Communication Design 101: Podcasting Tools

I can't stand what modern DJs have done to the art of turntablism. Now the majority of the world thinks all you do is push play on the Pioneer CDJ and stand there waving your hands around in the air like an idiot.

The same is happening in other areas of audio manipulation. There's been so much talk about podcasts as of late. Should you do one? Should you not because there are too many? Do you want to simply learn how to add it to your skill sets as design becomes an essential marketing skill? And when I say design, I mean designing for sight, sound and motion. The work of a 21st century communications designer goes long beyond the written word as a storyteller and way past press releases (who writes or even reads those anymore?). While I agree with Ann Handley that "Everybody Writes," the written word needs to be translated to make communication applicable to the world at large in ways that are understood and not lost in translation. This world includes all people, different languages, those with disability or accessibility issues, those who may not be able to see or hear. Or those who learn in a different manner from how you or I learn. In our modern world, there is no "one size fits all" in what communication is the most effective.

So with that in mind, don't simply copy my setup I list here thinking it will work for you from a technical, tactical or budgetary standpoint. Just use it to open your mind to be curious about what goes into executing. That's ultimately how a disruptive marketer thinks and rethinks in our modern era. The people I dislike the most in business are those who think anybody can do things because they only see the final outcome but don't know how to create to get to that destination. Don't be one of those fools. The world is filled with them. Also note that some of my best recordings I have used mobile apps and a pair of headphones with the mic or a lavalier mic walking down the street of busy Brooklyn, driving in rainy Seattle or hiking in snowy Oslo, Norway. Many podcasts can be overproduced, but moments within those podcasts that are raw and authentic can be captured that make some episodes sound human and real. Don't just be tied to doing things like how the broadcast radio model operated. Podcasts after all stand for "Personalized On Demand" broadcasts.

Here's my podcast toolbox I use to record my show Disruptive FM:

• Phillips SHL3000BK Headband Headphones
• Blue Yeti USB microphone silver
• Razer Seiren Elite USB microphone (though what was with that sexist tweet the other day Razer? C'mon!)
• Rode PSA1 swivel mount studio microphone boom arm
• Mackie Onyx Blackjack Premium 2x2 USB Recording Interface (only if I'm recording with someone in the same room, otherwise I just plug one mic in direct to my laptop)
• Laptop: Either my Asus Zenpad which is powered by Windows 10 or my MacBook Pro Air 13" (depends when and where I am, if I'm at work, if I'm traveling, if I'm at home, etc.)
• Spreaker Studio (you can download this on your laptop, tablet or mobile phone)
• Skype (to use for remote interviews with people from around the world)
• GarageBand to mix, edit and deploy the mp4
• Also for hosting I use Spreaker and from there I use the RSS feed to get the show on iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitcher, SoundCloud and YouTube. Remember, iTunes doesn't host audio, they simply act as a directory. There are several options for where you can host your show audio. I find this solution the most social by design.
• I use Clammr to help promote the show as well as embedding shows from SoundCloud or YouTube into blog posts, share on social media, etc.

So get intellectually curious today even if podcasting isn't for you, allow all of these changes in how we are communicating to prepare you for future changes as AR and 3D become democratized and the creative class has more access to communication tools than ever before but needs to manipulate them in ways that connect with humanity. There's no "press play" button yet for that.

Geoffrey Colon works at Microsoft and is author of the book Disruptive Marketing: What Growth Hackers, Data Punks, and Other Hybrid Thinkers Can Teach Us About Navigating the New Normal. He has written over 100 original pieces for LinkedIn.