It doesn't matter how long your podcast episodes are,
Evo Terra:so long as you tell a great story.
Evo Terra:Great storytellers make all podcasting better.
Evo Terra:And with some work and dedication, you too can join their ranks.
Evo Terra:Today's episode is brought to you by the Advancing Podcasting
Evo Terra:community at advancingpodcasting.xyz.
Evo Terra:Because why would I do anything normal?
Evo Terra:It's a special community just for listeners and readers of
Evo Terra:Podcast Pontifications and it's populated by like-minded working
Evo Terra:podcasters just like you who also want to make podcasting better.
Evo Terra:You're already listening to the show.
Evo Terra:So why not extend the conversation and your influence on the future of podcasts?
Evo Terra:Join us today at advancingpodcasting.xyz.
Evo Terra:Hello, and welcome to another Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra.
Evo Terra:My grandfather was not a podcaster, obviously.
Evo Terra:I mean, I'm a grandfather and podcasting's only been around for
Evo Terra:a couple of decades, so - time.
Evo Terra:My mom has been sending me the stories that she pulled out of my grandfather
Evo Terra:over the last decade or so of his life.
Evo Terra:And wow, would my grandfather have made for one of the best,
Evo Terra:most entertaining podcasters ever.
Evo Terra:I credit any skills I might have as a storyteller to him, direct line to him.
Evo Terra:He had the knack for storytelling and remains the kind of storyteller
Evo Terra:I continually strive to be.
Evo Terra:And you hear evidence of that every single time you listen to Podcast Pontifications.
Evo Terra:I don't have to tell you, the working podcaster, how important storytelling is.
Evo Terra:And it's very likely that you are already a good storyteller, especially
Evo Terra:if your podcast has been out and running and doing well for a long while now.
Evo Terra:But not every podcaster feels that way.
Evo Terra:In fact, many of them struggle with the idea of storytelling.
Evo Terra:Either they're just not good at it or due to that pesky imposter
Evo Terra:syndrome that we can't escape.
Evo Terra:So, how do you, the working podcaster, become a better storyteller?
Evo Terra:Because I will tell you, all things remaining equal, the podcaster
Evo Terra:who is better at storytelling will out-podcast someone who isn't.
Evo Terra:I'd go so far as to say that storytelling is an integral
Evo Terra:part of the podcasting process.
Evo Terra:Chances are, we can all be better storytellers, which will, in fact,
Evo Terra:make all of podcasting better.
Evo Terra:Now, I'm reticent to give advice on how to become a great podcasting storyteller.
Evo Terra:I'm not a teacher of storytelling.
Evo Terra:I'm a practitioner, if you will, of storytelling, but I'm not
Evo Terra:designed to teach storytelling.
Evo Terra:But I can at least share with you the things that I do - tell you
Evo Terra:stories about the way I tell stories and became a better storyteller.
Evo Terra:First thing, I listen to and also read a lot of great
Evo Terra:stories from great storytellers.
Evo Terra:I consume a ridiculous number of fiction podcasts.
Evo Terra:I listen to audiobooks.
Evo Terra:I read books.
Evo Terra:But I also read articles written by great storytellers.
Evo Terra:I listen to a lot of history podcasts.
Evo Terra:I follow the words of great science communicators, and many more.
Evo Terra:I fill my eyes and my ears with great stories all the time.
Evo Terra:That lets me recognize the rhythm, the scent of what a good story really is.
Evo Terra:And yeah, the mechanics are important, how you structure
Evo Terra:a story and all those things.
Evo Terra:That's true.
Evo Terra:But I'm really seeking out things less for the structure and more for the
Evo Terra:ability to grab me and pull me inside.
Evo Terra:And when I'm listening to, or reading, somehow consuming that content,
Evo Terra:I'm also actively stealing ideas.
Evo Terra:I'm pulling things aside and saying, "Ooh, I like that."
Evo Terra:And I'm incorporating those ideas that I share - steal,
Evo Terra:if you will - into this show.
Evo Terra:I do it also for my guest appearances.
Evo Terra:I mean, everything that I do is oftentimes a result of the things that I listened
Evo Terra:to, the things that I read out there.
Evo Terra:You know, storytelling isn't an ability that will suddenly
Evo Terra:spontaneously generate in your brain.
Evo Terra:I'm fortunate I had near constant exposure to storytelling as a kid,
Evo Terra:and I try to continue that today.
Evo Terra:So same for you.
Evo Terra:Surround yourself with great stories.
Evo Terra:The second thing I do is I outline.
Evo Terra:Now, I always hated outlining, really did.
Evo Terra:At least, I hated the way that I was taught to outline by the school systems.
Evo Terra:But then I was thrown into writing Podcasting for Dummies, and that
Evo Terra:experience changed everything.
Evo Terra:See, my publishers required an outline first.
Evo Terra:And not just a few bullet points on where I thought the conversation might go.
Evo Terra:No, an extremely detailed outline of the concepts I would be presenting
Evo Terra:in each and every chapter.
Evo Terra:I don't want to say it was quite a one-to-one ratio, bullet point to chapter,
Evo Terra:but it wasn't too far off from that.
Evo Terra:And I do that still today on episodes of Podcast Pontifications.
Evo Terra:Case in point, the outline for today's show, I kid you not, 46 lines, 885 words.
Evo Terra:It's all written down.
Evo Terra:Not every single thing I'm saying, but, again, 886 words written in an outline
Evo Terra:before I sat down behind this mic.
Evo Terra:And once it's done, once that outline is done, it's very easy for me to fill
Evo Terra:in the gaps like I'm doing right now.
Evo Terra:I don't have to worry if I'm getting my point across or if I'm
Evo Terra:going to get to the conclusion because it's all in the outline.
Evo Terra:I just have to follow it.
Evo Terra:Another thing that I do is I have favorite stories in my back pocket
Evo Terra:ready to go at the drop of a hat.
Evo Terra:Because if someone drops a mic in your face - don't panic your podcaster,
Evo Terra:you can handle that - and they said to you, "Tell me a story now!"
Evo Terra:Could you do that?
Evo Terra:I've got a few.
Evo Terra:Like the time I got kicked out of my very first college football
Evo Terra:game and probably should have been arrested for that same thing.
Evo Terra:Or the shared midlife crisis my wife and I went through that led us to selling
Evo Terra:every single thing that we own here in America, and then traveling abroad
Evo Terra:and living abroad for three years.
Evo Terra:And I've even got one non-joke that I've made my own and can make
Evo Terra:fill a fifteen-minute spot without a problem, entertaining everybody
Evo Terra:around me with the exception of my wife who forbids me from ever telling
Evo Terra:the said non-joke in her presence.
Evo Terra:And I also practice.
Evo Terra:Yep.
Evo Terra:I practice, obviously, here on Podcast Pontifications I get a chance to
Evo Terra:practice four days a week on you.
Evo Terra:But I also practice when I'm making guest appearances, like I did a couple of times
Evo Terra:yesterday, when I'm on other podcasts.
Evo Terra:I practice every single time I'm giving a presentation, whether that's in-person
Evo Terra:- I miss in-person - or virtual events.
Evo Terra:I, over the years, have submitted to and presented at a lot of local
Evo Terra:storytelling events like Reignite Phoenix, like PechaKucha, like
Evo Terra:other little storytelling events.
Evo Terra:They're all there.
Evo Terra:And I talk to myself a lot.
Evo Terra:I work out ideas and concepts and how to thread things together from some of those
Evo Terra:trivial things, some of the most boring things, or sometimes even the most lofty
Evo Terra:of things like if I were giving a speech to the UN on how to combat climate change.
Evo Terra:I know that's never going to go anywhere, but it's practice.
Evo Terra:I'm practicing throwing out ideas in my head out loud because practice
Evo Terra:builds your storytelling muscle.
Evo Terra:Apologies to the physicians and biologists out there.
Evo Terra:I know that the brain is not a muscle, but I mean metaphorically, not literally.
Evo Terra:You get the idea.
Evo Terra:The human brain has been shaped by hundreds of thousands of years
Evo Terra:to create, to crave stories - to create and to crave stories, right?
Evo Terra:You need to fill that need on your podcasts because, as I said, given
Evo Terra:the choice, stories are going to trump advice every single time.
Evo Terra:Speaking of stories, I'd like to read you a fable.
Evo Terra:No, wait, I wrote that down wrong.
Evo Terra:I want to read you some Boostagrams!
Evo Terra:Now it's time for the boost-the boost-the boost- Boostagram C orner.
Evo Terra:Boostagram Corner.
Evo Terra:I don't know a thing about crypto.
Evo Terra:Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting fame and the actual podcasting
Evo Terra:hall of fame used Fountain podcast listening app to send me 500 Satoshis.
Evo Terra:Thank you, Dave.
Evo Terra:With a message that just said, "Boost for you!"
Evo Terra:Thanks, Dave!
Evo Terra:'Preciate it.
Evo Terra:And then there's Nick.
Evo Terra:I don't know who Nick is, just simply Nick.
Evo Terra:I don't know where Nick is from, but thank you, Nick.
Evo Terra:Nick also used Fountain to send me 500 sats with the
Evo Terra:message, "Some very wise words.
Evo Terra:Great listen."
Evo Terra:Thank you very much, Nick.
Evo Terra:If you received some value from this episode and you would also like to send
Evo Terra:me some value back and you're using one of those value-for-value enabled apps,
Evo Terra:like Fountain, please send me a boost with a message, a Boostagram, and I'll
Evo Terra:read it out to you right here on the show.
Evo Terra:And if you're not, I get it, man.
Evo Terra:This whole thing is the opposite of intuitive.
Evo Terra:You can always buy me a virtual coffee at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra.
Evo Terra:Buy twelve while you're at it!
Evo Terra:No episodes tomorrow.
Evo Terra:I like to keep my Fridays sacred.
Evo Terra:So with that, I shall be back tomorrow with yet another Podcast Pontifications.
Evo Terra:Cheers!
Evo Terra:Podcast Pontifications is written and narrated by Evo Terra.
Evo Terra:He's on a mission to make podcasting better.
Evo Terra:Links to everything mentioned in today's episode are in the notes
Evo Terra:section of your podcast listening app.
Evo Terra:A written-to-be-read article based on today's episode is available at
Evo Terra:podcastpontifications.com where you'll also find a video version and a corrected
Evo Terra:transcript, both created by Allie Press.
Evo Terra:Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media.