One of my great joys, working in the community of Kindersley, is a small podcast I do with Kevin Martin. For a few hours every month we join together to entertain, laugh and share some serious thoughts on current topics and local events. With much creativity, the podcast is called – The Kevin and Ron Show.
At first the idea was to try it out! For those of you who are a bit techy, we record in front of a green screen, with an HD camera and a studio quality microphone. A video editor then places a background behind us and cuts out a few of the gaffes that we may have experienced.
Overall, the product is rather fun. You can find it on Kindersley Social website. The podcasts are about five minutes long (unless we get a bit long winded!). There are plenty of laughs and even some pleas for audience comments. Thankfully we have been sheltered from the disastrous and instead have heard much positive feedback.
Both Kevin (the director of the local Chamber of Commerce) and I have a background in public speaking/broadcasting. We don’t mind the sound of our own voices, although what comes out of our mouths sometimes is not the best example of grammar and vocabulary (and no, we don’t swear!).
We both come with some topics in mind – often prompted by our “boss” (Kindersley Social management). There is no script as such – just heads full of information, often with a twist on wordplay and puns. My wife says I tend to use Kevin as my foil to get my opinions out there – wherever there is!
Just a thought – podcasting does require a bit of opinion. If you desire to stay anonymous or to spout forth blase thoughts not many people are going to listen.
Now, there are varying types of podcasts. We used to categorize some of them as interviews. The interviewer starts with some ideas about the topic that the interviewee might be able to answer. In this case the podcaster is tasked with listening and pulling out information. Other podcasts include the podcaster just incessantly talking about something they are doing – perhaps gaming, or crafting, or some other inane task. Often times this is best done by those who would work well in the hip-hop arena of vocalization. Another podcast style might include the podcaster randomly accosting people and asking them totally esoteric questions (which means – off the top of your head questions).
Of course, there are many other styles of podcasting. One thread is that the podcaster needs to be fairly confident both in their use of language (for the sake of asking good questions and using words people understand) and their own confidence in their ability to “riff” off the interviewee or the topic. We used to call that thinking on your feet.
The more podcasts you do, the more comfortable you will be. During the pandemic I began to do a podcast on Small Churches in Canada (https://cscmc.ca/series/this-is-us-canadian-small-churches-in-action/). I’ve now done over 60 interviews. Not only does this provide me with a broader understanding of small churches in Canada, the podcasts also allow me to meet new people. None of them has proven to be boring – in fact just the opposite.
If you like to listen to others, to seek to understand them more, to see where you fit – podcasting may be just the next adventure you have been looking for!!
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