E102: The Importance of Onboarding: Creating Content that People Can Understand

In this episode, we explore the importance of making your podcast accessible and creating content that people can understand. By using language and approaches that are inclusive, you can bring your listeners along for the ride and ensure that they can fully enjoy and engage with your conversations. While it may be challenging to simplify complex topics, taking the time to create on-ramps and provide explanations will make your content more effective and enjoyable for a wider audience.

Key Points
• Making your language and approach accessible is essential in podcasting and conversations.
• Providing clues and tools helps listeners pick up on the direction of the conversation.
• Onboarding your audience by using less jargon and explaining unfamiliar terms improves accessibility.
• Balancing the need for speed with making content consumable for a broader audience is a challenge.
• News outlets often use explanations to ensure understanding of unfamiliar words or concepts.
• Creating on-ramps for listeners to join the conversation enhances their enjoyment and engagement.
• Speaking in a simple and understandable manner requires effort but is worthwhile.

Best Quotes
00:33 – 00:36
• “You want to bring everyone in the conversation along for the ride.”

02:31 – 02:35
• “You won’t regret it. Nobody’s gonna think you’re pandering or talking down.”

02:36 – 02:44
• “It’s much harder actually to speak in a simple way so that everyone can understand than it is to use all of those tools and jargon.”