According to data collected over the last decade, online radio and podcasting audiences have continued to grow. In a survey by Edison Research and Triton Digital, the percentage of audiences who have listened to a podcast ever has substantially increased. The rates of increase are also higher compared to previous data. People are listening to podcasts mostly at home, in their vehicles, and walking around. In fact, 82% of people listen to podcasts for more than 7 hours each week. It is therefore safe to say that 2019 has been an outstanding year for the podcast.
In a similar pattern, experts agree that the future is bright for project and program managers. With this bright future, however, comes change: changes in the role, the knowledge and the experience. The more a person is prepared, the better their chances are to be successful. And with evolving trends, it is better to be a leader than just a manager. To be that leader and voice of change, it is essential to have the knowledge that would be needed for that leadership role. And that is where training, learning, and education come in.
Advantages of Listening to Podcasts
People can take advantage of the many benefits that come from listening to podcasts. Some of the common benefits of listening are enabling listeners to become more imaginative, because it allows them to generate more vivid images in their minds, stimulating mental imagery more intensely, causing them to pay more attention. For the busy professional, podcasts are convenient and easy to consume. After subscribing to a podcast feed, podcasts are automatically downloaded to the computer or mobile device as soon as they are available, accessible at the listener’s convenience. It is more affordable because they are delivered digitally, and they can be listened to at the same time listeners are doing other things that do not require much attention, or even during commute. They are also portable, so they can be listened to in more than one place, and in more than one device.
Listening to PM podcasts also can fulfill the PMI Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR). Project professionals can earn and accumulate required PDUs during the 3-year cycle. They can earn 1 PDU for every hour spent in a self-directed learning activity, and up to a total of 30 PDUs per cycle is allowed. Listening to a podcast qualifies as a self-learning activity.
The Top 5 PM Podcast Sites
Here are our top 5 project management podcast sites which we choose to include in our list. Some are free and some are paid subscription. They are currently active and have recent podcast activity. Other factors we considered are regularity, availability of expert PM resources, and the variety of options for listening to the podcast.
1. The PDU Podcast (Highly Recommended)
The PDU Podcast allows project management and program management professionals to earn their PDUs anytime and anywhere. It is a simple and affordable solution for PMPs to earn their professional development units (PDUs). Subscribers can receive a new webinar worth at least 1 PDU every month automatically by simply downloading and viewing the webinar on their phone, table, or PC. The site also offers the option of buying a whole year’s worth in one transaction. In fact, there are 5 options to choose from. The Yearly Subscription is priced at $99 per year for 3 years. At the end of 3 years, the subscriber would have paid $297 and have earned 60.5 PDUs, or an equivalent of $4.91 per PDU. They can also opt for paying $9 per month for 3 years, or buying Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 separately. The podcasts are presented by experts that include Diane Altwies, Mel Bost, Dr. Dave Cornelius, Cornelius Fichtner, Elizabeth Harrin, Susanne Madsen, and more.
2. Project Management Podcast
The Project Management (PM) Podcast is a podcast for both beginners and experts. It is hosted by Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM, and its for free. It is for project professionals looking for advice in how to successfully manage and lead their projects. The podcasts include interviews of project managers from around the world who share their success tips. Listeners can learn and apply the lessons to their own projects with a great chance of recreating their success. For example, Episode #441 is about facilitating a project planning meeting. Subscribers can listen through their phone, tablet or PC, or switch between all of them. They need to install their preferred podcast app, and then tap or click on the app icon. Premium subscription is also available via the PDU Podcast site. Supported apps include podcast players for Android, Apple, Breaker, Bullhorn, Castbox, Castro, Google, Spotify, and more. Subscribers can earn 60 free PDUs for their PMP renewal.
We reviewed this Podcast | Visit this Podcast
3. The People and Projects Podcast
People and Projects Podcast is a project management podcast from keynote speaker Andy Kaufman. Listening to their podcasts allow PM professionals to earn free PDUs. All they have to do is to listen, learn, and earn the PDUs. They can track their PDUs efficiently by downloading a simple spreadsheet available at the site. Each time a listener completes an episode, they should make an entry in their log of the episode number, title, guest, the day they listened and the total number of minutes of the episode. For example, a recent podcast episode is #274 titled The Fearless and Irreverent Project Management by guest Jason Scott. The episode has a total of 50 minutes, which can be attributed 100% to Leadership. Also available at the site are keynotes and workshop, free videos, and e-learning for contact hours and PDUs, among others. Users can subscribe by email, by iTunes, or by other podcasting app.
4. Projectified Podcast
Projectified Podcast is a podcast from the Project Management Institute. It is a collection of conversations about different topics and trends related to project management and project managers. Topics range from digital transformation, artificial intelligence, to career development. Guests include senior and rising project managers, business leaders, best-selling authors, top researchers, and thought leaders. For example, in the most recent podcast episode, guest Lindsay Scott shares her thoughts and insight about the 2020 jobs outlook for project professionals. All podcast episodes are free to download. Listeners can also subscribe for free via Apple, Google, Soundcloud or Stitcher.
5. Ricardo Vargas
Since 2007, Ricardo Vargas publishes the 5 Minutes Project Management Podcast where he discusses topics on project management, portfolio management, and project risk management in quick and practical ways. Ricardo has been responsible for more than 80 transformation projects around the world. His over 20 years of experience in the oil and gas, energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, IT and finance industries amounted to over $20B in managed portfolio. His latest podcast is the part 1 of a series of 2 parts about the negative aspects that make the work of deciding and acting to cancel a project very difficult. Subscribing to his podcast is available through Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud, and Google.
We reviewed this Podcast | Visit this Podcast
Conclusion
Podcasts are modern and innovative channels, media or tools that project managers can take advantage of to help them in their professional journey. It provides great value from periods of minor productivity, is an alternative to reading when eyes are already tired, and can even improve a person’s listening skills. Also, they can be listened to as often as they want to, at a time and place that is convenient for them.
