A Virtual Perception has been nominated for a PodCast Award in the Business Category!

Thank you to everyone who submitted a ballot and included AVP on it for the Business Category. My listeners totally rock! Daily voting is now open  and ends on November 30th, 2009.

To vote – click here and then select A Virtual Perception in the business category.  Don’t forget to vote for your other favorite podcasts in a variety of other categories!  Once you have made your selection, scroll down to the bottom of the page and complete your ballot. Be sure to include a valid email address with your vote.

Thank you for your continued support! Let’s take this one home!

 Standard Podcast:

Read more about this episode on the Blog.

So, you want to produce a podcast, hmm? You have probably searched the internet high and low already, have come up with tons of information and now are feeling a bit overwhelmed. Maybe you think you aren’t technical enough or worse, you have no idea what you want to say! You can be a technical geek, but without a focus and an inspiration…you don’t have a show.

A podcast is a creative process and is a medium for you to share information. The information can be in the form of news, how-tos, advice or just your thoughts and feelings about the world and those that surround you.

If you know you want to create a podcast, but don’t know about what, then the odds are that you just haven’t found your voice yet. Meaning, you haven’t found that one topic, that one thing, you absolutely positively think people need to know and you want to (have to) share it with them. It is the one thing you are most passionate about.

So what if the thing you are most passionate about is knitting? If that is what you want to talk about and love…go for it! I have found the most interesting podcasts, the ones I want to listen to and keep coming back to..all come down to one thing…how passionate the host  is about the topic at hand. If you record a podcast and are just spitting out facts and figures about something you don’t really care about…people are going to notice and become just as bored as you are very fast.  This is a surefire way to lose listeners!

So, the tip for today is this. If you want to create a podcast…take the time you need to think about what it is you want to say. What is your show’s overall theme and topic. What is your message?  What do you love to talk about? Your business? Dancing? Gardening? Something else entirely? As off the wall as you may think it is…the possibility that there are others out there passionate about the same exact thing…well, the odds are pretty good. If you are passionate about your podcast and your show…the rest, well, with a little hardwork, the rest will fall into place.

How can listening to a podcast benefit you? Well, you can learn many different things just by listening to or watching a podcast. Podcast topics run the gamut from business to crafting and everything in between. You can listen to a podcast at any time … while you are working, doing the dishes or even while you are walking. Speaking of which, I recently attended a chat where someone mentioned that they listen to my podcast while they are walking. How cool is that? I contacted the listener and asked her to elaborate a little bit more about the benefits of listening to a podcast.  Robin Besotes of The Doctor’s RX, a virtual assistant practice that services the dental and medical industry, shares her experience with podcasts and tells how listening to them benefits her and her business:

Podcasting, is a new way of educating yourself! As a grown woman, I didn’t want or need anything for Christmas this past year. My Mother kept at me, so I told her ok, I could use one of those little iPod “things” that you can play music on. I thought why not listen to music while I take my daily walk. So for Christmas I received an iPod Touch. So, wow, now what do I do with this?

Well,  about that time I saw Darlene’s podcast – A Virtual Perception. BINGO! Wow, I download five podcasts that she had at the time and I was hooked. After the first day of walking and listening, I became so inspired that I needed to keep a pen and paper with me to write down all the ideas that were coming to me. I honestly believe that having a clear mind and being out of a “thinking” environment allows for the creativity to flow. Podcasts are a necessary resource for all virtual assistants!

Robin Besotes
www.TheDoctorsRx.com

Thank you Robin for your insight and words! I wanted to add that every listener takes something different away from a podcast. Like Robin, when I listen to podcasts, I am often inspired and filled with wonderful new ideas for my business or for personal growth.

It is possible you have listened to some podcasts and you thought to yourself..well, that was lame, that wasn’t beneficial to me at all. That probably just means you weren’t listening to a podcast that appealed to you! So, take your time..cruise some podcast directory sites or search iTunes for podcasts that may appeal to you. Once you find a few that you like..you will soon be reaping the benefits from listening to them too. If you haven’t listened to some of my podcasts yet… why not start now?

If you have a question, comment or show idea, please send me a message. I would love to hear from you!

Happy Listening!