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By Rob Reynolds, Director of External Relations
This term, a group of Sixth Form students have been learning the ropes of podcasting as part of a new enrichment activity, developing practical skills in interviewing, recording and editing, while working with Bedales’ External Relations team to create a podcast for the wider School community.
The project is still in its early stages, but it’s already benefited from the involvement of Old Bedalians including Sofia Gaetani Morris (2012-14), whose experience of volunteering at a community radio station alongside her full-time role as an Early Help Family Practitioner for Westminster City Council has given the group a better sense of what goes into making a good podcast.
Last week, the group also had the chance to learn from Stephen Martin, co-founder of Petersfield Shine Radio, who visited Bedales to share his tips for producing high-quality podcasts with the group. Drawing from his own experiences as a broadcast journalist, Stephen covered everything from how to get the best sound quality out of a smartphone microphone to why certain words (like "probe" and "dubbed") are the mainstay of tabloid newspaper pages, not radio broadcasts. He encouraged the students to practise writing for the ear, keeping things natural and free of unnecessary cliches and jargon.
Stephen also shared advice on the art of interviewing, offering tips on how to construct good questions, how to encourage interviewees to speak openly, and why crafting open questions (to avoid yes/no responses) is trickier than it sounds.
At the end of the session, students put their newfound skills into practice, recording impromptu interviews with Stephen, Emma Plumbe (Alumni Officer), Eleanor Griggs (Communications & Marketing Manager) and me. After listening back to the interviews and hearing Stephen’s feedback, the group had a much better feel for what makes a strong interview, both in terms of asking the right questions and refining the final edit.
Students are now working on the next stage of the project – bringing everything together into a finished piece. From composing a podcast jingle (using skills developed in A Level Music Technology) to designing cover artwork and interviewing members of the Bedales community who have interesting stories to tell, the project is a great example of ‘work of each for weal of all’ in action. The plan is to launch the first Bedales podcast later this academic year… so watch this space!
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