# Leading the Conversation (WAIDH #2)
  
  
So you just hit the record button after [briefing your guest on best
practices](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/1-comfort-quality-david-
smith/?trackingId=1ulvtyXLSMutXlWDF1h2wA%3D%3D). What now?

### To effectively lead your conversation, you need to identify the general
tone of your podcast.

The way I see it, there are two extremes regarding the tone a podcast. On one
extreme, you have the  **" NPR-style" podcasts** - everything is scripted,
people know exactly who is saying what at which point, and there is  **a lot
of post-production editing**. An example of this style is [Hidden
Brain](https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510308/hidden-brain), which is one of my
favorite podcasts. There are no mistakes in this one; errors aren’t their
thing.  
  
At the other extreme, you have an entirely loose format -  **very little
planning** , next to no structure, and plenty of improvisation.  **This feels
more like a conversation taking place at a kitchen table than anything else.**
An example of this style is [Last Podcast on the
Left](http://www.lastpodcastontheleft.com/). The hosts of this podcast
interrupt and talk over each other all the time.

### Neither of these tones is inherently better than the other; it’s all up to
personal preference.

If you’re running an interview podcast, odds are you’ll end up somewhere in
between these two extremes. This is the tone we aimed for in WAIDH. We planned
some general questions or themes to bring up, researched the guest so we’d
know what specific value and experiences they could provide, and then let the
conversation flow rather naturally.  **If the conversation fizzled out, we
could change the topic to something else**  (ideally with a smooth or clever
transition, but those can’t happen all the time).  
  
Once you’ve decided on the conversational style of your podcast, your prep
work is laid out for you. If you’re aiming for a style closer to Hidden Brain,
you’d need to draft up all of your questions beforehand and send a copy to
your guest. For a looser style, come up with the topic you’d like to address
or a single question to kick off the conversation.  
  
Despite this level of preparation, things can get stressful after hitting
record.  
  
The best teacher of leading an interview is experience, so the best way to
learn is to try. Below, I list the most helpful tips that I’ve learned from my
experience.

  1. **Listen to your guest!**  Don’t be so caught up in planning your next question that you stop hearing what they say. You brought them on to learn from them, not just to record what they have to say.
  2.  **Physically participate in the conversation.**  When you’re talking to someone in real life, this happens naturally. Use body language and spoken language to entirely engage your guest despite the recording equipment in between you.
  3.  **Jot down question ideas as you have them.**  You don’t need to write down the entire question, just a word or two that will remind you of what to say

Considering all of this, don’t forget that you’re creating the interview for
your listeners. Take the conversation in valuable directions.  **Avoid asking
questions that won’t add anything**. It’s hard to hold back a question or
comment that you’ve thought of in the moment, but conversations move on. Don’t
derail the momentum of the conversation to go back and ask a half-relevant
question.  
  
These tips will help  **take the content of your interview to the next
level**. In my next post, I’ll talk about the recording equipment, hosting
platform, and editing skills needed to produce a podcast.