This week we celebrated International Women's Day, so who better to interview than Lauren Swartz, president and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. The World Affairs Council is – as Lauren so wonderfully described it – “staunchly non-partisan,” with the goal of bringing people from all walks of life together to engage in meaningful and productive discourse. (Can you think of anything more universally needed right now?)
Now, “meaningful and productive” are not euphemisms for “nicey-nicey.” If anything, it's just the opposite: part of their purpose is to help people engage in conversations that might make some people uncomfortable. Why? Because in the name of progress and growth, “Things that don't make you nervous aren't worth doing,” Lauren said.
But the on-going challenge is something that I think everyone can relate to: the need to simultaneously be concise and “rise above the noise,” competing to be heard in today's world. Tune in to hear how the World Affairs Council does this and more.
This brings me to an extremely important request — I need your input.
I was looking at the calendar recently and realized that we will be soon celebrating the first anniversary of my Speaking to Influence podcast. (Crazy how quickly time flies!) As with any anniversary, it is a good time to pause and reflect on what has been successful and what needs improvement for Season 2.
I would be extremely grateful if you could take a moment to share what you've liked most about the podcast, and what you think would make it even better. All suggestions are welcome. For example:
- TOPICS: Are there questions you'd like me to ask that are missing, or questions that I do ask that are less important to you?
- FORMAT: Is the interview structure effective?
GUESTS: Who have been your favorite guests and why? Who else would be a great addition to our roster? (If you can make an introduction, even better!) - TIMING: Is it too long/short/just right?
If you have TWO MINUTES to share your thoughts, here's an easy link to a quick survey. Or if you feel more comfortable, feel free to reply to this message directly.
My goal – as always – is to ensure that you get exactly what you need and want: the most interesting, relevant, engaging and valuable experience possible! Thanks in advance for all your help.
Here's to your success,
Laura
PS: A word of thanks to the organizers of Podfest, and a special welcome to all the new subscribers who have joined our VIP Family after the event. Hundreds and hundreds of people from around the world joined my session on “Finding Your Podcaster Voice” and we're waiting to hear if we officially broke the Guinness record for total event attendees so stay tuned!
