Build A Presentation Muscle : Showcase Your Expertise Through Content Creation

This one's going to be a bit of a car crash, so please fasten your seatbelt securely. 

Hi, I'm John Lacey and this is Build A Presentation Muscle, the podcast about showcasing your    expertise through content creation. 

I think outsiders and beginners might assume the hardest part of content creation is the content creation itself. But the truth is you can relatively easily create the things you want to share, whether they're videos, livestreams, podcasts, articles or graphics.

For more information about today's show, head over to JohnLacey.com 

I saw a tweet during the week where someone was lamenting feeling like they should be on video, but not having "the skin" to do it yet. So I wanted to talk about that. 

Hi, I'm John Lacey, and this is Build A Presentation Muscle, the podcast about showcasing your expertise through content creation. 

Do you, as a content creator generally or an audio podcaster specifically, need to be on video? 

You might've heard me say this before, but unless you've signed a contract or have a boss or a sponsor telling you that you have to do something, you can (mostly) do what you like. 

Follow laws and platform terms and conditions, and the rest is pretty much up to you. 

But I think a lot of anxiety about this comes from a sense that what we're doing isn't reaching enough people, and, maybe, just maybe, video might actually help. 

And, frankly, it might. But it might not. Opportunities are everywhere, but opportunity cost is real. No one can guarantee your results. 

If you're not interested in doing video, you don't have to do video. You have my blessing. Don't feel bad. Work on what you want to work on. 

But here's the thing... 

I want you to be ready to take opportunities when they present themselves. 

Some of those opportunities might require you to be in front of a camera. 

I don't want you to turn down a huge opportunity because you don't have enough camera experience to not feel nervous. 

I have a prescription for you. Try it and let me know how you get on. 

For more information about today's show, head over to JohnLacey.com 

When you first realise you want to showcase your expertise through content creation, you may wonder, “What should I talk about?”

And it might seem like a daunting challenge at first, but I want to explore some starting points here today.

Content creators can be really self-conscious about repeating themselves. 

They'll say things like, "But I told people about this back in February 2018. I can't post it again." 

You can —and should— repeat yourself. 

But even more than that, you need to work smarter. And part of that involves creating a content library. 

Hi, I'm John Lacey and this is Build A Presentation Muscle, the podcast about demonstrating your expertise through content creation. 

I'd love to hear more about your content creation workflows. If you would like to tell me about them, head over to JohnLacey.com and leave me a message via SpeakPipe or follow the social media links. 

Keep on creating! 

Back in episode 12, I spoke about how your message transcends any one medium or format. 

And I still think this is true. I don't want you silo yourself away in one medium or channel when your audience could be larger. 

But there's another truth I think we need to unpack here too: People experience your expertise through your content, and content has specific formats. 

To create content consistently, you really need to think about a workflow that will support you. Constraints can help. 

I'm really interested in hearing more about your workflows. If you'd like to tell me about it, head over to JohnLacey.com and follow the social links or send me a voice message via SpeakPipe. 

Generative AI is gross to me.

I have a visceral reaction to it. It makes my skin crawl. It causes my blood pressure to rise.

Some days I wish I could “agree to disagree” about it, but, honestly, it feels like a real moral challenge of our age.

I don’t necessarily see AI becoming sentient and taking over. What I do see is a lot of people using it for deeply cynical purposes.

You can head over to JohnLacey.com for more information about today’s show.

When it comes to trends, do you follow them or do you buck them? And yes, I said 'buck' with a b, no explicit language for this podcast thank you very much. 

This is a subject we'll talk about it in more detail over on The Video and Livestreaming Show later in the week. 

Hi, I'm John Lacey and this is Build A Presentation Muscle. 

It can be fun to jump onto the cultural zeitgeist, but whether it's a good idea or not often depends on what the goal of content actually is. 

For more information about today's show, head over to JohnLacey.com. 

You no doubt hear a lot about the importance of "consistency" when it comes content creation. And broadly speaking I think this is true. 

But there's a good chance you're much more intimately familiar with your own content than anyone in your audience. Building habits can be useful but too much repetition can lead to boredom. 

Hi, I'm John Lacey, and this is Build A Presentation Muscle.

For more information about today's show —including a Behind The Scenes video about how this podcast is produced— head over to JohnLacey.com 

Hi, I'm John Lacey and this is Build A Presentation Muscle. 

Part of the reason this podcast exists is that I see so many people silo themselves away in one format or one destination. I want you to share your expertise with whoever is ready to hear it. I want you to be able to express yourself well. And I want you to understand that your message and your voice transcend any one medium or format.

For more information about today's show, head over to JohnLacey.com. 

Do you signpost your content? Does your content leave clues?

Can people find it? Can they search for it?

Hi, I’m John Lacey and this is Build A Presentation Muscle.

Signpost Your Content with Text

About Alternative Text

Missed Opportunities 

It's been a wild couple of weeks in the world of social media, and it's probably too soon to understand what it all means, but I want to pull at a few threads.

Hi, I'm John Lacey, and this is Build A Presentation Muscle.

The beginning of the end? 

Do you have bandwidth for Threads? 

How does a product or service stand out anyway? 

For more information about today's show, head over to JohnLacey.com 

You're not for everyone. And that's okay.

Hi, I'm John Lacey and this is Build A Presentation Muscle.

For more information about today's show head over to JohnLacey.com 

So much of this show is about capturing your voice in a figurative sense. It’s about exploring who you are and what you need to express and refining your message.

But I thought it might be useful to talk about capturing your voice in a literal sense through the wonder of microphones.

There’s a lot of ways we could tackle this subject, but for today’s show, let’s focus on two things:

• Dynamic microphones versus condenser microphones, and
• Connection types: XLR and USB

For more information about today's show, head over to JohnLacey.com. 

Last week was a weird week for me. I had taken time off from my day job to record podcast interviews. I was really hoping to get at least three recorded, maybe four. For various reasons only one happened and if you've subscribed to this podcast you may have already heard it. 

I kind of want to unpack that experience in this episode because I feel like I learnt a few things about myself during that process.

Hi, I'm John Lacey and this is Build A Presentation Muscle. 

For more information about today's show, head over to JohnLacey.com 

This week, I talk to Michelle J. Raymond about overcoming camera fear, finding community and collaboration opportunities.

• Working with a global audience
• Dressed for success
• Overcoming camera fear with LinkedIn Live
• Is AI the answer? That probably depends on the question…
• Mindset and Branding
• The Power of Collaboration
• Your Audio and Video setup
• LinkedIn as a destination and opportunity
• LinkedIn profiles, company pages and groups

For more information about today's show, head over to JohnLacey.com 

I don’t know about you, but I listen to an obscene number of podcasts.

And I don’t listen to comedians or works of fiction, I listen to podcasts about the things I’m interested in doing — content creation, YouTube, audio, video and the like.

And the unintended consequence is that I am often bombarded with unsolicited advice every single day.

I thought it might be worthwhile to explore how I negotiate all of this and some things that might help you along the way too.

For more information about today’s episode head over to JohnLacey.com

If something is worth saying, it's worth repeating. 

Content Creators can be super self-conscious about repeating themselves. 

But the truth is your audience actually needs you to repeat your most important points. 

Hi, I'm John Lacey, and this is Build A Presentation Muscle. 

For more information about today's episode head over to JohnLacey.com 

As a content creator, you will get to see and hear yourself in ways you likely have never done before. This can be confronting. Any anxiety you have about how you look or sound can be immediately amplified, and if you're in a situation where you're editing your own content you will see and hear yourself a lot. 

The struggle is real, but know you're not alone in this particular struggle. 

Hi, I'm John Lacey, and this is Build A Presentation Muscle. 

For more information about today's show, head over to JohnLacey.com 

Philosophical differences of content types

I am a firm believer in the idea that there is power and possibility in all content types. Video, audio, text and graphics. They all have the potential to share your message, to convince, to educate.

Think about different content types and formats as being different tools in your toolbox, or different colours in your palette. Depending on your goals some might be more appropriate than others.

For more information about today’s show, head over to JohnLacey.com.

I've been on a fly on the proverbial wall of seemingly a million discussions about whether video is better than audio, whether YouTube podcasts are even podcasts and the like. 

My hot take, if you will, is that you should create whatever you want to create. Video is awesome. Audio podcasts are awesome. They all have the opportunity to build awareness, spread a message, educate and entertain. 

But while I've been in a lot of these conversations I'm really struck by this feeling that really the important thing is not the format, it is the message itself. It is something more primal than the technology. It's really about you developing your ideas and expertise and working on ways to express these. 

The truth is so much of the content we create is very ephemeral. It is here today, gone tomorrow. But the constant is you. 

Sure you're creating a podcast or a video or a blog post. Perhaps you're building a content library of evergreen content. Again, all of this is amazing and wonderful. But you're also developing yourself. You're refining your message. You're establishing your own values. You are articulating your own ideas. You're helping people. You're building your own confidence. 

But even this is a serious undertaking. It won't always be easy and it won't always be fun. Sometimes you will pour your heart and soul into something and get no feedback whatsoever. 

And when you're starting, you won't have an audience. And in those moments the things you tell yourself will ultimately determine whether you're able to stick around long enough to build any kind of traction. 

Personally, every time I go live, or record, or post, I tell myself I am building a presentation muscle. 

Every time I speak, I get better at speaking. Every time I write, my writing improves. Sometimes there's no substitute for practice. 

Hi, I'm John Lacey, and in Build A Presentation Muscle, I want to talk about:

• finding your voice
• refining and sharing your message
• using tools and technology to share that message, and 
• looking after yourself as a creator 

It's been a long time since I've had an audio podcast so I hope you'll bear with me as I find my footing and as we unpack some of these ideas together. 

I'd love it if you could subscribe wherever you're listening to this. 

And remember for more information about today's topic head over to JohnLacey.com 

https://johnlacey.com/build-a-presentation-muscle/building-a-presentation-muscle/