In a recent Training Unleashed podcast, Evan Hackel interviewed Tom Schwab, podcasting guru and Founder/CEO of Interview Valet, the category king of Podcast Interview Marketing.

If you are eager to promote and market your company or yourself using podcasts – which Tom believes is one of the most effective ways possible – you will want to spend a productive half hour watching this episode and playing close heed to what Tom has to tell you.

Here is a summary of the great advice that Tom delivered:

What Is the Biggest Impediment to Promotion and Getting the Word Out about You and Your Company?

“Our view at Interview Valet is that obscurity is your biggest problem, right now! There are thousands, millions of people you could help. There’s only one problem. They don’t know you exist!

“They’d gladly hire you if they just knew your story. And so that’s what we focus on, getting those stories out. There are millions of inspiring thought leaders and millions of people they could serve – a lot of nonfiction authors, high-level coaches, consultants, brands, companies that really need to get their message out there by appearing on podcasts.

“Early on, we had a client that said, `I love working with you because you let me be the guest and you take care of all the rest.”

What Is your Most Compelling Content?

“Your clients are your best copywriters,” Tom told Evan. “And really, that became our tagline. So we’ve got a team of 27. They all don’t work in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with me. We’ve got people in Europe, Canada, the United States and even Mexico as we launch interview Valet Espanol. And so we’re collaborating with clients to figure out what they are, who they want to talk to, what they want them to do, finding those right podcasts for them, and making sure they’re confident and prepared for every interview they go into. So they show up 10 or 15 minutes before the interview to be prepped and then go on for a great discussion.

“Our clients want the maximum return on investment of their time and their money, and that’s why they work with Interview Valet.”

Tom’s Most Powerful Tip

Evan, as he does at the end of every Training Unleashed podcast, asked Tom to give listeners his most powerful success tip.

“My tip is that you are one conversation away . . . “ Tom told Evan.

He then went on to explain, “I believe that all great things start with conversations. There are a lot of different technologies that we can use to have them. But my questions to you are, what conversation do you need to have? And how can you have that conversation to scale, and how can you have it with the right people?

“For me . . . I’ve written a lot of blogs in my life and every one felt like a homework assignment to me. But it’s easier for me to talk. So I’ll have that conversation like this one, in a podcast. I’ll then repurpose it. I’ll share it with different people.

“So I would just share with that you’re just one conversation away from ______. [Your goal goes into that blank space.] What do you want that conversation to be, and how do you need to have it?”

Tom suggests you have that conversation in a podcast.

A Final Observation from Evan

In this podcast, Evan Hackel observed that he learns better by listening than he does by reading. And he can listen and learn from podcasts even when he is driving – anytime!

An Offer to the Training Unleashed Audience from Tom Schwab

Tom would like to offer a complimentary copy of his book Podcast Guest Profits: How to Grow Your Business with a Targeted Interview Strategy. You are invited to download your complimentary copy today.

About Our Guest

Tom Schwab is Founder/CEO of Interview Valet, the category king of Podcast Interview Marketing. He is one of today’s leading experts on podcasting.

Tom knows how to build an online business. He has done it successfully several times, and now helps others find online success with podcast interview marketing. Tom helps thought leaders (coaches, authors, speakers, consultants, emerging brands) get featured on the leading podcasts their ideal prospects are already listening to. He is also a thought leader on helping companies craft and present podcasts of their own.

Tom is author of books that include Podcast Guest Profits: Grow Your Business with a Targeted Interview Strategy.

 

Every training designer wants to banish boredom from the courses they create. But boredom can creep in. How and why does that happen? According to top training designer Nancy Giere, it happens when training designers are so concerned with including every idea and concept that they overload their courses. “They put in too much content,” she told Even Hackel in this Training Unleashed Podcast. 

How does that happen, and how can you prevent it from affecting your training? Here are some highlights of what Nancy told Evan in her terrific Training Unleashed Podcast, which you will not want to miss. 

Remember What Slides Are For

 “I think slides with pictures and graphics can be very powerful tools,” Nancy told Evan. “But the purpose of slides is not to help presenters organize their thoughts. They should support the audience, not help the presenter remember what to say next!”

On Different Kinds of Training

“There are different types of training,” Nancy explained. “There’s the `check the box training’ that everybody has to do – things like sexual harassment training, safety compliance training, and other topics that are required. And you can easily lose people in those courses because it’s like everybody has to do them.

“So what I’m finding is people are trying to take some of these topics and lighten them to keep people engaged. There are other types of programs, where you’re trying to improve people’s knowledge and skill level. To keep training interesting there, you have to make it clear how the training is going to affect each trainee’s job.

“It’s a matter of including the `What’s in it for me?’ but you want to add, `And why should I care , , , How is this going to improve my situation , , , Am I going to be able to be more effective in my job?` And more importantly, the most important thing is not what happens in the training, but after the training,

“People think, `I learned this great new stuff, and then when I go back to my desk, is it going to be supported? Or is it flavor of the month?’”

How to Use Stories to Create Powerful Training

“The really important element is what happens at the beginning of training” Nancy explained, “which is have a great hook where people go. A lot of people will start by posing a question of the audience. An even more powerful way is to bring them in with a story that’s relatable, where they think, `Oh, yeah, that’s me. . . you get their attention quickly, because they make a decision early on whether or not they’re going to pay attention.

“So that’s the first part. The next is to have a good structure. Give people a roadmap. Tell them, `This is the journey I’m going to take you on today , , , These are the three key ideas that I have for you.’

“The close is also just as important as the opening. And what’s really important is for the audience to be able to say, `I did this. These were the key skills that I had to embody to be able to do this. And you then get to whatever the improvement is, whatever that key idea is, or the place you want to take people.

“You want them to say, `I did it!. Look at me. And so can you!”

What Makes for a Great Story?

She told Evan that first of all, the stories you use have to be real.

“I know people make up stories,” Nancy said, “And when they do, they come off as made up. I think people can tell the story is real or not, but what are the keys?

“I remember watching someone at a Toastmasters competition. She was the test speaker and she told a story about how she was a scuba diver and something happened where her tanks weren’t completely full of air. And she went under and ran out of air and had to get to the surface. And then when she got to the surface, there was a lot of wave action, and she told the story kind of like I am telling it to you now. And then this happened and this happened  . . .  

“It wasn’t her story! I was evaluating it and I realized her story didn’t move me in any way. There was no drama, there was no emotion, she didn’t take me with her, right? I didn’t feel the panic.

“So you want to make sure that the emotions match the words. Also, you want to look at the characters. Can you make the characters come to life for us? Who did you encounter?

“For a lot of people, it’s very daunting to do storytelling and for that matter, to do interactive activities. Because, you know, they haven’t done those things before.

“Now, you might think your life’s boring, but when you really dig in, it isn’t. And if you’re speaking about something you are personally passionate about, there’s got to be a reason why you’re personally passionate about it. And if there’s a reason why there must be a story, yes, and that will speak to other people.”

An Offer for the Training Unleashed Community from Nancy Giere

Nancy invites you to download and use a complimentary copy of her eReport Eight Easy Steps to Create Training that Sells!

About Our Guest

After a lifetime in the corporate training world, Nancy knows how businesses operate and she isn’t afraid to shake things up. Her unique perspective combined with 25+ years of experience has empowered her with fresh insight and the industry’s best-kept secrets that she’s ready to share with you. On a lifelong campaign against boring training, she uses the power of storytelling and light-hearted humor to create an engaging, fun, and interactive environment. Masterfully intertwining comedic humor with life lessons, her stories make learning stick! Nancy has worked with the biggest names in corporate America like Johnson Controls, Harley Davidson, and Northwestern Mutual.