In this post, Stacey answers a common question about what the interview process is like.
Once you have agreed to be a guest on the podcast, the actual interview process is pretty easy (well, I think it is anyway). I use all free and low-cost tools and try to make the whole thing as pleasant as possible for the guest. Every once in a while I actually get to be in the same room with the person I am interviewing, but usually, we are in different states or even countries. We can meet on Skype or Google Hangout, and I do all the recording on my end using a great free tool called CallNote. You just need to find a quiet place to chat with excellent internet connection, and if you have headphones or even earbuds with a mic, that is a big plus for audio quality. Recording a 20 minute interview usually takes about an hour between chatting to get things set up and the recording itself. I edit a ton, so we can do multiple takes on anything you need to, and I can take out anything that doesn’t quite work.
In most interviews, something technical goes wrong or some element is less than ideal. I am comfortable with that, and have always found that with a little good humor and patience, my guests and I can work through any obstacle.
From the time I first ask you to be on the podcast to when the episode actually airs, a couple of months may go by. I hope when your episode does air, that you feel really proud of it and want to share it with all of your friends and colleagues. In fact, you may even become a contributor and submit interviews with other language teachers you know. That would really be a best case scenario.
If you have any other questions about the interview process, please let me know! I would love to answer them in a future post.
If you have questions about the show, about language teaching, about me, or about any topic related to this podcast, please reach out. I’d be very happy to hear from you.