We live in an age where everyone wants to be interesting. We’re all posting photos and videos and tweets in the hope people will pay attention. But this is a two-way street.
The best possible way to be interesting is to be interested in what others are doing. Share what excites you, what inspires you. Start conversations. Ask questions. This is best possible way to create connection.
There are people out there who make entire careers out of being interested: first Hrishikesh Hirway started a podcast to explore how his favorite musicians write and track their songs, then he started another podcast to ask the creators and stars of The West Wing about creating his favorite television show. (If you haven’t seen his new show, Song Exploder, on Netflix, it’s worth a watch.)
You could say the same thing about so many people making podcasts these days: Debbie Millman, David Axelrod, Brian Koppelman, Marc Maron. Each person explores their interests (design, politics, creative work, comedy, etc.) one guest and one episode at a time.
Want to be interesting? Be interested. Talk less. Listen more.
joshua chamberlain 