The podcast interview process involves:
- Agreeing the topic for discussion & type of interview
- The Editor & Presenter interviewing you
- A pre-interview chat with the journalist / presenter
- Completing the Release Form
- Equipment & tech you need for the interview
- Preparing for the interview
- Starting the interview
- The interview itself
- After the interview
See details of these below. If you have any questions, email [email protected]
1. Agreeing the topic for discussion
The interview type and topic for discussion will be proposed when you are invited for the interview, and then agreed between you.
The interview will one of three types:
- A longer interview focusing on how you achieved a particular success or addressed a challenge, where listeners will want to hear about your strategies, approaches and activities (that translate to the listeners own sector and organisation). We want you to share your hard-won insights and forward-thinking approaches. The journalist will want to unpack what actually worked for you, discover emerging trends, and translate complex strategies into practical takeaways for the listeners.
- A shorter interview on a topic that you are addressing at a future AAE event. In the interview there should not be any refererences to the event, but your speaking and the event will be mentioned by the presenter in the podcast and the details included in the episode 'show notes'.
- An partner interview about a service you or your organisation provides to the AAE and its community, as a partner. You will primarily talk about the service to the AAE community, and also about your service as a whole.
2. The Editor & Presenter interviewing
The professional business journalist, Yousef Anani, has been covering international news at the BBC for thirty years. He has edited and presented international business programmes for BBC Radio and Television and has written in-depth business stories for Bloomberg Television. He launched and edited the BBC Global Podcast which became one of the most downloaded podcasts in the world. Yousef has been interviewing for the Association of Association Executives, periodically since 2017.
He has a manner that puts interviewees at ease, helping them give their best. His interviews are engaging, informative and fun to listen to!
3. Pre-interview chat with the journalist / presenter
The pre-interveview chat, will enable our journalist to advise you what kind of input he is looking for and will give him an idea of what to expect in the interview. It will also provide the opportunity to build rapport, which will be obvious to listeners in the interview.
- It will normally take place a few days in advance and last about 15-20 mins
- You will be sent a calendar request with a Google Meet video link from the journalist
- The chat will be recorded / transcribed for internal purposes only
The interviewer journalist is
4. The Release Form
- You need to agree to our use of the interview and other points in a standard 'Release Form'
- Please provide your short business biography and best photograph upon agreeing or send this over later
- Please complete the Release Form, after which you will be emailed a copy
5. Equipment & tech you need
- A headset / earbuds with microphone, preferably not a wireless type
- Very good wifi connection that is not a mobile connection
- You will be provided a live audio link to use in a browser
- The best browsers to use for this are Chrome, Edge or Opera
6. Preparing for the Interview
- Locate yourself in a quiet room where you won't be interrupted by people, traffic, rain or other distractions
- Be sure you have your headset / earbuds with you and have a strong internet connection
- Remind yourself of the topic(s) for discussion, as agreed
7. Starting the Interview
- You will be sent a Calendar request with Google Meeting link, and this is how the interview session will start
- When you come online you will be provided in the chat, the audio live link for the podcast interview
- Once you have this, you close the Google Meeting and paste the audio live link in your browser
- Once you arrive at the 'Descript' audio live link page:
- Select your listening device (headset / earbuds), your microphone (headset / earbuds) and camera
- Enter your name in the box and click on the 'Join' button
8. The Interview
Advice
- The interview is only audio, although you and the presenter will have a video view of each other
- Avoid brushing the microphone with your clothes
- Avoid making loud noises with paper turning or mugs etc
- Keep the microphone at least 20cm from the your mouth
Mistakes during recording
- If you make a mistake, stop, advise the journalist, and re-start either with the sentence or asking the journalist to re-put the question
- If there is a loud noise while either of you is speaking, it is best to stop, start the sentence again and continue, as fluidly as possible
- These anomolies will be edited out later
9. After the Interview
- We will edit the recording, which will involve leaving some parts out for the both the public podcast and for any member-only edition that may be produced
- Your name, position and organisation will be included in the episode's 'show notes' with a link to the biography
- You will be advised which episode your interview will appear in, as soon as this has been scheduled
- We will ask you to promote this on your own social media channels, linking to our Associations Unpacked home page