Nevon has me thinking about Podcasting in business.
In big companies, particularly older ones I’ve found, some of the executives take on a star quality among the rank and file folks. The executive word is gospel and they tell stories about the time the VP came to their meeting and they got to talk them. They got to meet the real person behind the name and the title.
Podcasting may be capable of putting that feeling in the back pocket of a wide variety of employees one day. Here’s an *idealistic* scenario I imagine:
The CEO is a star within the company. He has charisma and a way with words- he can really connect with people. Unfortunately though, he doesn’t write well and doesn’t have time to get out and shake hands and pat backs.
One day his assistant brings up podcasting and says that every day, with her mp3 player, she listens to her favorite people while she’s in the shower, in the car, etc. Podcasting helps her feel connected to the people she likes most. The assistant explains how it works and they hatch a plan.
The next week, the CEO agrees to let the assistant digitally record an informal conversation between them. The conversation is about 15 minutes and they talk about the life of the CEO. Not just business, but the small stories that make up the day like family, friends, jokes, etc. The CEO is comfortable and the tone is fun and revealing.
In two days, all employees receive an email (or RSS feed) with a link to a site where they can listen to (or download the mp3 for) “The weekly conversation with Joe Blow, CEO�?.
People love it. They get a window into the life of the person most responsible for the company. They find that they genuinely like the guy. They look forward to it every week and talk about it at the water cooler. Over the course of a few months, it becomes a cultural phenomenon within the company and everyone lives happily ever after. (I told you it was idealistic).
In my mind this all works. But I can’t help but hearing people out there saying “What’s the difference between that and a broadcast voice mail?�? and “That’s really just recording an interview and posting it online, so what?�? Good points.
What is different about podcasting that makes this scenario work (if it does for you)?