I can’t brush my enamel with out tapping my toothbrush on the sink twice. After I rinse the bristles, I’m compelled to faucet any extra water off the comb: not as soon as, not thrice, however twice. Does tapping do something? No. However, with out that little “tap-tap” on the sting of the sink, brushing my enamel feels unfinished. It’s a collection of actions that serve little objective apart from making my toothbrushing behavior really feel full. It’s a ritual.
The phrase “ritual” evokes non secular or spellcasty emotions, however rituals are sometimes so simple as toothbrushing. And so they assist us construct higher habits over time. I requested some podcasters what sort of podcasting rituals they’ve. Their solutions gave me a brand new understanding of what “ritual” means. Most podcasting rituals are parts of workflow, with an emotional enhance. Podcasting rituals might help us join with our audiences, enhance our craft, and muster the fortitude to maintain going.
Take Time to Join with Podcast Audiences and Friends
Rituals is usually a highly effective method for podcasters to create and keep significant connections with their viewers. Charlie Ocean, host of Allyship Is A Verb, prioritizes conversations with the viewers once they attain out.
“I make it some extent to deliberately and genuinely join with the tremendous followers. These people might comply with me on Instagram, purchase the merch, and inform me how episodes resonate with or affect them. Every constructive ranking and evaluate or when somebody recommends an episode to their purchasers, for instance, tugs at my heartstrings. We’ve got conversations, and whereas they might be temporary, they imply an amazing deal to me.”
Charlie Ocean, Allyship is a Verb
When your audience makes time to get in touch with you, that’s a giant deal. Taking the time to put in writing again or acknowledge them in an episode or your present notes makes them really feel valued. Then, they’re extra more likely to advocate your present to their buddies.
Amy Fagan, host of Grounded in Maine, shares the same ritual of connection. She follows her friends on-line earlier than talking with them to learn to talk with them higher and present help. This additionally helps her perceive the friends’ voices and priorities.
Charlie Ocean has the same ritual:
“If they’ve a presence on-line, I like following up on threads they’ve began on different reveals or from different sources like their books.”
Charlie Ocean, Allyship is a Verb
Taking part and listening to the visitor’s concepts and threads makes Charlie’s interview half of a bigger dialog, strengthening the concepts they talk about.
Podcasting Rituals for Enchancment or High quality Management
Many podcasters take an “if it ain’t broke, don’t repair it” perspective to their podcast. This mindset can result in complacency, lacking particulars, or making errors. Nevertheless, podcasting rituals can remind us not solely to make use of finest practices but additionally to benefit from the problem.
“Every season, I dedicate further time and area to enhancing a particular a part of the present. For season three, it meant enhancing the emblem to at least one I can really be pleased with by hiring somebody from inside the LGBTQ+ neighborhood to design it.”
Charlie Ocean, Allyship Is a Verb
Generally, the rituals are so simple as mindfulness practices.
“I do have a giant glass of water proper subsequent to me, and I deep breathe a few instances as we’re getting arrange, simply to get myself into the correct way of thinking. I’m usually simply ending work seconds earlier than, so these breaths are necessary! I’m not making an attempt to make my area completely quiet. It’s a sustainability podcast, and I’ve chickens, and one in every of my cats walks throughout my desk… I’m me, not a enterprise podcast. Complete silence makes me anxious!”
Amy Fagan, Grounded in Maine
Ella Watts, podcast producer and director, has a ritual for the primary day of recording that’s buoyed her up via work for the BBC, Six to Begin, Audible, and plenty of impartial podcasts. She stated,
“I at all times costume up and placed on make-up for the primary day of recording. I consider it like happening stage! I grew up doing theatre and located that I may keep away from feeling shy or embarrassed once I was in costume and stage make-up by telling myself that each one the embarrassing issues had been occurring to my character. So if I’m doing an in-person recording, I’ll take time to put on formal garments and make-up – I consider it as a form of armour that helps me venture calm and confidence, and lets me have a masks of authority all through the day.”
Ella Watts, Podcasting Professional
Ella’s newest present is Camlann, impressed by folklore and Arthurian legends. The professionalism she brings to this richly complicated venture is clear in each beat.
Podcasting is hard sufficient as it’s. If we’re not having fun with it and staying true to our values whereas we work, we’ll be depressing and never do job.
Rituals Can Energize Podcasters to Preserve Going.
Individuals who say podcasting is simple declare that you could produce a podcast from anyplace, anytime. In idea, that’s true. In observe, folks can’t produce podcast in a spot or time that saps their power. Podcasters owe it to themselves and their viewers to construct in ritual parts that assist them be their finest selves.
Taking Breaks From Podcasting
Charlie builds breaks into their manufacturing schedule.
“I’ve discovered to take breaks, if wanted, past the built-in ones I do between seasons and for the tip of the yr. I do know that the listeners respect that my psychological well being should come first, and so they have reached out to me to say as a lot.”
Charlie Ocean, Allyship Is a Verb
Podcasting in seasons might help cut back stress. Charlie doesn’t diminish the variety of new episodes per yr, although; in the event that they substitute a brand new episode with a replay, they add a brand new episode to make up for it. Charlie takes breaks, and goes the additional mile, too!
When Podcasting is The Break
Conversely, for Amy, podcasting itself has been the energizing ritual that offers her a robust sense of self. When Amy’s marriage ended, podcast manufacturing helped her preserve going.
“I took two weeks off, however I re-aired a few fave episodes in place. However I’ve identified since I began the podcast that this might be a precedence for me, so I received again on it. That is probably the most enjoyable, most difficult, enlightening, and weak time for me, and the conversations I’m having give me life and feed my soul. I’m stretching the theme a bit as I’m working towards therapeutic and speaking so much about self or private sustainability as I’m studying, and to assist serve others as a result of I’m not alone, despite the fact that I’ve felt that typically.”
Amy Fagan, Grounded in Maine
The rituals Charlie and Amy describe elevate their podcast manufacturing expertise far past the common. For each, taking themselves significantly helps them make a present that genuinely helps others.
Rituals Don’t Should Be Spiritual to Be Sacred.
After I began penning this piece, I believed my podcasting rituals had been metaphysical and absurdist. I preserve seashells on my desk to fidget with whereas recording so I don’t faucet on the desk and make noises. The various textures of the seashells give the fussy, hyperactive elements of my mind a goal so the remainder of my mind can calm down and give attention to recording. I imagined the seashells jogged my memory to be open to vary, like how shells are worn by sand and water. Now, after studying from Amy Fagan, Charlie Ocean, and Ella Watts, I’ve a clearer image of how podcast rituals are a part of work routine.
There’s a course of as I get able to report the place I pull my large heavy curtains closed on my workplace window, activate a white noise machine outdoors my door, and activate my little rainbow fairy lights. The curtains reduce reverb, and the white noise machine reduces outdoors noise. The rainbow fairy lights don’t actively “do” something (I interviewed Adam Curry once, and he had coloured lights on his studio ceiling. So I aped it. Monkey see, monkey do). I by no means considered this course of as a ritual, solely obligatory actions to ensure my sound isn’t abysmal. However, the method makes me really feel, “this time is particular, and so is my podcast.”
Rituals, just like the double faucet with my toothbrush, can appear nonsensical, however they cement routines into our every day lives. After we add a ritual to a behavior, it makes the behavior extra more likely to stick. We’re infusing the behavior with emotional and psychological that means. Podcasting rituals might help us produce podcasts enjoyably and sustainably.
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