You’re about to be interviewed on a podcast.

You know the general topic you'll be asked about, but you have no idea what questions will be thrown your way.

Oh, and you only have eight minutes.

Plus, it won't be edited.

That's right, you don't get to ramble for fifteen minutes and choose the best eight. When the time's up, that's it, say 'goodbye'.

How are you feeling about that?

Recently, I was a guest on 8 Unedited Minutes

It's a podcast by Mark J. Carter, author of Idea Climbing, where every conversation is filmed “live to tape,” uncut, and capped at exactly eight minutes. I had no script and no preparation beyond the general topic: booking TED-style talks.

For many, this is a nightmare scenario. Indeed some of my colleagues and event clients would be a 'hard no' to this request.

But for me, it was an opportunity to demonstrate the power of core messaging.

The result? A fantastic, engaging interview that stayed focused, hit the key points, and if the comments on social media are any indicated, resonated with the audience.

Watch the final result for yourself at the bottom of this article.

So, how did I pull it off? Let me break it down.

3 Components of Core Messaging

Core messaging is the backbone of everything we teach at Clarity Up. It’s the system that ensures you can clearly and confidently articulate your Big Idea in any format—whether you’re on stage, in a boardroom, or on a no-edits podcast.

Here’s how it works:

The Filter: One sentence that explains what your idea is, who it’s for, and why it matters. This becomes your North Star, keeping you anchored no matter what questions come your way.
The Story Hook: A simple, relatable story that demonstrates you understand the problem your audience cares about—and that you’re the person to solve it.
The Argument: A clear, logical case for your idea, structured to answer the audience’s questions before they even ask them, and in the order they think them.

What is core messaging?

Articles exploring core messaging.

With this system in place, you don’t need to predict every question, because you know your message inside and out.

My 8 Unedited Minutes Experience

During the interview, I leaned on my core messaging to:

Stay grounded in my main idea, regardless of how the questions unfolded.
Weave in a quick story that connected with the audience.
Reveal precisely what the audience needed to hear, in the order they needed to hear it.

I did it using the 3 components of core messaging. Here's how it played out.

The Filter

Before we hit record I reminded myself of my Filter, "At Conquer the Red Dot® we help experts and leaders deliver the talk of their lives on the world's most prestigious stages, so they can make a dent in the universe."

That's was my North Star for the interview. If I started to answer a question in a way that didn't immediately and obviously support that sentence, I knew I was going off-track and needed to course correct.

The Story Hook

Then, when Mark asked me, "Why is this important to you?" I resisted the urge to simply give him a bunch of facts about myself or the topic, which is what most interviewees do, start citing statistics about how bad the problem is.

No! When someone asks why you care, the answer should always be a story first. And so I went right into short story about getting the call to deliver a talk at TEDxManchesterHighSchool that changed my life.

In just under 90 seconds I was able to establish understanding - that I 'get' the problem the listener has - and authority - that I'm qualified to help them solve it - all without citing a single statistic, fact, or study.

The Argument

Finally, Mark went into the "meat" of the episode. In this case we only had 5.5 minutes remaining - so being concise and staying on point was paramount.

He asked, "How do I know if my idea is TED-worthy?"

This is where almost everyone makes a mistake. Our natural inclination is to deliver our special solution. What do I know that the audience doesn't? What's the secret sauce?

But I checked myself and instead followed our Argument framework: Premise → Status Quo → Paradigm Shift → Success → Action

The most important piece of the Argument for such short interview? The Status Quo - how people typically try to solve their problem, and why it doesn't work.

In this case I explained all the things that an 'idea' is NOT, in order to help the listener understand why their intuitions or pre-existing assumptions about booking a TED-style talk might be wrong. People find it very difficult to adopt someone's solution before they're convinced that there are no easier or more obvious alternatives.

And only after thoroughly fleshing out and tearing down the Status Quo did I finally offer my Paradigm Shift (a different way of thinking about the problem), Success (what it looks like long term when you adopt this way of thinking), and Action (what to do next).

Let's be clear, however: you do not and should not be scripting your interview responses in advance.

Rehearse your talking points, not your responses

Many people believe the best way to prepare for a podcast is to script and memorize responses.

But this approach often backfires. If the podcast host actually gives you the questions in advance, scripting your answers almost always sounds stale, and the conversation becomes a transaction. Listeners can feel it.

And when the questions are unpredictable, it still doesn't work. Instead of sounding confident, you end up scrambling for answers–or worse, going blank–because you were only prepared for very specific answers to questions that didn't arise.

Core messaging shifts the focus from what will they ask me? to what do they need to hear?

It allows you to navigate any conversation with clarity and purpose. You’re not guessing; you’re guiding.

Transform every conversation with core messaging

The truth is, you don’t need a perfect script to succeed in high-stakes communications situations. What you need is clarity. When your core messaging is dialed in, you’ll be ready for anything—whether it’s an unpredictable podcast, a live Q&A, or a last-minute media request.

Want to see what this looks like in action? Check out my 8 Unedited Minutes interview below. And if you’re ready to develop your own core messaging, let’s talk.

Core messaging isn’t just preparation—it’s liberation. It frees you to show up confidently, communicate effectively, and connect with any audience. Whether you’re facing eight minutes or a full hour, the result is the same: you get to make a dent in the universe.