Take a walk in someone else's shoes
How has your day been?
It’s a common question, sometimes a conversation starter; sometimes born out of care and concern.
Giving thought to someone else’s day helps build perspective and helps you step outside of your own headspace to explore emotions and motivations and appreciate the comforts and progress in your own life.
What if you could take it a step further and consider the life of someone living at a different place and point in history? What would you have had for breakfast? What would your clothes look and feel like? What buildings or landscapes would you see? What barriers and challenges would you have faced to work, education and society? And how would you fill your day?
I had been toying with the idea of writing about the lives of women living at different points in history. Coinciding with this I had started looking at what I could be learning and practicing for my Level 4 Presentation Mastery electives. The ‘Create a Podcast’ elective caught my eye. Maybe I could tie in my creative side project with a Toastmasters module!
I set about planning and producing my podcast, Walks In Time. As well as capturing stories and educating myself on history, I wanted to provide an immersive and soothing experience that helped listeners develop their empathy muscles, perhaps while going for a walk.
In about 15 minutes, each episode takes you through a day in the life of woman such as an Ancient Egyptian doctor, the mother of a World War I soldier, the great medical trailblazer Elizabeth Blackwell, and the somewhat shadow-dwelling Barbara Wilberforce, wife of the slave-trade abolitionist William Wilberforce, to name a few. Each episode includes relevant music and sound effects to enhance the immersive experience.
The Create a Podcast project required 60 minutes of podcast content being recorded – yes that’s right – researching, writing, voicing, editing and piecing together 60 minutes of content, plus a 2-3 minute speech and sharing a 5-10 minute excerpt with my club. Although not for the faint-hearted, completing this project and in particular presenting it to my club helped me to articulate what the show was all about, why it’s worth a listen and to hear valuable feedback from peers.
My elective is complete but my podcasting journey continues. You can find Walks In Time on any of the usual podcasting distributors or use this link to have a listen.
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Cathy Krimmer | Glenbrook Toastmasters Club
