Laura Joyce Davis, Host/Executive Producer, Shelter in Place

Laura Joyce Davis is the host and executive producer of Shelter in Place, which won the “Changing the World One Moment at a Time” award at the International Women’s Podcast Awards. She is a full-time lecturer and managing editor at Stanford University's Storytelling Project, the CEO and co-founder of Narrative Podcasts (an online course), and one of Podcast Magazine's Top 22 Influencers in Podcasting in 2022. Her work has been recognized with a PR News Social Impact Award, a Fulbright scholarship, and occasional praise from her three children.

Her favorite project management tools: Butcher block paper, nice markers, post-its, white boards, and gel roller pens. 

Scroll down for takeaways you can use from today’s show. 

A note about Sound Judgment: We believe that no host does good work alone. All hosts rely on their producers, the hidden hands that enable a host to shine. We strive to give credit to producers whenever it’s possible to do so. 

The episode discussed on today’s Sound Judgment: 

March 2022, Season 3, Episode 25: Cloud Cuckoo Land

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Takeaways from Laura Joyce Davis, host of Shelter in Place

1. You need a strong hook to entice listeners. And you might have heard that there’s an unwritten 30-second rule – that’s all the time you’ve got. But you can get away with a lot longer lead if you create suspense.
    
2. How can you voice a script naturally, and avoid that awful “readerly” quality? Take a tip from Laura’s Broadway actor brother:  Stop focusing on the words in every sentence. Instead, focus on the whole thought you’re conveying. 
    
3. At some point, you’ll need to grapple with how much of yourself to share with your listeners. This is a big part of finding your voice. There are huge payoffs to sharing parts of yourself…and this is a question that you may need to wrestle with over and over again.

More takeaways coming soon! 

Credits 

Sound Judgment is a production of Podcast Allies, LLC. 

Host: Elaine Appleton Grant

Project Manager: Tina Bassir

Sound Designer: Andrew Parella

Illustrator: Sarah Edgell

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Help us find and celebrate today’s best hosts
Who’s your Sound Judgment dream guest? Email me: [email protected]. Because of you, that host may appear on Sound Judgment.

Credits 

Sound Judgment is a production of Podcast Allies, LLC. 

Host: Elaine Appleton Grant

Podcast Manager: Tina Bassir

Production Manager: Andrew Parrella

Audio Engineer: Kevin Kline

Production Assistant: Audrey Nelson