Barbara Nixon I Success and Leadership Coach I Podcaster

In this episode Nick speaks to Barbara Nixon about upping your game when it comes to being a confident host on your podcast.

It's so easy to have a confidence wobble when you're making a podcast - are you good enough? Are the guests you're getting good enough? Is anyone even going to listen? Barbara's full of great tips that put you into the right mindset when you hit record and start talking.

And remember you're not Madonna (unless you ARE Madonna, thanks for listening Madge!)

We talk about:

What Barbara does and who she helps

"Nobody's got it all figured out. Nobody has because we're all human. You start to think, oh am I good enough?"

How do you get more confidence as a host?

"The short answer is to just do it. Just do it. We can overthink everything can't we? Let go of perfection"

Is it worth doing a podcast?

"It's so much fun. I get to talk to the best people on my podcast that probably never have a cup of tea with me normally."

How you handle criticism?

"You've got to just ignore it because you're never going to please everybody."

How do you prepare for interviews?

"I really trust that the right thing's going to come out of the conversation. My whole thing is about being curious."

How has her confidence grown alongside the podcast she does?

"If you want your podcast to do really, really well, you want to do it consistently. So you're talking every single week without fail, get it done, right? I really struggle to work like that."

She did stand-up comedy, how did that boost her confidence?

"Nobody's coming to save you. And it's all on you. And so all of a sudden it was now me, Barbara Nixon."

Got a question? Get in Touch

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Tim Johns - Producer - Jeremy Vine - BBC Radio 2

Nick talks to Tim Johns, who works on the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2. He's one of the people who works on the show and decides what they're going to talk about and crafts audio to illustrate their items. When it comes to audio, this guy is a master. If you're looking for something different for your podcast he is full of tips and ideas.

We talk about:

What's Jeremy Vine really like?

Tim tells us that he never arrives at the studio sweaty from his bike ride in and that he has no smell!

"I like working on the show with him. He doesn't appear sweaty"

How do you keep audio ear-catching?

He tells us how you keep things interesting, how to you keep your audience entertained and how you keep them coming back on a daily basis for more.

"What haven't I done yet? What haven't I thought of?"

Taking your podcast away from the standard 1:1 chat format

Want to produce something more than everyone else? Tim talks to us about how you come up with tricks to make a run-of-the-mill chat more engaging and beyond a conventional podcast conversation.

"At the last minute I'm like, let's get an air horn sound effect and he can play Harrabin's Hooter"

Does having the best kit make the best podcast?

If you're starting out, what's key? A good setup or some in-depth thought about what you're going to say? Is quality something you need to think about? How should you come across?

"It's the it's the content and the stories and the scripting, without that, you've got a failed product."

Guest booking

How do you go about getting the best guests on your show, and when it becomes apparent that a guest you first thought would be perfect turns out to not be a good fit, what do you do to get out of it without alienating them?

"I always like to phone people and have a brief conversation with them."

Should podcasters take more risks?

Tim talks about improving your podcast and the ways you can freshen up your show

"How can we improve it? How can we add different features?"

Got a question, get in touch!

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In a brand new series from Nick Wilmshurst, this week he looks at the world of hosting with BBC presenter Rima Ahmed. She presents a breakfast show on BBC Radio Leeds. She is a podcast host, a comedy writer and has also presented shows across BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 4. She's interviewed Prime Ministers, musicians, authors and a whole myriad of other people. She knows what she's talking about!

Rima is full of advice on hosting and how you can use some simple tricks to really make your podcast interview style sing. We find out how she prepared for an interview with Liz Truss - the first one the former PM did after the UK's economy tanked in 2022. She talks about how to deal with negative feedback and how some of the most insightful conversations she's ever had have been in the ladies toilets.

Rima's approach is all about getting your homework done - something she's learned over time. She doesn't come from a broadcasting background, she didn't study it at university, she took a chance and rose through the ranks. She tells us why life experience is so important to being a host and her top advice? If you've got something to say. Say it.

In this episode

* Interviewing is just about human connection

* Preparation is key

* How to handle feedback

* Why life experience is so important

Need some help with how you come across and host your podcast, this is a must listen!

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