Gratitude is more than just a buzzword; it’s a powerful mindset that can transform various aspects of life, including sports. In Pickleball, where strategy, focus, and camaraderie are central to success, embracing gratitude can provide significant benefits both on and off the court.

Research shows that cultivating gratitude can improve mental well-being, enhance focus, and foster stronger social connections – all of which are crucial for peak athletic performance. But how exactly does this mindset impact your Pickleball game? Let’s explore.

1. Gratitude Enhances Your Mental Game

Pickleball is as much a mental sport as it is physical. Staying calm under pressure, rebounding from mistakes, and maintaining focus are key to success. Gratitude can help here.

Studies from positive psychology suggest that people who practice gratitude regularly experience lower levels of stress and anxiety. A calmer mind allows players to make better decisions, stay present during long rallies, and shake off unforced errors quickly.

For example, instead of dwelling on a missed shot, a player who embraces gratitude might focus on the opportunity to learn from the mistake and appreciate the challenge of improving their skills. This shift in perspective can prevent frustration from snowballing into poor performance.

2. Gratitude Builds Stronger Relationships on the Court

Pickleball is inherently social, and success often depends on collaboration – especially in doubles play. Showing gratitude to your partner for their effort, encouragement, or even a well-placed lob fosters trust and positivity.

Research from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology highlights that expressing gratitude strengthens interpersonal bonds and encourages cooperative behaviour. When players feel appreciated, they’re more likely to communicate effectively and support each other during matches.

Practical tip: At the end of each game, thank your partner for specific moments of effort or skill they displayed. This small act can significantly enhance your on-court chemistry.

3. Gratitude Improves Physical Performance

While the mental and social aspects of gratitude are well-documented, there’s growing evidence that it can also boost physical performance. A study published in Personality and Individual Differences (ScienceDirect.com) found that individuals with a grateful mindset reported higher energy levels and greater motivation.

In pickleball, this can translate into increased stamina during intense matches and a stronger commitment to training. By focusing on gratitude – such as being thankful for the opportunity to play, the health to compete, or the community around the sport – you’re likely to approach the game with more enthusiasm and determination.

4. Gratitude Cultivates Resilience

Whether you’re competing in a local tournament or practicing with friends, setbacks are inevitable. Gratitude can help you bounce back more effectively. According to a study in Frontiers in Psychology, gratitude fosters a greater sense of resilience by shifting focus away from negative emotions and toward constructive solutions.

In practical terms, when you lose a match, instead of fixating on the loss, try focusing on what went well and what you learned. Gratitude helps reframe setbacks as opportunities for growth, keeping you motivated to improve.

5. Gratitude Strengthens the Pickleball Community

Beyond individual performance, gratitude can enrich the entire pickleball community. A simple “thank you” to tournament organizers, club volunteers, or even your opponents for a good game creates a positive atmosphere. Over time, this fosters a culture of respect and encouragement that benefits everyone involved.

The growing popularity of pickleball in the UK, including through clubs like Staying Alive Pickleball, depends on the goodwill of its members. When gratitude becomes a shared value, it strengthens the bonds that make the sport so enjoyable.

How to Practice Gratitude in Pickleball

Start a Gratitude Journal: Write down three things you’re grateful for after every game or practice session – whether it’s a new skill, a great rally, or the friends you played with.

Express Thanks Verbally: Thank your partner, opponents, or coaches for their efforts, win or lose.

Reframe Challenges: When facing tough competition or a losing streak, focus on the lessons you’re gaining rather than the setbacks.

Be Mindful of the Moment: Appreciate the simple joys of playing – the feel of the paddle, the sound of the ball, or the beauty of the game.

Conclusion

Gratitude is a simple yet profound tool that can elevate your pickleball game. By reducing stress, enhancing focus, building relationships, and fostering resilience, a grateful mindset helps you perform better and enjoy the game more.

So, the next time you step onto the court, take a moment to reflect on what you’re thankful for. Whether it’s the community, the competition, or simply the joy of playing, embracing gratitude could be the secret to taking your pickleball game to the next level.

What are you grateful for in Pickleball? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts during your next Staying Alive Pickleball session!

Michael de Groot ツ’

stayingalivepickleball.com

If you haven’t played it yet, you certainly know someone who has! Pickleball, the paddle sport that combines elements of ping pong, badminton, and tennis, has taken the U.S. by storm.

For the third year in a row, pickleball was the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., according to the 2023 Sports and Fitness Industry Association’s Topline Participation Survey. The national survey found that 36.5 million people had played pickleball at least once in the past year — a more than 50 percent increase compared to 2022.

While many players see pickleball as a fun way to increase their physical activity levels, research shows it likely has other benefits. A growing body of evidence finds that racquet sports help extend life expectancy, even more than other forms of physical activity.

One study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2016, tracked more than 80,000 adults over nine years to compare the benefits of various sports. Researchers found those who regularly played racquet sports reduced their risk of death by 47 percent compared to those who were inactive. (Swimming ranked a distant second, reducing the risk of death by nearly 28 percent.) Specifically, playing a racquet sport reduced the risk of dying from heart disease, such as heart attack or stroke, by 56 percent. (This compared to a 41 percent reduction in death from heart disease for swimmers and a 36 percent reduction for those who participated in other forms of exercise.)

A second study published in 2018 by the Mayo Clinic, which followed more than 8,500 people for up to 25 years, supports these findings. Participants who played tennis extended their life by 9.7 years compared with those who were inactive, and people who played badminton extended their life by 6.2 years; these were the two highest-ranking activities for extending life expectancy. (Other sports also improved life expectancy over sedentary behaviour: 4.7 years for soccer; 3.7 years for cycling; 3.4 years for swimming; and 3.2 years for jogging.)

A third study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association surveyed more than 270,000 older adults to ask about their health and leisure activities and then followed them for several years. They found participants who achieved the recommended amount of any physical activity — 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate-intensity or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous-intensity exercise per week — lowered their risk of dying by 13 percent compared with those who did not exercise at all. But when they looked at different activities, racquet sports were the most impactful, reducing the risk of dying by 16 percent.

The evidence clearly shows that racquet sports have an edge over other forms of physical activity. But why?

Though the available studies did not collect the data to answer these questions, researchers have some hypotheses. First, racquet sports engage the entire body, requiring endurance, flexibility, agility, coordination, and bursts of speed. They promote good balance and general mobility. In essence, playing a racquet sport is truly a full-body workout.

Second, racquet sports challenge the brain. Hand-eye coordination is required to hit the ball and there is a level of strategy — such as anticipating where your opponent’s shot will land and positioning yourself to hit it — that may boost mental health.

Finally, racquet sports require an opponent — you can’t hit the ball back to yourself — which means they involve social interaction. The research literature on aging shows that social connections alone have benefits that extend life expectancy.

The take-home message is clear: Racquet sports are good for you! And you don’t have to be a skilled player to reap the benefits. To extend your life expectancy, grab a ball and a paddle, head to your nearest court, and get swinging.

(originally published on Psychology Today — September 2024)

stayingalivepickleball.com

In today’s highly competitive market, exceptional customer service can make or break a company’s reputation. Unfortunately, not all companies prioritize providing satisfactory support to their customers. One such company that has failed to live up to customer expectations is Amazfit. As a loyal customer who has purchased multiple products from them, I have recently experienced their abysmal customer service firsthand. In this blog post, I will share my disappointing encounter with Amazfit and shed light on the various issues I encountered along the way.

In July 2020, I eagerly purchased two pairs of ZenBuds through the AmazFit USA Indiegogo campaign. One pair was intended for myself, while the other was meant for my son, who was experiencing significant difficulty sleeping. Due to personal reasons, my son ultimately decided not to use the ZenBuds. As a result, one pair remained unopened and stored on a shelf, until March 2023 when I stumbled upon it while tidying my office.

Having been pleased with my own pair of ZenBuds, which I had been using without any issues, I decided to sell the unopened pair on eBay. To my surprise, the item sold quickly, and the buyer, Charlotte, later contacted me requesting a refund due to connectivity issues with the left Bud. Despite my eBay terms stating no refunds, I agreed to help her by contacting Amazfit’s customer support on her behalf.

Unsatisfactory Support Communication:

My attempt to assist Charlotte quickly unveiled Amazfit’s lackluster customer support. After reaching out to their support team, led by Joey, I was disheartened by the delayed response and the inadequacy of the reply. It became evident that resolving this issue would be a time-consuming and frustrating process.

Upon receiving the disappointing response, I anticipated a lengthy resolution process, as it had become apparent that Amazfit’s support team was not proficient in prompt and effective communication. Waiting weeks for a response is simply unacceptable, particularly for a company in the technology industry where efficiency is valued.

Defective Product and Warranty:

In order to better understand Charlotte’s concerns, I decided to provide her with a refund and requested that she return the ZenBuds to me. This allowed me to personally test the product and ascertain the validity of her claim. Unfortunately, I discovered that the left Bud failed to connect or would frequently disconnect, even when fully charged. Both Charlotte and I attempted various troubleshooting methods, such as depleting the battery and recharging, but to no avail.

It is important to note that although the ZenBuds were outside the warranty period, the fact that the unopened box remained sealed for two and a half years suggests that the product was essentially brand new when Charlotte opened it in March 2023. This raises concerns about the product’s quality and durability, especially considering the limited use it had undergone.

Disillusionment as a Customer:

Amazfit’s poor customer service and the numerous challenges faced throughout this ordeal have left me utterly disillusioned as a once-loyal customer. The lack of timely and satisfactory support from a company I had trusted has shattered my faith in Amazfit as a reliable brand. As a result, I will never consider purchasing their products again.

Comparison to Competitors:

This experience has reinforced the importance of exceptional customer service. While Amazfit may offer competitive pricing for their products, their disregard for customer satisfaction pales in comparison to companies like Apple, whose products may come at a premium but are accompanied by unparalleled support. With Apple, customers can be confident in receiving a superior level of customer service, compensating for any additional costs.

A Warning to Potential Customers:

By sharing my story through this blog post, I hope to caution prospective buyers considering Amazfit products. It is vital to make an informed decision and recognise the potential pitfalls that lie ahead. Chinese companies like Amazfit may be eager to sell their products in markets like the UK and Europe, but they often fall short when it comes to addressing customer issues and concerns.

My personal experience with Amazfit’s poor customer service has left me disappointed and disillusioned. I have highlighted the chronology of events, the ongoing lack of communication, the defective product, and the ultimate disillusionment as a customer. I believe it is crucial to warn others about these issues, encouraging them to think twice before purchasing Amazfit products. While price may be a consideration, it is essential to prioritize a company’s commitment to customer satisfaction.

Originally published at https://www.stayingaliveuk.com on June 16, 2023.

In a good way…

I came across Pickleball in May 2022, started playing it in August 2022 and will be playing in the English Open in August 2023. And I’m 63!

Taking up a brand new sport at 63, would normally be highly unlikely, but not Pickleball. People in their 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s are taking up Pickleball. How does that happen?

There is a scientific answer to the question, which I’ll share in a bit.

First, let’s examine the gym and fitness industry. We have been told to exercise at least for 30 minutes 5 times per week. This is the official guidelines from gov.uk: Do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week spread exercise evenly over 4 to 5 days a week, or every day.

But we’ve never been told what type of exercise. Treadmill, stationary bike, bootcamp, cross-skier, weights, rower, spin etc. Most of these activities are boring, done on your own and often not sustainable, prone to injury and they often never become a habit that we will do over and over without any hardship or complaining. We get bored fast and therefore, although we know we need to do it regularly, we eventually stop. Something else (life) gets in the way and actually the exercise is not something that keeps us that interested or inspired. Sometimes we may have to decide on a massive goal like running the London Marathon in order to keeps us motivated. There’s nothing wrong with having a goal to inspire you to exercise, but what if there was a sport that just made you want to exercise ALL the time?

This type of ‘workout’ isn’t really working out any longer, although the fitness industry has made billions from our monthly subscriptions that we continue to pay and rarely stop, because we tell ourselves that one day we will go back to it, but of course that ‘one day’ never comes. There are exceptions of course, but it’s only a handful of us.

Now think about when you were a kid and playing outside, maybe playing hide and seek, playing football or just playing at anything? When you played outside you lost track of time, the same happens with Pickleball. When you play, time seems to move faster and before you know it, your hour or two of playing several Pickleball games comes to an end.

The benefits of ‘PLAY’ is also proven scientifically. We know that when you’ve exercised by doing a run or working out in the gym, you do feel great, but the feel-good effect wears off quickly until the next time and depending on how your muscles feel the next day, you may decide not to go back that quickly.

There are chemical and biological reasons why the act of play makes you feel better. Even 30 minutes of play can unlock powerful feel-good hormones and change the way the brain responds to the signals it receives. These feel-good hormones — endorphins, oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, norepinephrine and GABA — are the key to some incredible mental health benefits, including improved mood, reduced stress, greater happiness and a feeling of being more alive.

The benefits of this cocktail of feel-good hormones lasts longer and guess what, you want to do it all again as quickly as possible. I had a call from a Pickleball player to come and play at our local club. She said and I quote, ‘I woke up this morning (this was a Monday) and wondered where can I play Pickleball today! This is completely normal in the world of Pickleball, this sport is totally addictive and it just makes you feel fantastic. Have you ever come across an exercise routine that is addictive, maybe you have, I haven’t.

Daryl Edwards is the founder of primalplay.com he’s doing brilliantly in promoting the benefits of PLAY. It was seeing him speak in a video interview, which made me research him further and gain some of the knowledge I am sharing with you here. It really made me consider why Pickleball is so addictive. Here is his TEDx video.

At the end of his TED Talk Daryl Edwards reads out the following 3 lines:

PLAY can help us to remain vibrant, happy and joyful.

PLAY can significantly aid the health outcome of our lives.

PLAY can make us fall in love with movement again.

I can testify that all 3 lines are true of Pickleball, you just have to find out for yourself.

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the USA and 9 million people who play every week can’t be wrong about how addictive and beneficial it is for us. In the UK we only have around 5 thousand players, which is just a drop in the ocean, but all the signs are there that it will grow here too, but probably not as fast. Our facilities are just not geared to catering for Pickleball, most leisure centre owners, management and tennis coaches haven’t even heard of it. Tennis players and clubs turn their nose up when they hear the word Pickleball and a Badminton player walked up to me recently at the end of a Coach and Play session I was teaching and told me, he wasn’t interested in all this USA crap. Our attitude in the UK is wrong, but a small army of players, county representatives (includes me in Worcestershire), PickleballENGLAND are all trying their hardest to assist in growing the sport.

I hope to see you on court at some point and hopefully the English Open in 2023 or in future years.

Visit wyreforestpickleball.com to witness all I’m doing to grow the sport in the my neck of the woods.

~ Michael

After 6½ years of podcasting, I have made the tricky decision to put my podcasting days on pause. I’m using the pause button phrase very carefully because you just never know what might come your way.

What has come my way right now is Pickleball.

I’ve also become a Level I Pickleball Coach and Volunteer County Representative for Pickleball England for the County of Worcestershire UK, where I live. In my current more mature years I am recognising that sitting in front of a screen for hours on end producing podcasts week in and week out is neither healthy or conducive to my increased health and happiness. I also had guests booked for months in advance. I should consider it a compliment that so many people wish to be a guest on my podcast, which I do actually and at the same time it was such a huge pressure for me to produce a show week in week out.

I will honour the scheduled guests for the remainder of February 2023 and my last episode will go live in the first week of March 2023. It’s very fitting that as Spring starts marking the advent of new growth and new beginnings, I also will be ending one project and starting a new one. The timing couldn’t be more perfect.

Hereby ends my identity of Podcaster, Interviewer, Podcast Host, Podcast Producer etc. It’s amazing how we get so attached to our identities that we have created for ourselves, it means it takes hours to not only detach yourself from your own subconscious identity, it takes hours to undo all the digital crumb trails you’ve created to support your identity. I’ve been busy creating a new one too, that of Pickleball Coach and County Representative for pickleballEngland.

Wish me luck folks!

Michael OUT — Mic Drop!

www.wyreforestpickleball.com

~ Michael — bio.link/stayingaliveuk

Originally published at https://www.stayingaliveuk.com on February 9, 2023.

We are delighted to be facilitating a Happiness Habits course, which is running in our local area of Wyre Forest, Worcestershire, United Kingdom.

This 6-week online course has been developed by Action for Happiness, drawing on the wisdom of experts across many fields, to cover the habits of living a happy life and spreading happiness to others. The Wyre Forest Happiness Habits course is due to commence on Thursday, 2 February 2023 at 6.30pm with the topic of Gratitude. Week 2 explores Self-Care, Week 3 is Relationships, Week 4 is Resilience, Week 5 Kindness and Week 6 looks at Meaning.

Each weekly interactive session will last for about 2 hours and is delivered live online via Zoom (there are no replays).

SIGN UP: https://actionforhappiness.org/course/happiness-habits-wyre-forest

The course is run by local volunteers (Clair and Michael) and based on donations to Action for Happiness — so please feel free to give whatever you can afford :)

ABOUT THE COURSE
Happiness Habits is a secular, science-based course for people who want to learn how to live happily and spread happiness to those around them. It was created to help people tune in to what really matters in life, connect with people around them and find small ways to start taking action.

On the course you will:

• Meet with like-minded people to explore what really matters in life and find new ways of looking at things.
• Enjoy expert videos, mindfulness practices and group exercises to help you apply the lessons to your life.
• Take time each week to think of small actions you can take to create happiness for yourself and those around you.

Each week features some of the world’s most trusted experts:

Week 1: Gratitude

• What can we learn about happiness? Vanessa King — Head of Psychology, Action for Happiness
• How can we become happier? Shawn Achor — Bestselling Positive Psychology Author

Week 2: Self-Care

• How can we be kinder to ourselves? Kristen Neff — Professor of Psychology, University of Texas
• How can we get the basics right? Rupy Aujla — General Practice Doctor and Healthy Eating Expert & Darryl Edwards — Movement Coach and Author

Week 3: Relationships

• Why are relationships important for our happiness? Robert Waldinger — Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
• How can we look after our Relationships? Roxy Manning — Psychotherapist and Nonviolent Communication Expert

Week 4: Resilience

• How can we be more resilient? Tal Ben-Shahar — Positive Psychologist, Harvard University
• How can we be happy in dark times? Maria Sirois — Positive Psychologist and Author

Week 5: Kindness

• How can we become kinder? Matthieu Ricard, Buddhist Monk snf Author
• Why does kindness matter? Chude Jideonwo — Journalist and Entrepreneur & Nipun Mehta — Founder of ServiceSpace

Week 6: Meaning

• What makes life meaningful? Gretchen Rubin, Bestselling Author
• What should be the purpose of our lives? Jon Kabat-Zinn — Professor of Medicine, University of Massachusetts & Richard Layard — Economist, London School of Economics

People find it really valuable and often refer to what they learn on the course as life-changing.

SIGN UP: https://actionforhappiness.org/course/happiness-habits-wyre-forest

WHO THE COURSE IS FOR
This course is for anyone interested in exploring how to create happiness for themselves or others. Maybe you’re someone who could do with some new approaches to try out in your own life. Or maybe you’re passionate about creating happier communities and a happier world.

Either way, by coming together with others locally on this course you can find the inspiration and support you need find the actions that work for you.

Everyone on the course agrees to abide by the Five Golden Rules:

• We really listen to each other
• We are open about our feelings
• We focus on what is working well
• We practice safe boundaries
• We maintain a spirit of kindness

Please note: this course is not group therapy, if you are experiencing severe challenges at the moment we recommend seeking alternative professional support.

HOW IT WORKS
The course is run by approved volunteers who are stepping forward to help spread happiness in the local area.

Everyone who joins the course makes a donation of their choice to be there — most people chose to give around £60.

You can choose to either give the recommended donation of £60 or give more or less depending on your circumstances.

If you can’t make a donation online or need a place on the course without making a donation then please email us here for a free place: courses@actionforhappiness.org

We welcome everyone on the course equally whatever they are able to give :)

SIGN UP: https://actionforhappiness.org/course/happiness-habits-wyre-forest

What are the highlights of the course?
“Sharing and learning from each other allowed us space to grow and taking away action plans each week focused our minds on pro active action.” ~ Jacqueline, London

“More or less everything is a highlight as it is mightily well researched and factual.” ~ Annick, Lindfield

“Being able to believe that I could be brave enough to change my circumstances/life, in order to be happier/make others happier around me.” ~ Michelle, Farnborough

GET IN TOUCH
For general questions about Action for Happiness and the course please contact: courses@actionforhappiness.org

We hope you enjoy the course. Thanks for helping to create a happier world.

The Action for Happiness team
Please note: although the content and materials for this course have been developed and tested by Action for Happiness, this specific course is being run independently by volunteers who support the aims of Action for Happiness, rather than being put on directly by the organisation itself.

Action for Happiness was co-founded by Prof Richard Layard, Sir Anthony Seldon and Geoff Mulgan. Key members of the team include Vanessa King and Dr Mark Williamson. It is backed by the Dalai Lama — the patron of Action for Happiness. Action for Happiness is a UK Registered Charity ().

SIGN UP: https://actionforhappiness.org/course/happiness-habits-wyre-forest

We look forward to welcoming you on this 6-week course.

~ Clair and Michael

Originally published at https://www.stayingaliveuk.com on December 29, 2022.

. . . unless being able to record them is made available very soon.

I have been hosting a weekly and now bi-weekly show since July 2022, called Social Audio Community Chat, based on my LinkedIn group with the same name.

I’ve loved hosting these rooms and have had wonderful people join in with me and chat about their journey with Social Audio whether on LinkedIn or somewhere else, like Clubhouse, Twitter, Wisdom or other platforms.

It has been an invaluable experience of learning and growth, the mastering of creating LinkedIn Audio Events, promoting them and inviting attendees all takes time and effort.

But what is my outcome for all the effort?

Well, one of my outcomes was to master the process and have a format for creating and hosting LinkedIn Audio, which I have pretty much achieved. The second outcome obviously was to heighten my own profile, make new interesting connections and most importantly share some knowledge and experience.

One of the speakers that joined us, Jon Tromans, introduced me to the BBC mission statement, ‘Inform, Educate and Entertain’, which I am now using as our strapline for our bi-weekly Audio event. Thank you Jon and great chatting with you via LinkedIn Video Meeting recently.

Where could I go with this. Well I have all sorts of ideas; inviting guest speakers, interviewing small business owners, introducing guests that I have interviewed on my podcast, sharing my knowledge and experience in storytelling and other ideas I haven’t thought of as yet.

I am however, 100% clear that I won’t venture into any of those areas unless LinkedIn will give us a record feature.

There are too many people who aren’t able to attend audio events when they are actually live, but lots of people who ask if they can listen to the recording afterwards and of course they can not right now.

I would like to continue with LinkedIn Audio as an interesting project but have to make a decision probably by the end of the year that unless we get a recording feature I will have to call it a day. I would then probably pivot to doing LinkedIn live instead as I recently discovered, thanks to Yonason Goldson that you can stream to LinkedIn live via a paid Zoom account, which as it happens I do already have because of my podcast. But, it’s definitely not the same as Audio only events

Having researched the activity of Live events versus Audio events, firstly there are a lot more and secondly the attendee numbers are way higher.

I’m watching the space and will make a final decision at the turn of the year.

Happy streaming everyone!

~ Michael — bio.link/stayingaliveuk

Originally published at https://www.stayingaliveuk.com on December 16, 2022.

If in doubt, BEGIN.

A mantra I learnt from Gapingvoid Culture Design Group, when I discovered their image below. It has stuck with me and I will probably never get it out of my head. I fell in love with their doodles and I now have a Pinterest Board with 1,600 images. Do check them out, they are all awesome! I even created a ‘small’ company Culture Wall from my favourite 20 images.

Next Social Audio Community Chat: https://styin.me/sacc-sept09

But this is not what I am sharing with you today. I would like to share that I have been in doubt for a while, ever since I got a seat inside the now infamous social audio start-up and social media disruptor Clubhouse. Initially I was mega turned-on by the idea, after all I am a podcaster for nearly 7 years, so I do love anything audio. I started listening on Clubhouse and just wanted to get started with hosting my own rooms, but what do you talk about? I listened a bit more and then a bit more and then I heard EGO. I heard people sharing wisdom, their own or maybe wisdom they had borrowed and promoting themselves with bios on their profiles that read like the whose who of Egoland, yes Legoland with out the ‘L’.

I was turned off completely, yuk, this didn’t resonate with me at all and the same question kept appearing in my mind, ‘what do you even talk about?’

But I promised myself to keep an eye on things or rather an EAR. Then Twitter rolled out Twitter Spaces and I initially believed this could be it for me. At least I have a small following there, just over 4k, which means if I could invite them, happy days, I could establish a small audience, but…what would I then talk about? And, I need a co-host do I, it’s what all the greats appear to be doing? And then you can’t really invite anyone, so that caused more doubt.

I didn’t despair though, I came across a wonderful show/room/space, All Things Audio, just what I needed. I have been listening to hosts Suze Cooper and Madalyn Sklar for a few months now and I even create the occasional Mind Map from each weekly episode👇.

But what I came to realise on Twitter Spaces, discovery or searching for Spaces is pretty awful and almost impossible at times, something that LinkedIn appear to have copied for now, it’s equally as poor here, but we’ve been told it will get better.

I knew LinkedIn Audio was on the horizon, they were Beta testing their offering and I discovered during listening to All Things Audio that Robert Hanna was doing a weekly LinkedIn Audio Townhall on a Sunday, except there would be nobody from LinkedIn attending, it wasn’t like Clubhouse where the founders attended every single one of their Townhalls, a term coined by them actually for the purpose of engaging their users and providing updates on product development plans. These are still happening on Clubhouse.

Robert Hanna took it upon himself to update us creators on LinkedIn’s development plans, the rollout expectation and what we could expect of the feature and of course by attending his Townhalls we could all get an insight to how it all actually worked in practice, I was impressed and the best thing of all, you can access it on desktop too, that’s awesome. Robert has a direct communication link with LinkedIn, as well as other beta-testers and therefore he does speak with some authority and knowledge, we’re all super appreciative of his work to help the community. 🤟

Cut a long story short I eventually got the ability to host my own LinkedIn Audio Events. There was no notification, I literally just tried to create an event and boom there it was on the drop down. Allegedly, you need to have creator mode turned on, on your profile, but my wife hasn’t and she now has access to it took although she won’t be hosting any rooms any time soon, she has suggested that she may attend one of mine at some point!

Before I got access to LinkedIn Audio Events I decided to set up a LinkedIn group in anticipation of its arrival titled ‘Social Audio Community’, I felt that it would be beneficial for many of us on LinkedIn to learn together about the topic of Social Audio, what are the benefits and what are the downsides for example. The group is still small, but that’s how I like it! Do ask to join it. This was a ‘if in doubt begin’ moment for me, I decided, YES, LinkedIn is where I will start to host a regular event and link it to the group as well.

After all this is where my network is the largest of all platforms and where I know many people personally (face to face) too.

Plus, LinkedIn Audio has been inserted as part of their ‘events’ creation process, this means you can actually invite people, no pinging (Clubhouse term) or tagging (Twitter term), to try and get people’s attention. You actually invite your first level connections directly and they will either accept or not. By the way even if they do accept, they may not necessarily turn up and that’s absolutely fine.

And now for the Elephant in the room, what will I actually talk about? Well…

I will actually say very little, I would like the room to chat more. My intention is to hold the space for others to learn and grow on the topic of Social Audio. Of course I need to start with something to open the dialogue, but after that if guests are willing to come on stage, happy days. In the main the discussion will be about Social Audio tactics, not about the technical ins/outs there are plenty of rooms/events/spaces/houses/clubs discussing that, I would like to focus on, why should we even do it, will it help our businesses, how do we maximise our audience attendance and participation, etc.

Name: Social Audio Community Chat (the name links it back to the group) Time: 2.00–2.45pm (UK) — just 45 minutes, leaves me a few minutes if we over run. Frequency: Every Friday afternoon, excluding any planned vacation of course.

If you’d like to attend, click the link below and if you are already attending, do test it out and invite a few of your connections too, you never know who may benefit. By the way the actual link could be much better, so I shortened it, https://styin.me/sacc-sept09

Hope to hear you there and do let me know in the comments, (either in the event or here) if you have any questions for the event or if you have any questions at all on anything to do with Social Audio, will do my best to give my perception of it all.

Hear you soon, M ツ ~ bio.link/stayingaliveuk

Originally published at https://www.stayingaliveuk.com on September 2, 2022.