Introduction

As most know, the Internet and related technologies have made many

things possible that were almost inconceivable only a few decades ago.

There can be little doubt that blogs, streaming audio, webinars,

asynchronous and synchronous web tools, and virtual teamwork software

have given negotiation and mediation practitioners and scholars a new

platform to disseminate ideas to a wide array of people who ordinarily

would not have taken the time to understand the benefits of these

processes. In addition to everything that is out there, we can now add

the increasingly invaluable tool of Podcasting to the list.

What is Podcasting?

For those readers that are unaware of Podcasting, it is crucial that

you understand what this instrument is, how easy it is too use, and how

it might aid you in your work. Specifically, Podcasting can enable you

to reach audiences you might never engage with, as well as to help keep

those already interested in negotiation and mediation intrigued and

thirsting for more.

The term Podcasting is a hybrid word derived from the word broadcasting

and the device that is used to listen to the broadcast – iPod, which is

made by Apple Computer. According to another useful Internet service –

Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia) – “Podcasting is a method of

publishing audio broadcasts via the Internet, allowing users to

subscribe to a feed of new files. It became popular largely due to

automatic downloading of audio onto portable players or personal

computers.” ^[1]

Podcasting can be differentiated from other types of online media

delivery because of its subscription model, which uses a feed sytem

known as Really Simple Syndication (RSS) ^[2]

to deliver files. The best way to explain Podcasting to the “non

techie” is that it enables independent producers – like you, me, and

the guy next door — to create self-published syndicated radio

broadcasts. From the users’ end, Podcasting couldn’t be easier.

Listeners simply subscribe to the feeds using “podcatching” software,

which periodically checks for and downloads new content automatically

to an iPod. And voilá, a new Podcast appears in your iPod each week

without you doing anything else. Imagine the possibilities! ^[3]

And imagine is exactly what I did when a consulting group that I work

with – The Otter Group – proposed that I start doing a simple 3-5

minute Podcast around the topic of negotiation. We entitled the Podcast

the “Negotiating Tip of the Week”. At first I had a healthy amount of

skepticism – something that has never stopped me before. However, as I

learned about Podcasting I realized the technology was incredibly easy

to use and the results were, well, rather amazing. In one year of doing

one Podcast per week I had approximately 3,500 to 4,000 people

regularly downloading my short and pithy recordings to listen to on the

subway, in the workout room, at the office, or when walking in the

woods. The listeners ranged from diplomats to financial advisors to

homemakers.

Examples: Broad, Narrow, and Interactive

If you go to www.negotiationtip.com (see image below) you will be able

to see and listen to the Podcasts that I have recorded to date. As you

can see from the list of topics on the website, I have covered both

broad conceptions, such as general approaches to negotiation, and

focused very narrowly on specific concepts, like the role of silence in

negotiation. One last idea I have been experimenting with lately is to

conduct more interactive Podcasts – posing actual negotiation scenarios

to the listeners and asking them to think about what they would do. In

the subsequent Podcast, I include some of the listeners thoughts and

provide them with a few of my own ideas to address the negotiation

problem in question.

Practically Speaking: How do you Podcast? ^[4]

So, how exactly do you get starting making a Podcast? Here are some of

the basics. First, you will need to create a topic and a title that

best captures what you will do in your Podcast. Note that if you are

going to do a weekly podcast you should have a lot of material in

“mental storage.” When you get people to tune in regularly, you create

an expectation that something new will be coming each and every week.

Second, get some simple devices to record your Podcasts. For example,

the Otter Group purchased a microphone for me that plugs into my

laptop. For those of you that have a desktop computer or laptop with a

microphone already built into it that will also work fine.

Third, you need a place to record and save your Podcasts. We use a

website called Audioblog.com, which lets you record and save files on

the web for less than $5 per month. After you have recorded your

Podcast you can download it to your computer and save it just like you

would any other file. It is also helpful to have a freeware (i.e., one

you can download for free from the web) editing program to delete out

pauses and other mistakes or glitches. The editing program that I use

is called Audacity. Without such editing software you need to make a

perfect recording. That can take extra time and get a bit frustrating.

For ease of use by your “podcatchers,” save the recording as an mp3

file and make sure that your settings in Audacity are on “wav out

mixture” and the volume is on high.

Finally, register your Podcast with a number of Podcast Aggregator

sites, such as podcastalley.com or ipodder.com. These are places where

Podcatchers can go looking for Podcasts on topics of interest. Of

course, it is also helpful to register your Podcast with iTunes from

Apple. It can be helpful to set up a webpage or blog that links to your

Podcasts so your listeners can also tune in online.

That is it – pretty simple. And remember that it is the power of the

Aggregator sites (using RSS feeds) that spreads your message and ideas

widely!

One Opinion on the Best Uses for Podcasts Today

Before concluding this brief article, it seems useful to discuss what

Podcasting is best used for in our world as it is presently

constituted. One caveat, Podcasting is very much in its infancy and so

its uses will undoubtedly multiply in the future. That stated, from my

perspective the following seem to currently be the best uses for

Podcasting as it relates to negotiation and mediation:

• As a way to reach audiences that normally would not be privy to the value of negotiation and mediation
• As

  a tool to peak the interest of people that already know a little about

  negotiation and mediation and to encourage them to learn more

• As

  a tool to raise awareness about negotiation and mediation and all the

  complex dynamics and issues that impact these processes

• As a way to convey stories about the power and benefits of negotiation and mediation
• As a tool to advertise your skills and abilities as a teacher and trainer
• As an easy to use and convenient refresher to trainings you may have provided

Conclusion

We live in a world of instant information. We live in a world of

simplicity. We live in a world that desparately needs negotiation and

mediation skills and processes. Podcasting enables practitioners and

scholars of negotiation and mediation to extend our reach and explain

concepts simply, in an unfiltered manner, to a large number of people

around the globe. If 3,800 people have downloaded my Podcasts over the

past four months alone, imagine what would happen if we had legions of

Podcasters spreading the message that negotiation and mediation are

invaluable tools to have in your toolbox. I am hard pressed to think of

something that would help our field more. . .aren’t you?

Note of thanks: I would like to thank my friends and colleagues

at the Otter Group – Kathleen Gilroy, Glen Mohr, and Kathleen Gilroy –

for their comments, suggestions and input into this article.

End Notes

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting

2 RSS is a tool for condensing information into a

feed, which can then be downloaded automatically as new information

becomes available. At a technical level, RSS is a file format as well

as the process for converting things to that format and distributing

them. This technology allows you to “subscribe” to any source (website,

weblog, database, news site) that provides an RSS feed. These are

typically sites that change or add content regularly. To subscribe to a

feed you use a piece of software called an “aggregator.” Aggregators

will soon be built into all browsers, but they can also be integrated

with email programs like Outlook or Google Desktop. The aggregator acts

as a personal mailbox. You then subscribe to the sites that you want to

get updates on and they start appearing in your mailbox. RSS

subscriptions are free, but they typically only give you a line or two

of each article or post along with a link to the full article or post.

3 Unlike streaming audio, which requires you to listen

in real-time, podcasting lets you control how and when you listen.

Podcasts are portable and re-useable. But with subscriptions,

podcasting goes to a new level of ease and simplicity. You publish and

then find your podcast in, for example, iTunes. Users subscribe to your

podcast feed in iTunes and then iTunes automatically downloads each new

episode as it becomes available. With the click of a button, you get

the most recent episode — and all future episodes — automatically

delivered directly to the iTunes Podcast Library.

4 By the way, if this explanation is not enough there is a “Podcasting for Dummies” book on the market by Matthew Bishcoff.