THE PODCAST "MIXER" - A MODERN VERSION OF "MUSICAL CHAIRS" !

By M.K. McDaniel, Author of “MISFIT IN HELL TO HEAVEN EXPAT”

One of the Podcast organizations I belong to features a monthly "Podcast Mixer" event. I've attended several of them, and find them akin to the "Speed Dating" phenomenon of a few decades ago.

This mating game is played like "Musical Chairs". The attendees, Podcasters looking for fresh stories and the Podcast Guest wannabes, meet up in a blind virtual waiting room via anxious fingers on home computer keyboards.

As the visual countdown clock ticks off, the group must contemplate which category/table they will attempt to pick. As the race starts, all competitors have to scroll through the virtual room filled with small, labeled tables. The choices are many and include: Business, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Wellness, or Mixed.

There are four chairs to a table and just enough openings for the seventy or so folks to pick them all. Those who take too much time to peruse the choices can find themselves sitting with some unusual topics, but that's half the fun!

Each person is given two minutes to introduce themselves, and to state the desired result of their participation. The Podcast hosts share their program topics, and the Podcast guests share their qualifications. A total of fifteen minutes, less the eight minutes of introductions, gives seven minutes for the quartet to question each other further. Prospective hook-ups are quickly addressed, and then the room goes dark signaling the forced return to the waiting area.

There are three opportunities to "mix and mingle" before the breathless ending of the event. The following day, a list of all the participants, and their podcast categories, is delivered via email to the attendees. Connections can result, and calendars are marked.

I've benefited from these Mixers in numerous ways: I've practiced meeting professional strangers in a relaxed social setting where I've had to project my personality and purpose; met some interesting people outside my usual circle of friends; learned about cutting edge trends in this evolving world; felt reconnected to a world previously closed as a result of Covid; and felt the rush of facing the unknown like a kid at a birthday party playing a silly game.

In an author's structured world of publisher, editor, and promotional deadlines, it's a real treasure and blessing to just have some fun with your peers! I enjoy these get-togethers and hope you will get the chance to do so, too.