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How To Create Podcast Interviews When Your Guest Won’t Drop The Script – Episode 144

Over the past few weeks, we have been discussing how to create powerful podcast interviews. Thank you for the amazing questions and feedback. This week, we continue to answer those questions.

My goal is to eventually help you with a podcast interview course that will walk you through the entire process of creating powerful interviews. Your questions are helping me shape that course. Thank you for the amazing help.

If you have questions about interviews, you can e-mail me anytime at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Before we dive into the questions this week, I want to thank you for the response to my coaching offer. Just a reminder … I currently have two openings for my one-on-one coaching. One is Tuesday evenings. The other is Saturday mornings U.S. time zones.

If you have a desire to produce engaging content with a stronger presentation, consider improving your podcast with coaching. Get the full details here: COACHING

Let’s dive into the questions …

From Rick Sizemore …

Erik,

How wonderful to hear from you. You may recall reviewing my podcast, VR Workforce Studio, with Dave Jackson on the Podcast Review Show. I made a checklist of every suggestion you made from that show and have benefitted in significant ways for your advice. I highly recommend that serious podcasters consider the benefits and advantages of working with you. The small investment required pays huge dividends and the possibility of seeing your podcast evolve to unimagined heights becomes reality.

1. Given our carefully defined podcast focus “disability employment”
there are certain questions that need to be repeated on every episode.
We work hard to find new creative and different ways to present the questions, but can I feel confident that certain “questions and content areas” may be repeated on every show, as an acceptable practice? What is the risk of doing this? What are techniques you’ve used to vary “areas that must be repeated” to get to the content your listeners are seeking? For example on my show people always want to know what motivates a person to go back to work after disability, what advice they would have for others, what advice they would have for employers, what assistive technology they use.

2. How can I become conversational with a co-host and engaging the interviewee? Anne and I work hard at avoiding the “rotate who asks the question” and “just ask the question” syndrome.

3. What are some techniques for getting a guest who shows up with a script to drop it and just talk to you? Of course I warn guests ahead of time that scripting usually robs the conversational nature of the interview.

Best of Luck with your episodes.

Rick Sizemore
VR Workforce Studio Podcast.
vrworkforcestudio.com
rick.sizemore@wwrc.virginia.gov
taborroadorganist@gmail.com

ANSWER:

Let’s take these one at a time.

Is it acceptable to repeat the same questions on every episode.

This is a case-by-case basis. I teach podcasters to tailor their questions to the guest rather than asking the same list every week. When you ask the same questions on every show, it becomes a question/answer session rather than a discussion.

However, there are certain questions that need to be asked on every episode for some podcasts. When a host interviews entrepreneurs, you need to ask how they got started. It is part of the story. If you are interviewing rock stars, you need to ask about their big break getting discovered. It is part of their story.

On your show, motivation, advice and technology is part of the story. You are here to help those with disabilities. They need that information. Don’t worry about asking the same questions.

If you want to vary the way you ask the questions, brainstorm 15 different ways to ask the same question. Write them down. Have the versions handy when you conduct the interview. You know the questions are coming. Be prepared.

We use this brainstorm technique in radio when we say our name. We do not want to introduce ourselves the exact same way every time. To switch it up, we brainstorm 15 ways to introduce ourselves. “I’m Erik.” “Hey, it’s Erik.” “My name is Erik.” “It’s me, Erik.” Find variations.

How can you become conversational?

We answered that a bit with Joe on the last episode. Relax and let the conversation happen.

With a co-host, it is important that you can see each other. This allows nonverbal cues to happen during the conversation.

When you have a question to ask, give your co-host a signal. Raise your hand. Look them in the air. Give them a nod. Point to them. Some sort of signal that says, “I’m going to jump in here.”

When you can see each other and use the nonverbal cues, you will be able to jump in to ask those great follow-up questions. When you trade off questions, it doesn’t allow the follow-up to occur.

Nonverbal cues also prevent you from talking over each other.

How can you get your guest to drop the script?

You need to be very clear with your guest right up front that you want this to be a conversation. It helps when you can assure the guest you will give them plenty of time to plug their stuff.

You can also ask if there are particular point they would like to cover. Assure them you will offer questions that allow them to cover those points.

Let your guest know that when the interview is over, you will ask them if there is anything you didn’t cover. This will allow them to touch on points that may have been left out. You can then edit that question into the show. This rarely happens. However, it does help your guest get comfortable and drop the script.

Finally, tell your guest you will edit the show. It is perfectly acceptable if they feel the need to stop and begin an answer again. You can edit that out to make them sound great.

You guests will sometimes follow a script, because they are nervous and inexperienced giving interviews. Set their mind at ease by letting them know you will make them sound great.

In the end, it is your show. There will be times when you need to stop the interview and be demanding. If you find your guest is following a script and doing nothing but pitching, stop the interview and explain your goals for the show.

“Rick, I can appreciate you have a new book and would really like to plug it. Believe me, we will get to that. If we make this conversation nothing but a prolonged infomercial, people will tune out. They will take no action, and it will be ineffective. Please allow this to become a conversation. After we engage our audience with a great discussion and get them to trust your authority, we can get to the book with a strong call-to-action. However, we need to make it a conversation first. Do me a favor and set the talking points aside. Let it flow. Trust me. You’ll sound great.”

If you need to stop a second time and get more demanding, use something like, “Rick, I’m losing confidence that this interview will be something I can use for the show. My listeners will benefit more by natural answers from the heart. I need to ask you to set aside the talking points and simply have a discussion. Otherwise, we need to cut this interview short. Can you help me there?”

If that doesn’t work, move on to the next interview.

From Doug Piper …

Erik,

How do you keep the guest from being distracted by other things? How do you increase the concentration and enthusiasm of the guest? How do deal with guest that have poor equipment or poor “rooms” to hold the interview (assumes the interview is via Skype or similar). Does providing the questions to the guest beforehand screw up the spontaneity of the podcast?

-Doug

ANSWER:

You can solve all of this with your pre-interview communication.

When you discuss the interview with the guest prior to conducting it, you need to lead with the “why”.

Why is it important to have good equipment? Why is it important to have a quiet room? Why is it important to be enthusiastic?

When you can communicate to your guest that the interview is a great way to promote their goods and services, you can convey the importance of a good, clean interview.

If they were shooting a television commercial to promotes their goods, they wouldn’t shoot it on their iPhone with no script while their kids were running around the store. They also shouldn’t do an interview in that atmosphere.

The better we can make the interview sound, the stronger their marketing message will be.

In your pre-interview checklist, tell them exactly what they need. Quiet room. Best mic available (the mic on the computer is not acceptable). Enthusiasm as if they were promoting their business to an auditorium of willing buyers. Have them pretend to be selling you if that makes them more comfortable.

I would not suggest providing them a list of questions prior to the interview. This tends to generate scripted answers that sound unnatural.

It would be acceptable to let them know you will touch on topic A, B and C. That will allow them to prepare some notes without scripting the entire answer.

From Kim Krajci …

I want to get the interviewee to understand the importance of the equipment requirements: microphone, quiet room, headset. About half of my shows are interviews. About half of those are interviews in person. I don’t use a mixer but should I? Won’t Levelator or some other tool solve the problem for me?

Kim Krajci

Writer
Podcaster

ANSWER:

If you have more than one audio source on your show, you should use a mixer. This helps you balance the inputs.

If you use Levelator or some setting within Adobe Audition to level the audio, it boost everything. If I increase the level of your mic using processing, I am not only increasing your voice. I am also increasing the background noise and every little pop and click.

It is best to take a couple minutes to teach your guest how to work the mic up close. You should also use the mixer to balance the inputs.

Not all voices are the same. Some are soft. Some are high. Some project. Some have big low ends. Your audio software will respond differently to each voice. Therefore, you need a mixer to create the proper input.

In radio, we have a processor connected to the output of the board. All of our mics, music and other audio run through the board. The board then runs through the process before it heads to the transmitter.

Our audio processor increases the low audio and brings down the hot audio. We don’t leave it all up to the processor. It is a back up plan. We control all levels with the board to provide the best possible audio to the processor. You should do the same with your audio.

Use every tool you have to create the best audio possible.
Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s see what we can do.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.