How to Be a Better Podcast Guest | Caleb Matthews

Most podcast guests speak only from one perspective, which makes interviews lack depth and connection for hosts and listeners. Thankfully, there’s a framework guests can use to make interviews land on a deeper level! In this episode, Caleb Matthews explains how to use a multiple-perspective approach to strengthen each of your guest appearances. Get ready to connect with hosts and their listeners in a whole new way!

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to MPA in Podcasting
02:48 Understanding Multiple Perspective Advantage (MPA)
05:53 The Importance of Balancing Perspectives
09:11 Practical Steps to Cultivate MPA
12:06 Final Thoughts on Becoming an Elite Podcast Guest

Takeaways

MPA stands for multiple perspective advantage.
Balancing perspectives creates a powerful conversation.
Preparation is key before going live on a podcast.
Engaging the audience is crucial for effective communication.
Elite speakers practice MPA consistently.
Focus on the ROI for the audience and host.
Post-podcast reflection is important for improvement.
Practice makes perfect in podcasting.
Feedback from trusted sources can enhance performance.
Steward your MPA to become an elite guest.

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Transcript

Hi there, I'm Caleb Matthews with The Sea Link. Great to meet you. Let's get right into our topic today. How to Cultivate MPA as a Podcast Guest. Now this is something that's really, really interesting because there are three realms. Perspectives that are important as a podcast guest as you prepare for your first show.

or whether this is your 50th show or 100th show or a 1000th show, this is a universal principle that we can all grow and learn from. And that is MPA. What is MPA? MPA is multiple perspective advantage. And there are three sources that are most important as a podcast guest that you need to prepare for before, during, and after a podcast. The perspective of the host,

perspective of the audience and your perspective. Now, if we only focus on our perspective, then we're going to be talking at a wall. But if we focus on our perspective and the audience's perspective and the host's perspective all at once, we can create a very, very powerful conversation that is not just a one-way street, but it's a flowing river and a stream that goes in both directions.

And this is the sweet spot as podcast guests that we all are aiming for. Now what happens if I come and you come and only share from your perspective? What do you think is going to happen? Well, the audience is going to feel like they're watching a performance, except that the performance is only one way. It's a egotistical performance, isn't it?

Performing to ourselves in front of the mirror you and I have all had those moments where we're saying mirror mirror on the wall Who's the most handsome or beautiful one of all right? Well as an audience listening to a podcast guest share all about themselves How do you think that the audience is gonna feel? Not very inspired or motivated are they and that's the main reason that people come to a podcast. It's not to

hear the host ramble on and on. It's not even to hear guests share on and on about the many stories that they have, many powerful, dynamic, impactful stories. But the guests want to hear that sweet bounce between the guest sharing on the host show that has an ethos, a perspective, a core pillar that they've brought the audience for to listen from. And every great elite guest

knows this, that the preparation happens long before you go live on air to the podcast. Preparing from looking at that vantage point and that perspective of seeing at all times through your message, the host's core value and message of the show, and what the audience has come to look for in the message. And that would be you in this situation.

Keep in mind that you don't want to go extreme in either of the three perspectives. If you keep things all about yourself, as we said earlier, then that means there's not going to be any activation or empowerment. It's just going to be a you story. And that doesn't make for a very good conversation to one-way street. If you make it all about the host and you having a conversation back and forth, that can be very impactful.

the audience eventually will feel, what's in it for me? How am I going to benefit from this conversation? Now, if you only focus on the audience and you're so worried about having to impress an audience and perform or put on a showcase for them, that you leave your own DNA of design, your own core message that you brought to the table, then you've kind of sold yourself out. I've sold myself out. We've sold ourself out, haven't we?

But when we keep all three perspectives going at the same time, that multiple perspective advantage, when we come to the table and prepare for our show, prepare for the podcast with, okay, how can I share what I've experienced that's going to be an ROI, the greatest ROI, return on investment for the host, for the show, and for the audience, and for yourself as well too, because you're not here to waste time on the show. You want to really show

what your message is made of and that's great. There are those moments that are going to be available to you, but you don't want to get too far centered on yourself. And you don't want to get too far centered on the host or on the audience, but all three at the same time. I'll share you a practical example. For over two decades, 20 years, I've spent traveling internationally, I've spoken on many podcasts, radio, platforms, stages in front of live audiences and online in many various different settings.

And you know what I've found? What I have found is that the elite speakers, the elite presenters are the ones that have practiced MPA over and over again. And they include their audience in on the conversation as if they were standing up on the stage shoulder to shoulder with the presenter, with the speaker. And they

refer to the honoring the point, the host of the person that invited them or the group that invited them to share that message, always hitting on the different ethos and the different individual core values of the hosting platform. But there's that fine dance and that synergy between you and the host and the audience. And when that happens, makes for a powerful conversation.

where you can elevate the audience, can inspire the audience, you can include them with you as you're sharing your stories, always with the focus of what is the greatest ROI that you can provide for the audience, for the listener. Put yourself in the listener's shoes. If you were listening to the show, would you say, man, the return on my investment of the 45 minutes, the one hour, the half an hour I'm spending on the show is just out of this world awesome?

You want the audience to experience that. And if you listen back on something that you've shared in the podcast and you do some review and say, okay, this is probably too much about myself or too much about the show, but not about the audience. Then I would say that there's work to do. And that's for myself included as someone who's been a speaker for over 20 years, I'm always fine tuning and crafting my work. And therefore we should as well always open to learning. And that's why we say that the preparation happens before.

You deliver during the podcast, but post maintenance after the podcast is just as important as the first two that I mentioned. Preparation is good. Preparation is the separation, as Russell Wilson said. But during the podcast is you're live in the moment. Once you share, something comes out of your mouth and my mouth, our mouths to the audience and to the host and we're conversing, it's too late to take it back. But after the show, after the podcast,

you and I, can step back and see through the lens of MPA, that multiple perspective advantage, and say, okay, what can I work on that's going to be more effective next time? Was that too much of me sharing? Was that too much of me not talking enough and listening to the host? Because the host can guide, most hosts can guide the conversation, but if the host is talking too much and you haven't gotten a word in edgewise because you're frightened or looking at a script, that's not going to be beneficial either.

But if you're focused on what the audience thinks of too much and you are sharing but your answers are scripted and it's not genuine, that's a problem as well. So it's a balancing act. And the best speakers, the elite podcasters, the elite speakers, the elite presenters, all have this common thread. They know how to balance multiple perspective advantage. The audience, the host, and themselves. All in this divine dance.

You see the best dancers on So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars? The best dance choreographed sequences happen when the lead and the follower are communicating to one another and are meeting in the middle. And what's the common thing that's helping them meet in the middle and flow to the music and flow to the dance? It's the synergy. It's the economy of motion. It's that

Music, it's the beat, it's the song, it's the expression, it's the language of dance, isn't it? And podcasting and communicating as an effective guest speaker with multiple perspective advantage with MPA is that divine dance. It's that divine dance of always keeping your message in mind, but always keeping the audience, most of all,

in the center of your focus and of your message that what can they take away from this? What is the ROI as we mentioned? And the host, how can you open the door for them to be able to interact with you and have a good conversation? So let's use an example, as I love metaphors and illustrations, I'm a picture guy. And here's an example that many of us are familiar with, three-legged stool. What happens

Say for example, we think of a podcasting guest as a three-legged stool with the three perspectives. Audience, host, and our message. What happens when one of those three legs of the stool is taken away? It tumbles, it crumbles, it topples. You can't have a message without the podcast. And you can't have a podcast

without the audience. And the audience and the podcast host can't have a message without the messenger. So you have to have all three balancing that stool of MPA, of multiple perspective advantage, of cultivating that. So you may be asking yourself, Caleb, okay, this all sounds good and great, but how do we do it? How do we improve and cultivate and hone our MPA? Well, I've got good news for you.

Practice practice practice. How do we do that? Well When you record your next podcast Listen back to it again and look at areas that you can improve upon. Did I share too much? Did I share not enough? Did I keep my stories and my focus on the audience in mind or is it just about me and the host or Did I not speak enough to the ethos of what the hosts core values on their podcast was? How can we improve that? That's one practical

step. Another practical step is showing your podcast recordings or your YouTube recordings, however you record your messages on social media with your trusted family and friends. And they can give you honest feedback on what you can do that can be improved and what you did well. It's always good to be able to learn from constructive criticism. And I'm speaking to myself as well. If we don't open ourselves up to learning,

We're never gonna grow. Step number three, and that is keep practicing, keep using it, keep using your gift and honing your gift and communicate it. Keep going on many more podcasts. Keep putting yourself in situations that maybe you'd be on your comfort zone. Maybe go on a live podcast as well. So it's not just prerecorded where you're actually in the moment and there is no editing or turning back in that moment. You're in the moment. And so now you have that in.

forefront of your mind that you're with a live audience. Try that. But keep on practicing. Keep on learning. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a good podcast speaker. Neither is a good guest speaker on a podcast. My late mentor and friend John Paul Jackson often said this to myself and the students that were in his school. He said this lesson that I've never forgotten to this day and that is if you don't use it, you

will lose it. It's all about stewardship, my friends. Steward this MPA, hone your MPA, this multiple perspective advantage by cultivating the three perspectives, your message, your audience, and your host, looking at how you share through those three lenses. And I promise you, if you continue to do that, you will set yourself apart from an average guest or a bad guest.

you will be an elite guest. I'm Caleb Matthews with The C-Link. Thank you for listening to this episode. And I can't wait to hear and see what you're going to create next. Talk to you next time.