Episode 85 – Lessons from Producing a Podcast for Young Public Speakers

Two Words with Taku

Look Ma – I’m producing!

The Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia (YACWA) invited me to train 15 young people in public speaking and I suggested we also make a podcast with their short speeches. In this episode I share what I learnt from creating the Shout Out Youth Speakers podcast.

I’d like to thank all the young speakers, YACWA, audio engineer Percy Kalino and sound editor Josh Martin for all their magic. Special note: I play Habiba’s speech at the end of this episode. You’ll also hear vocal cameos from Cody, Margaret, Patrick and Collin. More stories coming soon!
9 Lessons Learnt…
1. Clearly define your role as the producer —Whoever you’re working with needs to know what creative and technical role you’ll play to make the idea come to life.

2. Listen to a podcast with them — If they don’t even know what a podcast is, ask them to listen to episodes that are similar to what you have in mind. (It’s even better if you can be there listening with them so you can watch their reactions!)

3. Invite them to write their own stories, not yours. Enough said.

4. Give them time to hear themselves — Most people don’t like the sound of their own voice when they first hear it. Be playful with the microphones and record some fun stuff before you record the final pieces. Definitely helps everyone feel more comfortable.

5. Aim for one-take wonders — Everyone brings their A-game if they know there’s only one take. And most importantly, this saves you from editing hundreds of files in post-production!

6. Ease their minds about the technical stuff – The speakers can focus on writing and performing when they know you’re taking care of recording, editing, software and website stuff.

7. Streamline production and editing
* Be realistic with editing deadlines for your audio engineers and editors
* Have your graphic design assets e.g. cover art, audio file images ready and good to go
* Have your top and tail scripts ready
8. Thank your collaborators and crew — it’s only manners.
9. Listen and learn for the next time — Enjoy the whole process and let go of too much perfectionism!

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