Properly Preparing Your Guest - Mark Stiles - Creating The Greatest Show - Episode # 003

Start creating better connections and podcasts by making sure that your guest is comfortable being who they truly are on the show. Today, we’re learning from entrepreneur, leader, podcaster, and attorney, Mark Stiles. Mark is the Principal at Stiles Law & Securititle and the Host of Elements of Stiles. You’ll hear all about the impact a prep call can have on your podcast, how to ask great questions, and how podcasts can be used for business development for both you and your guest!   Takeaways:Using a prep call before recording an episode lets the guest know what to expect. On the prep call, you’re able to give them some ideas to queue up and think about so they are ready when it’s time to record. Making sure the guest is ready for the podcast is key! The worst thing that can happen in a podcast conversation is for you to stump the guest or ask them a gotcha question. Your podcast can function as a business development asset for your guests because they can share it with their audience and their audience will get to know, love, and trust them before they ever meet.Your questions should put the guest in the best light possible and direct them to tell their story. You need to help your guest feel comfortable sharing their true selves on the podcast and that comes down to your questions and structure.Having a plan for the podcast makes guests more comfortable, especially when you discuss that plan with them on a prep call prior to the podcast recording.As the host, you should let the guest do the majority of the talking. If you find yourself wanting to interject, ask yourself, “why am I talking?” By focusing on listening, you can better guide the conversation and ask deeper questions. Asking open-ended questions can lead your guests into sharing a lot. If they are responding with yes or no answers, you’re probably not asking great questions and both the podcast and the connection will suffer.   Quote of the Show:“Be yourself. Sell yourself. Don’t be something you think somebody wants you to be because that’s not you” - Mark Stiles   Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markstileslaw/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stileslaw Company website: https://stiles-law.com/ Podcast: https://elementsofstiles.podbean.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StilesLaw Mark’s Calendly: https://calendly.com/mstiles    Ways to Tune In:Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/12f108ea-018f-44a6-8bb0-9444e9cbf3cc Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creating-the-greatest-show/id1638399900Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1B7OnWCGoxBRzH2rbkEFIf Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2NyZWF0aW5ndGhlZ3JlYXRlc3RzaG93L2ZlZWQueG1sPodchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/creating-the-greatest-show-4823789 YouTube: https://youtu.be/HJGGN2s8Nnc  Creating The Great Show is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/