Storytelling is an art form. And to master any art, it requires practice, persistence and patience. But storytelling through podcasts is a very specific niche and often can go wrong
if the important elements are ignored and the focus is diverted.
This blog shall focus on 5 key areas a podcaster can keep in mind while curating a podcast and interviewing a guest. Your podcast may belong to very different categories, but the basics of the technique remain the same. Just like any other art form, the basics and technique need a careful and smart approach which can be mastered by focusing on the smaller aspects listed below.
Structure
The structure of a podcast should always revolve around the intention behind the interview. Ask yourself - what is the objective? Why this guest? What is it that you wish to hear? What areas do you want to focus on? Clearing out the structure always helps both the guest and podcaster to frame thoughts accordingly without getting distracted and keeping to the point of discussion.
Emotions
Some podcasts may deal with very heavy topics which may be sensitive for the guest, the podcaster or the viewers. Thus, it is very important to understand that the idea of the discussion is not diverted due to the overflow of emotions by the podcaster. There is no doubt that the conversation needs to be natural and organic, but it is essential to be mindful of the viewers time and emotional capacity.
Pacing
There are a number of podcasts today and the industry is growing at a rapid speed. Hence, as a podcaster strategizing the timing of the podcast the speed of the conversation plays a very important role in keeping the attention of the audience. If you are too slow, the audience might lose interest. If you are too fast, the audience may not understand the context and leave the episode midway.
Flow
It is surely challenging to cover all aspects of a particular topic in a short period of time and hence, the idea to ask all questions may become a hindrance in the flow of the conversation. The questions may not be in sync with the objective of the podcast or may break the continuity of the questions asked. Hence it is essential for the podcaster to pre-plan the flow of the conversation by not making it very evident but mainly understanding the time division and the amount of time to pre spend on 1 particular question. Breaking the flow of a conversation may not just divert the attention of the audience but also the guest who you are interviewing.
Clarity
Diction is one of the main aspects of a podcaster. If there is no clarity of words and thoughts, the statements may be at a risk for misinterpretation or words maybe unclear to your listeners. It is also important to understand who your target audience is - which part of the world do they belong to, will they understand the terms which may be familiar to you but not in the regions your audience is, what kind of vocabulary can the audience relate to etc. Clarity is a make or break for a podcast to be able to make a difference in people's lives.