Podcast Interview technique, or the lack of it

Published by neil on January 12th, 2006 3 Comments »

The other day I took part in a recorded Skype chat about Audacious Communications. Alex Bellinger was included also and the subject covered the recent audacious press release with podcasting predictions for 2006.

I was not at my peak performance that morning. Admittedly it was 11am, but a couple of very intense and long work days sapped me of energy just in time for the online chat. Add to that tech problems at the recording end interrupting and forcing a re-start after 20 minutes or so; things did not go well. I was uncomfortable from the outset with the way the interview was conducted. The issues, and many more unrelated to that interview, appear below.

I am no expert, but as someone who can, I am frequently told, successfully handle the sometimes unpredictable dynamics of discussions like this, I thought I would impart my top tips for podcasters who interview. In no particular order:

1. Shut up when the guest is speaking.
In day-to-day conversation it is acceptable to make noises indicating you are paying attention. But hearing an interviewer grunt, snigger, snort and sniff audible reactions as his guest is in full flow is distracting. Force yourself into silence until you need to speak. If that’s difficult, turn your mic down or off until you are about to speak.

2. Listen & pay attention.
So often a discussion ends up merely a list of questions fired at the guest(s). Listen to what your guest is saying, have a pen and notebook in front of you and write key phrases which you can draw on for your comment or which you can use to move the discussion along or to another participant. Organic discussions where each question subject flows naturally along are far more enjoyable for the listener. Therefore…

3. Segue. segue, segue
Even the most diversely obscure list of questions can have a natural flow if the interviewer listens carefully to the guest and spots key words or phrases which give him a segue into the next item. It’s not easy, but it all comes down to listening while keeping in mind where you need to focus for the next discussion point.

4. Involve everyone
Most participants do not want to interrupt another who is speaking but will still fight for their say, particularly with audio, and a few seconds of ‘talk-over dueling’ is frustrating to the listener. Focus your questions on one of the guests at a time right from the start so they all know how you direct things and that they will be asked to respond rather than jumping in and creating a mess. Address them by their names – do not just throw in a question and let the guests fight each other for the answer. Balance is important here. Ensure all your guests have the opportunity to express their views. If you have properly listened to one, you can create a new question to fire at another guest to bring them into the topic and have their opportunity. Never leave a guest silent for too long or the audience will forget they are there.

5. Questions control the answers
Most discussions have some form of loose plan. To help keep things on track and avoid guests waffling on about all kinds of subjects, ask specific, focused questions. Even a question acting as a segue should be as focused as possible to avoid the conversation meandering into irrelevant terrain. If a listener tunes in because they are interested in your discussion about 19th Century Shoe Design, they will not want to hear half and hour about the guest’s cat’s digestive problems! If the guest wanders off topic, do not draw attention to the fact, simply bring everything back on track with a new, relevant question.

6. Respond intelligently.
Related to listening and paying attention, at the very least give the guest and listener the impression you were not off making a cuppa while they were speaking. If you are moving the conversation on, sign off that previous topic in some way, preferably not with your opinion which the guest is not given an opportunity to discuss. Respond coherently then either pose another question or move on. And never give the impression you wish your guest would just go away and let you get on with something much more interesting. If this really is the case, kill the conversation, sort another guest and next time do more research into selecting your guests so you don’t waste everyone’s time.

7. Get your software and hardware sorted before you start.
Computer systems are notoriously unstable at just the wrong times. There is little more effective at deflating a guest’s energy to participate than telling them after half an hour that you are just going to have to start from the top because you forgot to press a button. It’s easy to do, it’s easy to avoid.

As all podcasters have discovered, it takes a little effort to do a decent job and keep listeners happy. Of course all these ‘top tips’ are irrelevant if your interview is intentionally styled to annoy, confront or humiliate your guest(s). More tips on those discussions another day

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Tags: Tutorials-n-tips
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