The Share
Shaping How Your 'Hosting' is Remembered
Hey, I’m Penny Terry and I love writing about ‘soft skills’ while simultaneously hating the phrase ‘soft skills.’ At the moment I’m writing a 10-part series about hosting everything from meetings to podcasts, to events. Even if that doesn’t feel like your thing, I reckon you’ll get more out of it than you expect. We all host something, most days. Either way, we’ll return to regular programming once the series is done.
There’s something many new hosts don’t realise: we tend to think that once the interview, show, event, or meeting is over, the ‘hosting’ is done. But just as there are jobs to do before and during, there’s huge power in what happens after we host something.
You’re probably thinking, “Well, obviously—we need to edit things, publish things, promote things, unhook the microphone, clean up, write up the minutes…” And while those jobs are important, there are others much more significant.
So significant, in fact, that when done well, they become more memorable, impactful, and influential than the event itself.
You’ve seen this play out when big-name hosts wrap up their stints.
When Leigh Sales announced she was leaving 7:30 after 12 years, she didn’t just say “I’m done” —she delivered a heartfelt 4:30-minute piece to camera, shining the spotlight on her team, the audience, the guests, and some key highlights, reminding people how they’d all created something special together. Trevor Noah did something similar when he left The Daily Show; his announcement was even longer, but the message was the same—he honoured everyone who had been part of the big picture and reflected on specific moments. And then there’s Oprah. Not only was her announcement of the final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show monumental but it was followed by an entire season dedicated to reflecting on the impact of the show on everyone involved.
We’ve seen this. We expect it.
But what the audience doesn’t see—and what new hosts might not expect—is that a version of this happens after every show/interview/event/meeting, not just the last one.
Plus, what we might not realise is that these ‘sharing’ moments often replace our memories of the actual thing itself!
It’s not only hosts as famous as Leigh, Trevor, or Oprah that can benefit from this - we all need our own post-show sharing process. It’s an ongoing, intentional process that builds the community and happens after the public moment has ended.
Here are three important shares that I reckon will influence the way people feel about and remember your hosting.
1. Give Gratitude: In Public and Private
Public thanks are great, but real connections often happen privately. This might be a quick chat with a guest, a message to the team, or a simple “you nailed it” in the hallway. For the audience, it might mean replying to a message on social media or including their feedback in the next episode or meeting.
Gratitude isn’t just for show—it strengthens relationships, boosts morale, and makes people feel valued. I reckon it’s these small moments that help people feel like they belong in the community you’re hosting.
2. Give Feedback: Be Real, Be Specific
Feedback is more than a pat on the back—it’s about satisfying the human need to know how we did. Oprah famously said that no matter who her guest was, from presidents to everyday people, they all asked the same thing: “How did I do?” It’s not (usually) about ego; it’s about our natural curiosity to know if we made an impact.
Everyone wants to know, so it’s up to us as hosts to provide something meaningful. Don’t just say, “You were great!”—be specific. Tell them what worked, what resonated, and what stood out. Maybe it was the way they connected with the audience or the clarity of their message. Not only does this show them you were paying attention and care, but will significantly influence how they remember the whole experience.
(And while you're at it, pay attention to what you’re hearing, too. The way your guest reacts, their level of comfort, and even their body language can give you indirect feedback on how you made them feel during the event, and there’s a lot to learn from that which we’ll talk about in the next two articles.)
3. Shape the Narrative: The Power of Highlights
While we often think sharing highlights is just about getting eyes on the content, we tend to overlook the deep integration that happens during the decision-making process of what to share. We’re weighing questions like, What truly stood out? What will resonate most with the audience? What will draw people in? What do others actually need to know about? These aren’t just surface-level decisions—they’re crucial to how the event is remembered.
As you choose what to highlight and how to present it, you’re not only distilling the entire experience but also refining and amplifying its key messages. This process shapes the narrative and can make the impact of the event even greater than the event itself. The highlights you choose to share, and the words you choose to frame them have a huge influence on how the whole experience is remembered - by your audience, your guests… and by you.
So, while the public side of hosting is what people see, it’s what happens after that really influences the experience. Whether it’s the quiet gratitude, the thoughtful feedback, or the highlights process, these steps have a huge influence on how you’re received and remembered as a host.
Next week, we’ll move from sharing to asking. We’ll go through the useful questions to ask of others after you host. And in the final part, we’ll explore how reflection can refine your approach even further. Because hosting is just one part of the machine—it’s how you connect with everyone who played a role that makes the whole thing greater than the sum of its parts.
HOUR OF POWER TICKETS
How in control do you feel during interviews?
What about when you’re leading a meeting and asking questions of others?
Facilitating a panel?
Can you get to the good stuff quickly?
Or do you need to wade through the waffle before drawing out the gold?
My first Hour of Power session is coming up on Monday the 9th of September and I’ll guide you through a tool I’ve created that makes interviewing easy. It’s called The Question Compass. It gives you the directions you need to ask smart and strategic questions that get beyond the boring (and safe) and straight into the interesting stuff quickly.
It’s awesome for experts, leaders, interviewers and facilitators. You’ll get the full framework to keep (crafted into a handy reusable worksheet) and you’ll learn how to use it to guide well-rounded, rich, and respectful conversations.
Check out the full Hour of Power series below - you can join one or all of the sessions, and even book a one-on-one with me!