How Podcasting can Empower the Next Generation of Storytellers
During lockdown, my then 8-year-old stepdaughter created her own podcasts with my husband. She would write a story, read it into the microphone and edit it. And she loved it, adding more dramatic flair to each recording than the last. It brought lots of joy to the friends and family we shared them with.
While she was in the process of writing and recording these little pieces, I was struck by the sense of empowerment she seemed to be getting from the experience. This sense of ‘This is my microphone, and this is my story.’ Recording the podcasts became a real outlet for her creativity during the pandemic and really reminded me of the power of storytelling in connecting us to others.
The Power of a Podcast
So, it was a bit of kismet when, through a volunteering opportunity at dentsu, I read about telmi, the new podcast platform for children - created by Founder and fellow mum Véronique Trang. It not only brought to mind my own family’s experience but made me excited for all the other children who will get to tell their stories through this medium. I immediately raised my hand to volunteer and help Véronique.
Why? Because storytelling is a critical skill as we become adults. It’s something that must be learned, experienced and nurtured. It’s the ability to craft the right narrative to achieve the outcome we want – something we use every day in work and at home.
To back up this point, recent workplace surveys show that 85% of job success comes from having communication and collaboration skills. And I couldn’t agree more. I’ve spent my career in advertising - if you don’t say what you need to say well, you won’t get the result you want.
From Express Yourself to Perfect Yourself
But I worry that in the age of social media and when several years of in-person schooling were lost to COVID-19, the art and skill of storytelling is getting lost. Which is a huge loss for our children.
Right now, kids are growing up in a world where social media is their main source of interaction, where stories take the form of 180-character posts or 10-second videos. These stories aren’t art as we know it - they’re disconnected, distracted and designed to transmit a ‘perfect state’.
It’s a digital landscape that, let’s face it, as parents we’re terrified of. Not just because we can’t control it. But because we inherently know it’s impacting our kids’ well-being.
A Safe Space to Create
Finding spaces that are safe for our children to (re)learn the art of creative self-expression, where they are not bound by the unhealthy expectations and standards that social media have created, is not easy. Especially when our kids are digital communicators by nature.
This is why telmi resonates with me. Founder, Véronique, has created a super-safe environment, where children are free to create, and parents can feel confident and reassured in allowing them this freedom. The platform cleverly captures kids in a medium they’re already in - the virtual space - in a way that is very ‘of the moment’ and which gives them a voice, but, crucially, which is secure and regulated.
Kids have missed out on learning a lot of crucial life skills over the past few years due to the pandemic and not being able to attend school, events and clubs in person. The beauty of podcasting for children is that it is a platform for learning and refining critical storytelling and presentation skills.
And this creates an opportunity for us as parents to discuss what it means for our kids to own their own narrative from the very start – helping them think about what they’re putting out into the world and the power it has, to respect their own individuality and voice and that of others too.
Positive Reconnection
Via telmi, children have the chance to own their voice and hear other children’s voices and stories, which is so valuable. I believe kids will find comfort in hearing from other kids, without the lens of social media perfection on top.
Note, I said “hearing.” Not seeing. Podcasting is an audio medium. I think it’s a brilliant way to combat the constant mirror effect of social media on our kids by taking the mirror away – instead letting them focus simply on the power of their words, of their voice.
And telmi is easily accessible. The only requirement to create a podcast on Telmi is a smartphone - something 93% of UK households own per statista.com. This empowers a wide and diverse population of kids and parents to join in this community of creation - because, once inside, kids have a mini production studio at their fingertips.
Empowering Our Kids
Every day I see the power of storytelling in action and the risk of losing control of the narrative, whether to businesses or to people. And as a parent, I see so many changes in the places and ways our kids have to tell stories, whether theirs or others. I want to empower our kids to love, appreciate and own their own voices, control their own narratives, and navigate this ever-more complex world with confidence. Telmi is one very cool platform that I’ve found to help with that.
If you’re interested in finding out more about telmi, you can visit https://telmi.io or reach out to founder Veronique Trang on Linkedin