39 - The science of joint attention in podcasting
The Credibility Minute · Jen deHaan
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Show Notes
"Joint attention" is the human capacity to coordinate attention with another person—like a baby understanding that a pointed finger means "look at this." In podcasting, your job is to virtually point at ideas and invite your listener to look at them with you.
Improv relies entirely on this shared agreement to build worlds. You can achieve this in your script by using collaborative phrases like "picture this" or "you know that feeling when." Conversely, phrases like "what I'm trying to say is" or asking "does that make sense?" break this connection by pulling focus back to your own struggle to explain.
In this micro-episode:
- The definition of "joint attention" and why it drives learning
- Specific phrases that create a shared mental space
- Why addressing the listener as "you" (singular) is scientifically superior
Resources:
Joint attention and infants: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5927593/
Joint attention and conversation: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/theory-consciousness/201808/joint-attention-and-successful-conversation
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