Mare Swallow has been a public speaker, coach, and workshop leader since 1997. In her business life, she’s the principal of Swallow Consulting. In her online life, she’s Etiquette Bitch, where she looooves telling people what to do from the safety of her blog and podcast. She’s also an actress and writer. Mare becomes a first time PABster this year when she delivers the session Make the Irrelevant Relevant: Apply Three Adult Learning Principles to Your Media.
Mare Swallow walks you through 3 Adult Learning principles to spice up your media and attract more eyeballs. Learn what adults need before they buy into something new. You’ll receive at least one (if not three!) techniques you can apply immediately.
Mare has told us she’s thrilled to be part of PAB2010. What has she told you?
Like our other speakers, we asked Mare five very important questions.
What is your best memory of creating media for other people to enjoy?
My husband and I were at a huge, day-long event at the Chicago Cultural Center (a must-see in Chicago). During a pee break, I waited for him in the hall. Well, he exits the bathroom, all pissed off. Some serious urinal etiquette had just been breached. While my husband did his business, some random guy took the urinal right next to him, despite a plethora of vacant pissers. Then the guy starts chatting up my husband. While he’s peeing! Not cool! Husband bitches to me about it, and, voila, my next podcast was born. It was a blast to record with my husband, who is also a former DJ. My favorite part? Foisting my god-awful jokes on him.
Which media creator has been most inspiring to you and why?
Tim Coyne of The Hollywood Podcast. His honesty and diligence and determination inspire me to keep myself going. He constantly creates media and works on his art – whatever format it takes – no matter what. Tim is incredibly open-hearted and open-minded when it comes to online media. His viewpoint inspires me to give consideration to a podcast that, while I might not love it, I can learn from it.
What do you think is the most important consideration to media relevance?
Understand that not everyone thinks like you do; not everyone cares about the same things you do, and not everyone will stick around very long to listen. (No, Scarborough Dude, I am not talking about you.) I don’t think media creators should try to be everything to everybody; having a distinct product and point of view is important. But understand that there’s a difference between rambling on about what happened when you were buying beer yesterday and what was funny (or interesting, unique, thought- provoking, or universal) while you were buying beer yesterday.
If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would’ve started a blog and started podcasting 6 years ago, vs. 3.
How do you hope your PAB2010 session will change the way people think and/or act?
I certainly hope it’ll make people not necessarily change their content, but make their output a little more relevant, and a little less self-serving, and as a result, garner them a larger audience. How do I hope it’ll change how they’ll act? Each and every one of my session attendees will go to www.etiquetttebitch.blogspot.com and subscribe. (wink and smile.)
