What are the best overall podcasts for a technical communicator?

Question

This question could have some overlap with this one but I'm focusing on a different point.

At a certain point in our careers as technical people, many of us have found ourselves with two semi-conflicting objectives:

1. Doing our technical work: software engineering, computer science, research, development and so forth in my case. This half of our lives is generally either on our own or working with people who are focused in very similar or related areas.
2. Communicating with non-technical or other people outside our immediate focus areas: progress reports, project proposals, status updates, normal human contact....

I find it to be helpful to listen to podcasts that are outside my core technical area to recalibrate the human communication centers of my brain.

So, here's the question: what are the best podcasts that are the most useful for a technical communicator?

Answer 1

Leo Laporte's. Hand's down.

You'll really like "The Tech Guy," as it's broadcast to a general audience.

1. The Tech Guy
2. This Week in Tech
3. MacBreak Weekly
4. Windows Weekly
5. Security Now
6. Net @ Night

Answer 2

Any of the TED talks are good - I find that communication will improve just by listening to anyone speak - technical or no. That said, there are a lot of talks on a wide range of topics that might also be interesting at the same time. Think about what the speakers are doing to create interest and draw you in, and try to emulate that in your speaking.

As far as content goes, that's more a question of knowing what people need to hear. I find it a bit difficult to weed out the technical details when talking about a problem, but if you can whittle it down to time and money, that's something everyone can understand.

Answer 3

My two personal favorites right now are:

Web Comics Weekly: I find the combination of very funny, interesting guys working in a totally different field from mine to be totally engaging and thought-provoking. Their advice on building communities translates very well into the software engineering world (where we spend a lot of time trying to convince the people who control the money how we should really do things).

The Penny-Arcade episodes of the Dungeons and Dragons podcast: Again, these guys are funny and outside my mental box. Tycho is particularly famed for his ability to craft and sculpt the language to his own ends and, given the number of situations where I find myself having to do the exact same thing with zero notice, I can appreciate listening to a master at work.

Answer 4

Security Now from twit.tv is the one show I never miss.

I also like to listen to "The Mac Observer's Mac Geek Gab Enhanced".

I listen two both on my comute (bike/train).