022 Stop Answering Your Own Questions

If you have guests on your show - are you stealing their spotlight? Are you treating your show like it’s a ventriloquist act where you ask and answer the questions while your willing expert sits mutely by? You might have fallen into the Ask-Answer-Ask trap.

I hear this all the time and (confession) I’ve done it. This is when you ask a question and then before your guest can answer, you answer it yourself only to realize you need to ask a question to have a conversation with your guest so you ask it again. Wow. That’s confusing. And, it’s shabby for your guest and your listener.

I give you a few examples in this podcast so you can get a better handle on what this sounds like (and if you are doing it). I also dive into why this happens even to the best hosts (spoiler: it has to do with your ego!)

If you find yourself falling into this trap - it’s time to get out. Stop wasting your listeners time by cover the same ground twice. Stop undermining your guest’s expertise by scooping them on the answer (that they should be more qualified to give). Stop answering your own questions.

Know your role. Ask the questions. Let your guest answer them. By all means, share your opinion or perspective after that but if you are going to have guests on your show, be polite and allow them to be your guest. They’ll thank you and the audience will get a lot more out of listening - which is how they will become stark raving maniac level fans. And, that’s what we all want - right?

Go, ahead. You answer that question.