Influential Voices of Authority Finding Your Confidence – Episode 168
Where do you start? How do you convince yourself that you have what it takes?
There is a great quote from famous basketball coach Bobby Knight that says, "The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.Everyone wants to win but not everyone wants to prepare to win."
Many podcasters want to win. Then the little voice in their head holds them back. Is that you? Do you have the desire to get your message out to the world, but lack the confidence to actually follow through with it?
That impostor syndrome creeps in quite often. I think it is human nature.
I recently sent a quick, 5-question survey to my tribe. The survey is designed to ensure I am delivering the content every week that you can use for your show. The survey helps ensure I am delivering and serving you each week.
If you would like to take 3 minutes to complete the survey, you can find it here.:
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Three of the five questions are yes/no questions. It is truly a 3-minute survey. And, it is completely anonymous.
The first question on the survey is, "With regard to your podcast, what are you struggling with most?"
The answers to that question spanned the podcasting spectrum from traffic to monetization to workflow and everything in between.
One of the answer really struck me. The respondent said, "Confidence - do I REALLY have anything valuable to share?"
Wow, what an answer. There is obviously some passion there. Otherwise, they wouldn't have the desire to launch a podcast in the first place.
I want you to remember this. You can learn technique. You can't learn passion.
If you have the passion, you can learn how to produce and promote a podcast to gain an audience. If you have a passion for something, there is a great chance others have the same passion.
Dave Jackson just interviewed a podcaster on the School of Podcasting who has a podcast designed to put you to sleep. The guy intentionally rambles so you can fall asleep to his show. It is reported that he gets about 2.3 MILLION downloads per month.
If he can produce a podcast designed to put you sleep, you can surely share your passion. I can teach you the nuts and bolts. It is up to you to bring the passion.
On PodcastTalentCoach.com, I offer coaching services. To ensure you and I are a fit to work together, I offer a free strategy and planning review first. This helps us determine that you see the benefit of my coaching and I know you are willing to learn. We put a plan in place and then decide if we want to move forward.
Find the link in the coaching section of PodcastTalentCoach.com.
The final question on the survey is, "If you have yet to take advantage of the free, no obligation review of your show with Podcast Talent Coach, what is holding you back from the opportunity?"
To that question, somebody replied, "The show is hopeless – I don't want to spend money because I really have n0 talent."
There is another example of the impostor syndrome creeping in. The talent to produce a podcast can usually be taught. You don't need a big voice and huge sense of humor. You simply need the passion to share your love of your niche.
PODCAST ABOUT YOUR PASSION
I know that sounds like logical, common sense. I know you probably think only a crazy person would ever put the time and effort into a podcast on a topic about which they do not care. It's not as crazy as it sounds.
Podcasters and broadcasters alike will often discuss topics they think interests their audience. These may be topics in which the podcaster may have a slight interest, but not a passion. They tell themselves, "I must discuss this. It is what the audience expects."
It creates a problem when you are only generally interested in a topic and you're only discussing it because you think the audience will be interested. As you discuss, you will sound generally interested. It is tough to fake interest for any length of time. Your listeners will notice. When you aren't interested, they aren't interested.
Find that topic that stirs your passion. When you are passionate, your audience will hear your enthusiasm come through the speakers. Your enthusiasm will be contagious. Your passion will stir their interest.
I'm sure you've seen a professor who had the ability to make a dry subject interesting. Maybe it was your trigonometry teacher. They were passionate about the subject and created an interest with you. There may not have been a passion in you for trig. But, there was some interest.
Interest works from speaker to audience. It won't work from audience to speaker. For true audience engagement, podcast about your passion.
BATTLE THE IMPOSTOR
If you have ever fought the impostor syndrome, being more prepared will help you win that battle. Being prepared for your show will give you focus, make your show more entertaining, and create stronger relationships with your listeners. Most importantly, it will give you confidence to overcome impostor syndrome. You will be able to build that belief in yourself.
The impostor syndrome, or impostor phenomenon, is the psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments. Despite external evidence that proves they are deserving and successful, those that suffer from impostor syndrome do not feel they deserve the success.
These people believe their success came about not because of skill or expertise, but more because of luck or manipulation. Students sometimes face this phenomenon in college when they tell themselves they really don't belong in such an esteemed university and others may soon discover the fraud.
It is common for us all to experience the impostor syndrome to some extent. The phenomenon is roughly the opposite of your ego. Your ego is telling you that you are the best around and people should admire everything you've done.
Your internal impostor is then telling you that you have no authority to be doing this. You are a fake and a fraud with no credibility. The only reason you are in this position according to your internal impostor is because nobody has yet discovered the truth.
Both your ego and impostor exist within you. Learning how to manage both is a challenge. Take steps to build confidence within yourself. Understand that others fight the same battle. You are not alone.
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
You have every right to create a great podcast. You have just as much right as the next podcaster. There is only one expert at your opinion. That expert is you.
Nobody knows more about your beliefs and opinion than you do. Develop confidence in yourself. You have great content and a unique opinion. Believe in yourself. You'll be great. Prepare for it.
Being well prepared for your show and having the confidence to stick to the plan will help you win that battle against you internal impostor.
Do you need help with your podcast? Check out my coaching services. Let's see what we can do.
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You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.
Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.