Being a Guest on the Podcast
Thank you for being on the School of Purpose Podcast! Here are some frequently asked questions about being on the show.
What do I need to do to prepare?
Not much, actually. There’s a few things you can do to help with the sound quality. (See below). Aside from that, there’s little preparation ahead of time. Just be yourself. Your story is already interesting. That’s why I want to have you on the show.
What will happen during the interview?
We’re want a free-flowing, naturally unfolding discussion about you and how you have experienced purpose and meaning.
We will chat for a few minutes before the interview. Feel free to ask any questions that you have.
I will start by asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself. You can give a brief–one to two minute–biographical sketch. This way the audience knows the basics of who you are. From there, I’ll ask you questions to unpack and elaborate on your experience with purpose and meaning. Periodically, I will pause to draw lessons from what you’re saying.
Interviews usually last between 30 and 60 minutes.
During the interview, it would be great if you
- Tell stories
- Share you emotions
- Bring up anything that you think would be interesting
These make for powerful episodes.
If you’re someone looking to connect with people in the general public, we can conclude by sharing your contact information (e.g., website, social media). I can also put that information in the show notes
How can I sound good?
Start by being in a quiet place (as much as possible). You’ll also want to silence your phone and any other electronics.
If possible, use a headset for listening. This prevents feedback.
Use an external microphone if you have one. Some headsets or earbuds have microphones built into them. It could also be a microphone that you have that plugs into the computer. It’s fine if you don’t have one. Just speak facing the computer, and let the computer microphone pick up your voice.
Don’t worry about hmmms and ahhhhs and verbal missteps. (I will make lots of them). I have a great sound engineer who goes over each episode and deletes or fixes them.
The interview will happen over Zoom. If for some reason that doesn’t work for you, let me know, and we can do it by phone.
Will this interview be filmed?
This is up to you. Zoom records both and audio and video tracks. By default, the podcast uses only the audio track. So, listeners hear what we say but don’t see us saying it. But… if you’re interested, we can also use the video track. This would be useful for publicizing the episode. My students would pull a short clip from the video and package it to be shared on social media (e.g., on Pinterest). If you’re interested in doing this, let me know, and we’ll make it happen. Otherwise, we’ll go with just sound.
What if I say something that I wish that I hadn’t said?
Every once in awhile, a guest will say something that they are feeling in the moment that later they wish they hadn’t said.
This is an easy fix. Just let me know in a day or two after the podcast. I’ll have my sound engineer edit that portion out.
What happens after the interview?
The episode will be published several weeks after the interview, depending on our recording schedule. It will appear on Apple, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms.
When it is published, I’ll send you an announcement and a link to it. Consider sharing the episode with your own friends and fans. They will enjoy getting to know you better.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Just email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com
You can learn more about the larger initiative behind the podcast at schoolofpurpose.org.