Good Life Project - Conversation vs. Interview: Create Your Own Rules

Episode Date: December 23, 2015

Sometimes your creative voice clashes with others' expectations of what's always been done, and what they think you're "supposed" to do.This has happened a few times with this podcast. Ninety-nine percent to the messages and reviews we get about the guests, topics and format are overwhelmingly positive. Every once in a while, though, we get hit with a "take down" comment, a really aggressive attack on either a guest, topic or the conversational format of the show.I understand the rebuttal against certain guests and topics. Sometimes we offer provocative guests, people who've made choices others don't agree with and we talk about topics and ideas that make some people uncomfortable. I get that, not every person or idea or choice is right for everyone.But, the occasional take-down over the conversational format of the show ("I don't want to hear the host, I only care about the interviewee's point of view), I always find fascinating. Because it reflects a point of tension over a creative choice that we've made in producing our media and the evolution of the media itself.What is that decision? Choosing conversation over interview as the format when we host guests on the show. There is a subtle, yet powerful difference in these formats. Until the emergence of "new media," nearly everything that hit the air was interview-driven. This was a standard that emerged from journalism, where the focus was on "eliciting information" in an attempt to break and tell another person's story. For those long-time media consumers who are locked into a traditional, more journalistic TV and radio "interview" paradigm, our choice of a more conversational format can bump up against long-held expectations of what media "has" to be.The media game is changing, though, and the freedom of podcasting and online video has pretty much thrown traditional constraints out the window. The decision to roll with different formats—long-form vs. short-form, conversation vs. interview, broadcast production values vs. street-level production values— makes a huge difference in both how much you enjoy listening and we enjoying creating. New media creators are constantly pushing the envelope with formats and, at the same time, inviting longtime media consumers to let down the shield and become open to the possibility of everything from three-minute videos to three-hour conversations. Jerry Seinfeld's fantastic, conversation-driven, 15-20 minute "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" episodes are a wonderful example of breaking nearly every rule, and making a lot of people happy.For Good Life Project, we've chosen conversation over interview. It was a very intentional choice. In today's Good Life Project Riff, we share the deeper drivers behind that creative choice, exploring the idea of "product-maker fit" and why you might want to apply the same logic in your creative endeavors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So there are times when I do straight interviews, especially when I'm researching something. And there are very specific things that I'm looking to learn very often when I'm either working on building a project or researching and prepping for a book. But when it comes to the podcast, I don't do interviews, I have conversations. And that's an important distinction and a pretty deliberate choice. And it comes from my deeper why in creating this media. So part of the reason I speak with my guests is because I want to learn. I want to hear what they have to say and draw on their life's experience. So I asked them a lot of questions.

But the other part is that I want to enjoy the experience. And often my guests and I were so aligned in values and interest and energy. There's this spark that kind of takes over and an organic rhythm that just kind of envelops us. And that vibe is more of a feeling like we're two people who, you know, just met at a friend's dinner party, and we happen to find out that we're into similar things, and we just want to know more, and we want to go deeper. And I love that. And the longer term relationships, the friendships, even the collaborations that have grown out of cultivating this kind of more freeform experience. They've enriched my life in a way that a straight Q&A or a quote interview just never would. So I chose early on. This is not

a podcast driven by quote interviews. It's a podcast fueled by conversation. So many of the emails I've gotten over the years have shared some form of, I feel almost guilty, because I feel like I'm eavesdropping on a conversation between two friends, but I don't want it to stop. And I love that. But on occasion, I also get a note or a review from a listener who says,

I really love the podcast, but would you just stop talking already? I only want to hear your guest, not you. And I kind of chuckle because that's totally cool. But that's also completely not what the chosen format for this podcast is. It's not an interview where the host's job is to ask, listen, and ask, and listen, and ask. It's a moment in time where two people sit face to face in a room where we can see each other's eyes, have a real unscripted, sometimes fast, other times slow, sometimes riotous, other times

awkward, sometimes enlightening, other times weird conversation. It's about illumination, connection, and fun. My one concern, though, when I hear someone tell me, hey, would you just shut up and let your guest talk already, is whether my guest feels that same sentiment too, because it's so important that the people that I invite to come and spend some time feel like they're being heard and respected. And funny enough, the few podcasts that have led a handful of people to say that or to offer that criticism have also been the ones where the guests literally turned to me afterwards and said they had the most fun. So at least for now, I think I'm good in the way that we roll here and the way that we produce this.

So why am I even talking about this anyway? Here's why. I bring it up because I know that a huge part of our listening community are super creative people. You may be creative type, you may even be exploring podcasting, and finding your voice is so important. It's such an important part of not only succeeding, but making your mark and standing in not only what you want to create, but in what you also need to get back from the process of creation. So product market fit, important. Product maker fit is the part nobody talks about. And the format that you choose is critical. So part of what I look to get out of any creative process, it's not just expression and discovery,

but also connection. Because for me, podcasting is not just a learning process. It's also a creative process. And I decided to choose a less rigid, more free-flowing, collaborative and connected format. It's also why I don't script anything or have a pre-planned Q&A. So I chose conversation over street interview and hoped that that format would resonate with enough people to give this project life. And thankfully, thanking you, it has. And I'm amazed and humbled by that every single day. And along the path to figuring these

things out for yourself as a creator, or just someone who wants to feel engaged in the way that you bring ideas to life, you're going to be told by a lot of different people that there's one right way. And this is the right way. If you want to succeed, you're going to be told by a lot of different people that there's one right way. And this is the right way. If you want to succeed, you must do this. The moment you hear that, you pretty much know you've just been lied to. The only right way for you is the way that's right for you. So remember, the essential elements of voice, they take years to figure out. And one of those essential elements is the form or the format you choose

to bring your one beautiful voice to the world. The medium and the format matter as much as the message. They are, in fact, profound contributors to the overall experience of the message. They are, in fact, profound contributors to the overall experience of the message. Just a little something to think about. Or better yet, just a little something to have a conversation about. So I hope that resonated.

I hope it planted a seed to let you start to question. Question other people's edicts about what's appropriate for you. And question not just what you want to create to serve a market or a demographic or a community, but also to serve you, to light you up while you create something that lights up others. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. If you found something valuable, entertaining, engaging, or just plain fun, I'd be so appreciative if you take a couple extra seconds and share it.

Maybe you want to email it to a friend. Maybe you want to share it around social media. Or even be awesome if you'd head over to iTunes and just give us a rating. Every little bit helps get the word out and it helps more people get in touch with the message. I'm Jonathan Fields, signing off for Good Life Project.