What are some questions that help podcast guests share how their work contributes to positive change?

When chatting about their work, ask what keeps their engine running – is it a secret concoction or a eureka moment akin to finding the last slice of pizza? Dig into their moments of impact, the hurdles they've tackled (perhaps dodging banana peels or pulling off MacGyver-like fixes?), and the funny side of their collaborations—like a buddy cop movie or a sitcom cast. Wrap it up by snagging their wisdom for aspiring do-gooders and glimpsing their futuristic vision—flying cars or teleportation pods, anyone? Because even serious work could use a pinch of humor!

I truly believe that when you ask your guest about positive change and give them the opportunity to share their experiences. It creates a pathway that can help others who are struggling and seeking change. It shows that despite circumstances that positive changes can occur that a trajectory of someone’s life. There is power in having the ability to share a story with positive inclination.

We keep the focus on the-focus on Flipping Genius. THE #1 Goal of Flipping Genius is to "help our listeners make MORE MONEY". The "positive change" can definitely kick in once Flippers start seeing a path to financial and individual FREEDOM.

I’ve interviewed over 1000 impact CEOs (over 180 this year on LinkedIn live) who are true capitalists problem-solving for the next generation of conscious consumers. By asking questions about their positive change the leader can demonstrate the company’s vision, mission, and purpose to connect with all stakeholders including new customers, impact investors, and values-aligned employees. I mainly do this because the majority of business leaders online believe business growth and impact are conflicting strategies, “cute”, or Pollyanna.

Asking your guests about positive change shows your listeners what’s possible and allows them to envision how they could apply the same principles in their life to achieve similar results.

When in doubt, starting with "why" is an easy framework. Keep traveling down the "why" hole until you get to the core behind someone's action / intention. Why are you selling X? Why do you care about Y problem? Why does Y problem important now? etc.

I recommend using storytelling frameworks to craft questions for podcast interviews. To prepare questions for positive change I would use Dan Harmon's story circle. For example: Ask the guest to discuss what motivated them to start their work. Example: "What was the moment that drove you to pursue this path?" this establishes "Need" and then asks about the initial challenges or the learning curve they faced. Moving on to encourage them to share a pivotal moment of success or significant achievement. I would then ask how their experiences have changed them or their perspective. Crafting questions like this leads the listener on a journey with your guest and opens the opportunity for great follow-up questions that are conversational in nature

Being prepared shows your guest you are a professional and that you care. I try and visit their website, LinkedIn, and YouTube to search any former interviews they’ve done the night before so my mind is fresh in the morning. By listening to a former interview you can get a sense for how they are on camera, how long their answers typically are, and even crack a joke to break the ice beforehand in the green room. You also may be stroking their ego, which you want in order for make them to feel comfortable and confident on the show. Write down your opening and closing questions to start off the interview strong and wrap up the interview with a punch. Throughout the conversation rely on your listening and research to guide the listener.

What is the intention of [company name]? What is the enlarged problem your company is trying to solve? Where does its impact show up in the value chain? How does this influence your culture? Your recruitment? Do you measure your impact? Do you manage it? Where in the PnL can you see a clear correlation with your growth? What KPIs are helpful in measuring your impact?

In my experience, going into the specifics helps to build trust with your listeners. To build trust, you’ll want to have your guests share from experience as opposed to telling them what to do. By starting your questions with “in your experience…” you are able to both give yourself time to think of a question while asking them to critically think about their personal experience which makes your interviews unique.

Follow up questions are a tool for extracting unique insights that are tough to get after a surface-level answer. If there’s something you think they missed or are holding back from, try and explore that area or “growing edge” with them. You may ask, “let’s lean into this a little bit more, explain why you made the decision to keep your entire staff during Covid.” You can also use a mirroring technique like, “if I’m hearing you right, you’re saying that keeping employees builds loyalty, how did that impact your profitability?” By acknowledging you’re listening to them, it enables you to ask the hard questions everyone wants to know.

The best way can be creating a Series of podcasts, wherein the results of the earlier one shall be the topic of discussion and in the first podcast incorporate a self help game for the listeners. Give them tasks and discuss it in other episodes.