was the co-host of The Ziglar Show podcast, with 40 million downloads, and the host of her own podcast, The Power of Authority. She has been a featured speaker for numerous professional associations, conferences, and events to inspire, transform and support leaders.
https://www.instagram.com/michelleprincespeaker/
https://www.facebook.com/MichellePrinceSpeaker/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleprincespeaker/
https://www.youtube.com/user/MotivateInspire
https://twitter.com/MotivateInspire
Resources mentioned:
- PerformancePublishingGroup.com
- The Power of Authority (Michelle’s book)
- PodPros community
- Zig Ziglar
- Jordan Harbinger
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