How to Formulate Questions in Podcasting
- 1). Conduct research on your interview subject. For example, read books or articles, or read the person's blog or comments on a social networking site such as Facebook or Twitter. Look for stories or anecdotes given by your subject, about which you can then ask questions to get expanded information.
- 2). Find out about the industry or area of endeavor of your subject, so you ask questions in the proper context. For example, if you are interviewing a firefighter, learn about current issues in firefighting so you can ask your subject questions about them.
- 3). Locate people who know your subject, such as co-workers, friends or family members, and ask them to tell you interesting facts about your subject, which you can then ask your subject about directly.
- 4). Ask questions that demand detailed answers, and refrain from asking questions that the subject can answer with a single "Yes" or "No." For example, ask the person what his most embarrassing moment was so you can get a story, instead of asking something like, "Were you ever embarrassed?"
- 5). Ask your audience members to email you questions that they would like you to ask. You don't have to use the questions exactly as your readers word them, but their responses can give you some good ideas or at least a sense of what your audience is interested in hearing about.
- 6). Listen closely to the answers your subject gives, for clues about how to pose your next question or to follow-up on what the person said. If you are conducting the interview in person or over video, pay attention to the person's facial expressions, posture and body language for clues on whether your line of questioning is provoking an emotional response, stimulating interest or causing the subject to withdraw or shut down.
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