Episode 636: How to be an excellent host, with Stephen Woessner
Good Morning Onward Nation...and welcome to Episode 636.
Before we get to lesson I prepared for today\u2019s solocast...I wanted to share with you that Onward Nation is now available on Amazon Echo -- holy bananas!
So if you have an Echo -- you just need install the skill called \u201cAnyPod\u201d -- and then the command goes like this, \u201cAlexa...ask AnyPod to play Onward Nation\u201d and then Alexa will play our latest episode.
You can even say, \u201cAlexa, ask AnyPod to play Episode 636 of Onward Nation\u201d to play a specific episode.
Rock solid awesome!
So for today\u2019s solocast...I am going to focus our time and attention around how to become an excellent host \u2013 whether we are talking about you hosting your own podcast \u2013 vlog \u2013 or perhaps you are creating content for your rockin\u2019 awesome blog and you will be interviewing guest experts.
It takes hard work to becoming good at interviewing \u2013 to hosting and facilitating a conversation \u2013 for some \u2013 like it did for me \u2013 it takes many hours of practice.
In full transparency, Onward Nation, it took me until Episode 77 with Mark Sanborn as my guest to really feel like I had gotten my sea legs and could do a good job as a host.
And fast forward, this is episode 636...and each and every day that I get behind the microphone and talking with a guest I am learning \u2013 so there is always room for improvement.
So my hope is that the recipe I have included within this solocast will shorten \u2013 or compress \u2013 the learning curve and accelerate your results and success.
This solocast can serve as your practical and tactical guide to becoming an excellent host. I will share several of my insights that I have learned along the way as well as what I learned from two Onward Nation guests and fellow podcasters: Drew McLellan and John Livesay.
Drew McLellan is the host of the brilliant podcast,\xa0Build a Better Agency. Drew is the Top Dog at the Agency Management Institute, host of the exceptional podcast Build a Better Agency, and has owned and operated his own agency over the last 20-years.
Drew also works with over 250 small to mid sized agencies a year in a variety of ways: peer network groups, workshops for owners and their leadership teams, on-site consulting, and one-to-one coaching with owners.
John Livesay is the host of the successful podcast,\xa0The Successful Pitch. Inc. Magazine calls John the \u201cPitch Whisperer.\u201d He is also the author of the book also entitled, \u201cThe Successful Pitch.\u201d
John helps CEOs craft a compelling pitch to investors in a way that inspires them to join a startup\u2019s team and he is a phenomenal professional speaker.
Okay, Onward Nation...let\u2019s get started.
In fiction, a \u201cfoil\u201d is a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character.
In my opinion, your ability to play the role of the foil will determine if you are an excellent host or mediocre.
You need to use your interview (again \u2013 this could be for a podcast, vlog, or written article) to help your guests advance their agenda \u2013 share their wisdom and expertise \u2013 not yours.
Avoid telling stories about yourself even if they are validating what your guest just said.
Your role is not to validate what your guest just said. You guest doesn\u2019t need you to validate their experience. Attempting to do so can be seen as arrogant or like you are trying to steal the show.
Don\u2019t do that. And if you have been listening to Onward Nation for a while now \u2013 you know \u2013 it is a very, very rare occasion that I will tell a story during an interview. I tend to save those observations or lessons for a solocast...because during an interview with a guest...they need to be the star...not you.
Instead, summarize, reflect back to your guest the impactful highlights of what he or she just shared, add a comment or two from what you have seen in your experience, and then ask your guest if you got all of that correct.
By asking the question, \u201cDid I get all of that correct, Sally?\u201d you do three things:
- You demonstrate to Sally that you are listening to every word she shared
- What she said mattered because you connected it to your own experience
- And lastly, you subtly prompted Sally to go deeper with her examples and experience sharing
Next, start out the conversation with some light questions and then build trust and rapport in the first few minutes of the conversation.
Be engaging, personable, and if you are able to make your guest laugh in the first couple of minutes, congratulations \u2013 you\u2019re building rapport.
Avoid asking deep, emotionally charged questions early on in the interview. It will not go well. Your guest will likely think you are trying to move too deep too quickly.
I asked Drew McLellan for his insights on the most critical skill business owners need to master to be successful at podcasting. Drew shared that he believes it is a combination of skills \u2014 but \u2014 that the most important skill was for the host to check their ego at the door.
Drew said to me, \u201cStephen, my job when I'm hosting is to augment and put the spotlight on my guest and their expertise. I do that by listening really hard to what they say and running it through my filter of, \u2018What else would an agency owner want to know about that?\u2019 I'm not talking over them, I'm not trying it jump in and show how much I know about the topic.
\u201cI am listening super hard. I am asking what I hope are great follow-up questions. I'm really trying to stay out of the guest\u2019s way so they have as much airtime as possible to share their expertise.
\u201cI think part of listening with real intent is to able to ask the question that, I'm always thinking, \u2018If somebody is driving while they're listening to this, or walking on the treadmill, or whatever, what would they want me to ask?\u2019
\u201cOr, do I frustrate them by not asking the follow-up questions that they want me to ask? I'm always listening with that intent.
\u201cWhat should I be asking next?
\u201cWhat did somebody want to hear more about or how would they want to drill deeper into this?\u2019
\u201cI'm trying to ask those questions because I don't want any of my listeners thinking, \u2018I can't believe he didn't ask X?\u2019\u201d
I asked John Livesay for his insights on the same questions of critical skills. John explained to me why and how he uses empathy and listening to make connections with guests.
John said, \u201cStephen, one of the investors on my show told me that the more empathy you show for your customer, the more the customer feels like you understand that customer and can solve that problem.
\u201cI think what makes you have empathy for someone is your ability to listen to them and put yourself in their shoes.
\u201cThe more you can do that with your guests and respond to what they\u2019re saying and make them feel heard and then summarize what you\u2019re hearing for your audience as the takeaways, that, in my opinion, is what it takes to be really great as a podcast host.
\u201cStephen, you do it in spades. It\u2019s easy for you. You\u2019re probably not even aware that you're doing it, it\u2019s part of who you are, but if you don't have that in your DNA, then it\u2019s a skill that you really need to develop to be a successful host.\u201d
Okay...so now, Onward Nation...let\u2019s move on to one of the best ways to ensure your excellence as a host.
And that is in how you help a guest prepare to be a great guest on your show.
You can do that by implementing a solid guest advocacy system that shares all of the logistics of their interview multiple times in advance of the day and time of the interview...shares the questions you plan to ask...and give them tips on how to sound the very best they can.
And you ought to supplement your guest advocacy system by personally setting expectations with guests.
In my opinion, Drew does this masterfully well.
Drew shared with me, \u201cStephen, what I discovered is that the minute I checked my ego at the door, I realized the show wasn\u2019t about somebody listening to me, it was about me cultivating this great list of guests and serving guests well, which serves my audience well.
\u201cSo, if I allow my guests to have the spotlight, and I allow them to really share their expertise, and I prep them properly, so it\u2019s like, \u2018Look there is no selling, this is not about you getting clients, this is about you generously sharing your expertise.
\u201cHere are the kind of questions I'm going to ask, if you're not comfortable answering those questions, don't come on the show.\u2019 None of that was about me. It\u2019s about serving up the best content possible for my audience by putting my guest in the best possible light.\u201d
So, Onward Nation...in addition to sharing insights from Drew and from John...I wanted to formalize this into a recipe \u2013 into a checklist that you could study before your next interview.
Okay, so here we go...the 10-point CHECKLIST FOR HOSTING WITH EXCELLENCE
- Check your ego at the door. Your show is about making your guest the star. Your show should not be about you.
- Study. Listen to other hosts and hear how they interact with their guests.
- Keep the conversation casual yet focused on the result outcomes you want to deliver to your audience.
- Help your guests prepare by implementing a guest advocacy system so they receive email and text reminders before your interview as well as tips on how to sound their best during the recording.
- Also help your guest prepare by emailing them your questions in advance along with some insights regarding your audience so your guests have context and know how best to answer your questions.
- Begin on time and end on time. This shows respect for your guest\u2019s schedule.
- Turn off your email, your cell phone, all social media, and listen intently to your guest so you can think of follow-up questions your audience would want you to ask.
- Summarize and recap your guest\u2019s awesomeness during the interview. Then ask your guests if you got the summary right or if you\u2019re missed something. This is the perfect invitation to a guest to go deeper and share even more value with your audience.
- Thank them before the interview, during the interview, and after the interview for taking the time to generously share their wisdom with your audience.
- Have confidence. You are good enough to do this. You are worthy. You will make a difference in the world by sharing the wisdom of your guests. You are building a nation of true fans. Kick the Imposter Syndrome to the curb by remembering the wise words of Walter D. Wintle, quoted by Napoleon Hill, author of\xa0Think & Grow Rich:
\u201cIf you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don\u2019t.
If you like to win, but you think you can\u2019t,
It is almost certain you won\u2019t.
If you think you\u2019ll lose, you\u2019re lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow\u2019s will \u2013
It\u2019s all in the state of MIND.
If you think you\u2019re outclassed, you are,
You\u2019ve got to think high to rise,
You\u2019ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life\u2019s battles, don\u2019t always go
To the stronger or faster one
But soon or later the one who wins
Is the one WHO THINKS THEY CAN!\u201d
So with that said...
Thank you again for taking the time to be here today...I am grateful for you making Onward Nation what you listen to and study. We all have the same 86,400 seconds in a day and I appreciate you taking some of your invaluable time and sharing it with me.
Until tomorrow...onward with gusto!