training in lockdown


Launch a podcast in only one day


I SIGNED up to the NUJ podcasting course with social media trainer Dan Mason, partly because I thought it might help my campaigning work with the National Pensioners Convention on digital inclusion. I had seen his promo video,


‘Always wanted to but never had the time?’ with its promise of working as a group then getting a post-course toolkit, and I took the bait.


My fellow journalists on the


course wanted to promote their work, their causes or themselves. Mason pointed out that


podcasts are a great way of doing all these things and can also “increase traffic to your website, sell a product or service and lead to a regular stream of income”. Before the course, we had


to download the latest free version of the Zoom app. We


were told that to create our podcasts we would need a fully charged smartphone (iPhone or Android) or iPad, with a charger, earbuds and microphone. Podcast subscribers are


probably the most loyal audience online because it is


personal, says Mason. However, podcasting take time, investment and practice. Research through listening to the style, content, editing, music and delivery of several podcasts in our chosen genres would not be wasted. We analysed why we


wanted to launch a podcast, who our audience was, style and title. I don’t know whether On


the Shelf, A Woman on Wheels, NUJ Podcast, The Generation Game or Lifting the Veil on Muslims in the Media will have been launched by the time this


article is published. These titles were chosen on the day. We learned about


equipment, microphones, editing software, plus how to edit recordings, create an episode, make a trailer (should be short and snappy) and send it to Anchor, a podcast platform. Finally, we had to think


about our launch: “Shout about your podcast. Get everyone you know, friends, family, to share the link, leave a review. Get testimonials.” Mason deserves one


himself: “It was a challenging day, but an exciting one. A great course.”


Wellbeing and humour in isolation: reflections and rethinking your future


THE BLURB read: “Working alone doesn’t suit everybody and we’re all running the risk of lockdown fatigue. Yet from isolation comes inspiration.” HERlarious - Comedy,


Wellbeing and Confidence for Creatives promised: “We will give you some strategies to plan the life we want to lead when this is all over.” Host Lynne Parker,


award-winning producer and founder of Funny Women (who would normally be preparing for the Edinburgh Fringe at this time) ensured it did what it said on the tin. The one-hour workshop


was run jointly by WEConnect


International (a women’s business social enterprise) and Funny Women, who recognise: “Wellbeing is paramount for personal and business survival.” Trainer Jo Carnegie, author,


advice columnist and journalist specialising in wellbeing and workplace loneliness, focused on putting work/life boundaries in place. With 20 years’ experience of


lone working, she was happy to share tips on how to enjoy it: “Have a routine, set working hours, get out of the pyjamas, get dressed, put on lipstick.” Her next tip was: “Stop


using tech and start talking.”


Picking up the phone “can save time and help you build relationships”. People should accept


loneliness is normal and build up a support network or ‘tribe’. Finally, “don’t be a corner


shop (everything low value) – be a gourmet deli (offer quality that is valued)”.


Tracey Barr, an


independent business strategy consultant, encouraged us to Get Your Mojo Pumping, kicking off with aphorisms such as Jim Rohn’s “Your life doesn’t get better by chance. It gets better by change”. Her favourite, by an


unknown person, is: “The next chapter of your life has not yet been written. You hold the pen. Write the story you want to read.” It is no surprise that Barr


regards Covid-19 as “a great opportunity to take stock”, and has a two-step plan. Step 1 is ‘review and reflect’;


think when we’ve been happiest, what we were doing, where we were and who we were with. Then, reflect on what we would have done differently.” Step 2 is ‘restart and


reinvent’ and to consider what success looks like, what would make us happier and richer, and what we want to get out of the next chapter of life. Whatever this is, after


Covid, there’s no going back to normal.


theJournalist | 09


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