When I run an interview with a client, I nearly always start with the same question:

Is there anything top-of-mind you’d like to share with your audience?

You would be surprised how many times that single question fills an entire hour-long interview. Most executives do not have nearly enough time to explore their thoughts: to unpack an idea, meander, and figure things out live in a neutral space.

With my own Engagement Manager, I end up sending Slack messages (usually over the weekend…bad boss!) when I think of ideas I want to explore in my next interview:

For me, this is because during the weekend I get more downtime and I start to get ideas. I don’t want to think through the ideas right then, but I don’t want to lose the thread, either.

So I send my top-of-mind ideas to my EM, who will prompt me to explore them live on our next call. The back and forth we have often generates some surprising and meaty posts.

This week, I want to share a few ideas to help you turn your top-of-mind ideas into content.

#1: Journaling

As an entrepreneur (and human being) I’m a big fan of journaling. To me, it is simply a way to pay more attention to my thoughts. When I’m at my best, I journal daily, often about what is going on at EP and where I should be focusing my time and energy.

From my journaling, I’ll often bookmark ideas to explore in an interview. Oftentimes, I’ll end up fleshing out 80% of a complete post in my own stream-of-consciousness writing.

I recommend this method because I believe it taps into the ideas that are simmering in your subconscious. When you start to see them on paper, the momentum tends to kick in. And - with hardly any effort - in a few short minutes, you have a post you may have never thought to write otherwise.

#2: Record your conversations…

… with permission, of course. I have regularly scheduled calls with several friends. During these calls, I often reflect on my career journey, my failures, or areas in which I’m struggling.

What surprises me most in these calls is how often I express an idea for the very first time. Where did that idea come from, I think. And, if I’m not careful, I’ll keep moving on and forget the thought.

I hate to jot a thought down during a conversation. But I am a fan of Otter.ai (and the million other tools that auto transcribe for you). I’ll start a conversation with do you mind if I transcribe the call? I won’t share with anyone without your permission. That way, I can go back and gather my thoughts from the transcript (and often, a good portion of an eventual post).

#3: Have someone ask you

You don’t need to have a top tier consultant exploring your ideas with you. If you’re open to it, you can work with anyone you trust to create a neutral space to explore your ideas.

Then have them ask: is there anything top of mind you’d like to share with your audience?

The key is to find someone who (a) won’t interrupt, (b) will pay attention to what you’re saying, and (c) will reflect back what you’re saying so you can go deeper. Bonus points if they can ask insightful questions or connect pieces of what you said.

It is surprising how far (c) will get you. Often times, when someone is deep in their head working through an idea, they won’t remember what they said. In the case that they talk for five minutes, referencing something they said in the first 30 seconds usually comes as a surprise. And then, that reflection nearly always prompts them to go deeper into the idea.

If you’re transcribing the conversation, you’ll have a fair bit of trimming to do, but you’ll have the bulk of several posts from this exercise.

I don’t know why this is, but I’ve found this only works when done with another person. I’ve tried doing this with a voice memo, I’ve tried recording an empty zoom room… the magic really comes when there’s another person who you’re speaking to.

Untapping your best ideas

If you’ve read more than a few of these newsletters, you understand the importance of consistency in growing an audience on LinkedIn. Most executives have a dozen or so posts in them. But the rubber hits the road when an executive is able to continue that streak for months (or years).

If you’re a leader, you’re constantly learning. Using these approaches is not just a way to process your best ideas, but also create your best content.

Best,
Justin

P.S. Do you know someone who would benefit from our service? We’ve just launched a new Referral Program: send a client our way, and you’ll get up to $2,500 as a way of thanking you. AND, they’ll get $500 off their first invoice.

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Justin M. Nassiri | Founder & CEO
M: 650.353.1138 | E: [email protected]
250 Fillmore St Suite 150, Denver, CO 80206
www.ExecutivePresence.io

Executive Presence specializes in helping top-tier executives boost their visibility, activate their network, and position themselves as thought leaders via our premium, fully-managed LinkedIn service.

Our unique process involves ex-McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants conducting monthly hour-long interviews with our clients, and turning them into impactful daily LinkedIn posts to establish their unique voice and authority. On average, our clients see a 500% bump in engagement in their first 30 days with us. Data is continuously analyzed to improve engagement and identify impactful messaging that you can use for conferences, podcasts, and internal communications.