Being interviewed for youth radio

Two original fictional non-fiction texts for reading practice.

Text A: a young interviewer’s account

Guests often arrive with a sentence they want to say exactly as prepared. I understand the wish to get it right, but the best conversation usually begins when they respond to a question rather than deliver the paragraph they expected. We discuss the subject beforehand without sending a script for every answer.

A guest should know whether the interview is live or recorded and what will happen to a recording. That explanation belongs before the microphone is switched on. We also agree what is outside the discussion, especially when someone is speaking about other people as well as themselves.

Silence can worry an inexperienced interviewer. I have learned not to fill every pause with another question. A guest may be thinking, not refusing to cooperate. At the same time, a friendly conversation is not permission to edit an uncertain answer into a confident claim. Listeners hear what we publish, not the care we intended to take.

Text B: a guest’s reflection

I practised an introduction so carefully that the first unexpected question made me lose my place. The interviewer gave me a moment instead of rescuing me with a new topic. I then said something less polished but closer to what I meant. A pause that felt long in the room did not sound awkward when I heard the recording.

I appreciated knowing that it was recorded and that an agreed section about another person would be left out. I did not want every question in advance, but I wanted the subject clear enough to prepare without guessing what kind of conversation I was entering.

The final edit was mostly fair. One short answer, however, had lost the words explaining my uncertainty. I asked for it to be restored. Being pleased to appear on the programme did not mean I wanted to sound more certain than I was. Guests need information before speaking, but they also need the finished piece to preserve the meaning of what they actually said.

Compare what the two writers say about guests being interviewed for youth radio. Make it clear which text you are using.