You wouldn’t turn up for a job interview unprepared, and nor should you turn up to your podcast interview without knowing something about your guest. Research is fundamental to getting the most out of any interview you do.

In this episode of Elevating Experts, Captain Obvious pops back in to discuss one of the finer points of producing a podcast – research! Here are some of our top tips:

• Know who your guest is
• Know what your guest is talking about
• Look for new ways to engage them on their story

Dorothy Dix was a pseudonym for American Journalist and columnist, Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer. Whilst people use the term “Dorothy Dixer” in a derogatory form for when questions are framed to support the speaker’s response, she was much more heavily involved in the suffragette movement than this attribute give her credit for. Read a bit more about her here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Dix

Which Brian May did you want to speak to?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_May
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_May_(Australian_composer)

Episode Transcript

Hook

Andy: The best way to get the most out of any interview you do is good old research. I’m Andy Le Roy

Louise: And I’m Louise Poole, and we’re giving you the insights to help elevate you as an expert in your field

[Elevating Experts]

Andy: Hey Louise, remember the time you gave the name of someone to one of your producers to line up an interview and they secured the wrong person?

Louise: Like it was only yesterday, Andy, or that time another producer didn’t quite go the extra step in finding out about a potential guest, then locked them in for what turned out to be a disappointingly shallow interview

Andy: I mean, I don’t want to sound nasty, but

Louise: I know… it’s time for a chat with

Sting: Captain Obvious

Louise: Hey there Captain Obvious, looks like Andy has mysteriously stepped out again just as you flashed in

Captain Obvious: It’s always the guilty who run first, Louise mwhahahaha

Louise: I say nothing, Captain Obvious, but you’ve been looking over our careers, you’ve got the benefit of our hindsight… where did we, and other new players in the field go wrong?

Captain Obvious: Very good question, Louise. One of the first things you really need to do is know something about your guest.

Louise: It sounds kind of obvious…

Captain Obvious: That’s my name, don’t wear it out… but it’s something painfully simple, and excruciatingly important! What are the odds of finding someone with very similar skills and the same name?

Louise: Pretty small, I would have thought

Captain Obvious: True, but small is not zero. You know as well as I do that detail is important

Louise: Gotcha, so when I say to my producer, see if you can get hold of the musician Brian May

Captain Obvious: yes… go on…

Louise: I should probably add that the Brian May I want to talk to is the one who plays guitar for Queen… otherwise…

Captain: you could very well be launching into a conversation about Bohemian Rhapsody to the other Brian May who composed the score for Mad Max.

Louise: Awkward

Captain Obvious: And while we’re at it

Louise:...