Why Better Stories Start with Better Questions

Apr 26, 2024

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In the world of podcasting, the most important element is the story you’re trying to tell. You can have all the best equipment at hand, but it’s the story that makes it. We’re getting a little meta this week with a podcast episode about podcast episodes and storytelling with Elaine Appleton Grant, CEO of Podcast Allies and Host of the Sound Judgment podcast.

Full Episode Details

Now, we’re no strangers to sharing great stories on this podcast. But this episode is a little different. We peek behind the curtain and look at what it takes to unravel these stories in a podcast. And it all begins with the host.

The host of Sound Judgment and CEO of Podcast Allies, Elaine Appleton Grant, gives us a masterclass on how to tell a great story by asking great questions and being curious above all.

Elaine shares plenty of anecdotes from her career and the brilliant public speakers and podcasters she’s met along the way, including the former host of this very podcast, Jay Baer. In each of these stories, Elaine breaks down the key lessons she’s learned and teaches to others, including the importance of preparation, asking questions that really dig into the details, and how to be a good listener.

There’s so much to take away from this episode if you’re interested in starting a podcast or want to improve your hosting skills. But equally, there’s plenty of value if you’re in the business of telling stories on social media.

In This Episode:

2:25 - Why it’s so important to share and tell stories
4:00 - What Elaine learned from Jay Baer’s Standing Ovation podcast
5:50 - Elaine gives a breakdown of what her podcast is about
7:51 - Elaine’s background in storytelling
9:51 - How Elaine approaches getting into deeper stories on her podcast
16:34 - How framing questions the right way helps you mine for stories
22:54 - How to become a great listener
25:25 - Why curiosity is the key skill
26:29 - How looking for different perspectives can uncover multitudes of stories
33:08 - How do you start becoming an expert storyteller
37:11 - The final two questions

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