Conversation with Helena Roth

Podtalk
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conversation
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What makes a conversation meaningful and how does one cultivate the skill of engaging in impactful dialogue?

The interplay between coaching and conversational skills reveals itself in surprising ways.

“[I]t’s more towards the other [end] in my podcast. […] There hasn’t been an agenda. There hasn’t been a set timeframe. There hasn’t been any, ‘this is what we need to get through, or the goal we need to reach, or anything.’ And, surprisingly, you know it’s gone really well.” ~ Helena Roth (1:07)

Episode

This conversation explores the dynamics of creating meaningful dialogues, with an emphasis on curiosity and presence. Helena and Craig discuss the distinction between structured interviews and organic conversations, highlighting the challenges and rewards of allowing spontaneity to guide the flow. Insights are shared about how to cultivate an environment where natural exchanges can thrive, contrasting the vibrancy of unplanned dialogue with the rigidity of pre-set agendas.

They touch upon the art of listening and the interplay of coaching principles in conversations, including withholding judgment and fostering genuine curiosity. Reflections on well-known podcasting styles illustrate the impact of personal involvement in interviews. Practical techniques, like recording from the first moments to capture authenticity, also surface, underscoring the importance of preparation in producing organic conversations.

Takeaways

Curiosity as a driver — Authentic conversations are fueled by genuine curiosity rather than adherence to rigid formats.

Judgment in dialogue — Skilled conversationalists avoid answering on behalf of others, allowing responses to unfold naturally.

Role of presence — Effective hosts contribute by being present and engaged without necessarily steering the dialogue.

Structured vs. unstructured — A discussion on how agenda-free formats can yield unexpected depth and resonance.

Coaching and listening — Coaching techniques enrich dialogue by emphasizing open-ended questions and a non-intrusive approach.

Recording strategy — Starting recordings immediately helps capture authentic moments often lost in staged setups.

The vitality of conversation — Lifeless exchanges often stem from transactional, pre-scripted interactions lacking spontaneity.

Reflection and evolution — Re-listening to past conversations reveals new insights, demonstrating the depth of recorded dialogues.

Resources

Walter Isaacson — A biographer known for his works on Steve Jobs and others; his style was critiqued in the conversation.

On Being with Krista Tippett — A podcast blending spiritual and intellectual inquiry, cited as an example of presence in dialogue.

Ocean Vuong — Poet and author, mentioned for a memorable conversation with Krista Tippett on “On Being.”

Tankespjärn — Helena Roth’s podcast emphasizing unscripted, organic conversations.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

4 Likes
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Thank you @leekei for the connection and Craig for a lovely conversation on conversation.

I’ll ping @AlisonC here too as she’s part of what I speak about!
:pray:

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very, very pleasant convo, you guys…
being a strictly host on mic / intensely worked over production guy, I find myself envying the easy-going sound and worthwhile Gestalt for listening in and sharing with your audience that you’ve co-created…
like a great dinner conversation, you make it totally okay to just sip my wine and passively participate by just listening…
except that’s the rub…
actively listening is what great conversations call for, and my question for you both is: where does a respectful 3rd party response belong in this brand new sort of podcast equation…???
being the dog in this 3-way exchange is fine, except I know (as a podcaster) that you and I want to know what your / my / our audience thinks…

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Thank you!

Yes, that’s a good way to describe it.

Yes, that IS part of the rub.
I find I get feedback/the comments from friends and to-be-unknown-listeners in various ways. On WhatsApp and such messages, on Twitter for sure, FB not so much, a bit on IG, and then I’d LOVE more on Goodpods which is the podcast-player I’ve started to use almost exclusively. That one DOES the best job of actually enabling the very conversation back and forth that you point to.

However, I don’t see how this is a question exclusive for this ‘great dinner conversation-type podcast’ though, it’s AS relevant for a ‘host on mic/intensely overworked production-type podcasts’ too, right? So - where do you find out what your audience thinks?

Ping @craigconstantine - cuz maybe you also have some input here?
And @steveh too?

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My answer is this community. :slight_smile:

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One answer, for sure, but does that mean that for you, your audience all reside within this community? Because I can say for sure that for me (and I will honor that you specifically wrote my! So perhaps that is actually so?) my audience probably doesn’t label themselves ‘podcasters’ as such.

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For this community’s companion show, the engaged audience is here, yes. This community works, but “it’s about podcasting” has nothing to do with why it works.

The companion show has only ~1000 downloads since its start in June. And the amount of engagement I’ve gotten here [I’m referring to engagement with specific audio episodes] is amazing, both in scale and quality. (I sometimes scroll down the #listen category when I need a boost of motivation.)

I have a concrete definition of success for each podcast episode that I create, (in all my work.)

If just one person listens, and then when they have a chance to connect with the guest, they understand the guest a little better… they can skip past the trivial stuff and start their conversation a little deeper… If the guest feels like this new person wants to have a conversation with them, not “at” them nor get something “from” them… Then that episode is a success.

I started Movers Mindset and was saying that from the beginning. Years into the project, I realized my personal mission was tucked inside that definition of success that had so resonated with me. Eventually it became clear to me that my mission is to create better conversations to spread understanding and compassion. Not only through my having better conversations that others can hear, but to enable others to have better conversations.

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Love this and it resonates so much with the hope that “my meandering conversations” will indeed inspire others to find their meandering conversations in their own life.
(Ping @AlisonC on that one!)
:pray:

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For this podcast show, this episode, this conversation, I say: right here.

You just literally did what I wish would happen. You heard a great (if I do say so myself) conversation. You had a thought. You felt moved. You found it easy, and inviting, to engage with those speakers.

I’ve a thought that podcasts currently seem to be broken, because people aren’t engaging with what we [all podcast creators] are making. But my supposition is that podcasts aren’t broken; they are simply unidirectional. A podcast should be part of something larger. (And a podcast doesn’t have to be “just” marketing as I hear many people say to rationalize expenses.) A podcast should be a piece of a community.

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