Lecture 5 Reflection - Sound Lecture

Today’s lecture was in the form of a sound lecture, which was very different.  It was an interview on ABC about telling stories on the radio.  This is the first time in my life that I have ever sat down and listened to a radio podcast or any time of radio online.  I used to listen to the radio a lot at home, but since I have lived on college I have hardly listened to the radio, this is evident in my media use diary.

 

The interviewee in this podcast talks about how different being on radio is compared to being on television, he explains how radio is much more intimate then television.  I do agree with this, when I am by myself in the car listening to the radio it always feels personal, like the radio host is directly talking to me.  I also agree with what the radio host is saying about always making the people he is interviewing feel comfortable and safe, this is when the interesting information will come out.

 

This radio host highlights some really important points about interviewing that I have never really thought about before.  For example, the interviewer must not dominate the interview and must allow the interviewee to talk and explain themselves.  Interviewers must guide the interviewee along but must not step on them.  He talks about how silence can be powerful on radio and lead to more intimate information – this is something that I also have not thought about before.  

 

We have also been discussing interviewing in JOUR1112, interviewing is definitely a skill will improve with practice.  A good interviewer is able to make the interviewee comfortable and get emotional responses out of the questions asked.