Alex Bigelow
Talkteresting is a podcast based on my insights into how to communicate effectively in the world, from work to school, or just for daily life. I discuss how the benefits of effective communication are vast and how people do it differently. I love listening to podcasts and find them quite entertaining, so I wanted to try it out for myself.
Project Purpose and Goal
I want this podcast to be for anyone, since everyone needs to communicate throughout the day to live. I want to live in a world where everyone can effectively communicate. This would reduce confusion when speaking with people, make jobs more efficient, and help relationships last longer. My goal for this podcast is to make people aware of effective communication strategies and how to use them in day-to-day activities.
The Project
So far, I have posted two videos on the Talkteresting YouTube channel, but more are yet to come. Link to channel ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/@Talkteresting/videos
For the project, I decided to use YouTube to upload my podcasts to mix up the audio and video aspects. My first podcast relied heavily on video, while my second relied on audio. I think it’s important to try out different formats for my podcasts because I’m just starting and I need to figure out what sticks with my audience.
Project Challenges
I encountered many challenges preparing this podcast. My first one was coming up with a name. I chose Talkteresting because I thought about why I wanted to make this in the first place. I wanted to talk about interesting things, so I decided on this, and I think it is very fitting for my podcast. Doing the research and note-taking for my topics wasn’t difficult, but putting it all together in a consumable format was challenging for me. I encountered my biggest challenge with uploading the videos, such as figuring out how to turn on comments and tinkering with the video length. Apparently, when you set the video as “made for kids,” the comments are automatically turned off. The comments are necessary to me for receiving constructive criticism and to interact with my viewers. The video length was tough for me to navigate because I could only upload videos less than 15 minutes long. My first podcast had a recording length of about 22 minutes, so I had to edit the video to trim it down to 14 minutes and 27 seconds. It was hard to figure out what to trim. I had a relatively long outro and conclusion, so I decided to take that out. The other challenges were due to being busy at the time, so I didn’t have a lot of time to record.
Project Processes
The process and construction of this podcast were fun for me. First, I had to decide on a topic for the podcast, then I would do research to prepare by watching YouTube videos, utilizing Gemini for taking notes, and thinking back to my personal experiences. I would take notes based on the videos I would watch and separate them with transitions, bullet points, key details, and quotes from the creators that resonated with me. I would then use these as key talking points for my videos. As for editing, my first video required lots of editing, such as trimming down the video length and cutting out filler words. The second video only had frequent cuts and less editing to make it sound like more of a podcast than a video. I would then pick a specific time to upload those videos. I wanted to tailor the upload times for my target audience, who are students. I figured I should upload them early in the morning, from 7-8 am, because that’s when most students are waking up and getting some screen time before classes.
My Experiences
I experienced a lot of ups and downs in making my project a reality. I really wanted to make this something I felt proud of, and I am proud of it. I recognized early on that this could turn into a lifelong opportunity. If I keep uploading podcasts, I could reach my target audience and really help people understand the importance of effective communication and how to do it. Overall, doing this project was very fun. Making videos is something I’ve enjoyed doing for a long time. I felt like I had pretty high standards for my podcast, however. I wanted to make at least 20-minute-long videos or longer (before I found out they needed to be less than 15 minutes) to really make myself proud by including a bunch of information in one video and making it seem professional. I learned that there is no shame in condensing the videos and making them shorter because it’s not about how MUCH information, but how VALUABLE the information is in the video.
My Insights
One insight I gained was that anyone can create a podcast. There are countless tools, not only on YouTube, but on any other platform, that are easy to use to create a high-quality podcast. All you need is time and effort, and it can be done. Another insight I gained was that reaching flow state while talking during a podcast should be the goal. This comes easily for most people when they are discussing something they are passionate about. It’s much less about checking off boxes of key points to talk about, but rather about integrating those key points into a natural flow of words that sounds something like a conversation to the audience. I also learned not to feel bad about stuttering or accidentally adding filler words when I am talking. This happens to everybody, even the most seasoned and well-versed podcast veterans. Mistakes and slip-ups of words happen, so it is best to acknowledge them and move on.
This podcast was a blast to create, and I hope whoever watches it learns something new that they can apply to their lives so that they can further improve their effective communication skills 😁.