Have you been invited to be a guest on one of our podcasts? Here are some tips to help you prepare.

What Materials Do I Need?

Our discussion will take place over a web-based platform that is similar to Zoom or Skype. You will need:

• A quiet room
• An Internet-connected computer with Chrome installed
• Headphones
• Some kind of microphone (at a minimum, a webcam mic)

The quality of your audio will be better if you use a better microphone, particularly desktop microphones.

Getting Ready

Share Background Materials. Send the host and producers any articles or proofs that you want to be reviewed. It will help us develop better questions.

Set Goals. Think about what you want to be accomplished in this interview: Do you want to raise awareness of an issue? Do you want to communicate the results of your research finding? Do you want to promote a book? Do you want to argue for some professional agenda? Decide what you are trying to accomplish to better orient your overall preparation.

Assemble Talking Points. Podcasting doesn’t work well when someone overprepares or talks in scripted monologues. It is better to speak in short quips in a more conversational style. The key is to find a way to convey all of the points that you would like to make in a lecture over the course of a back-and-forth.

Set Up Your “A” Material. Please let us know if you have anecdotes, stories, or some other bit that you think wins over audiences.

It’s an Informal Conversation with Colleagues. The point of this podcast is to create an outlet where you hear fellow academic sociologists “talk shop” or discuss current work in a non-pretentious way. When I approach recording sessions, I strive to create something similar to those great, informal back-and-forths that you have with colleagues in the break room, at a party, or over a meal. You’ve been invited because we feel your work is interesting, and we just want to talk about it with you, hear the back story, and solicit your views on related topics.

After the Interview

After the interview, our production staff will convert the interview audio into a podcast episode. Click here for advice given to guests of The Annex. Some of this information may be helpful to guests of our other podcasts, although other podcasts might not have the same policies as The Annex. Please ask your show’s host to clarify any questions.

Photo Credit. By TGblogger – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76138895