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  • Before the workshop. Prepare you equipments !

    Before starting the workshop, it is important to check the technical set-up to record proprely and afterwards to stream.

    To set up your radio studio, connect the XLR cable from the microphone to the recorder. Don’t forget to plug headphones in order to hear precisely what your are recording. Once everything is set up, insert an SD Card into the recorder. Turn on the recorder and press the red button (REC). This is recording. At the end of your record press stop.

    Always take a backup of your audio file. Insert your SD card in a computer and save it. Edit the sound with an audio edition software such as Audacity or Reaper. Share it live on Facebook with a streaming software such as OBS Studio or  in an online audio distribution platform such as Soundcloud.

    If you can’t have access to recording equipment, you can use your phone. Just like using a professional recorder or a microphone, put the phone as close as possible to the sound source. This intend to get the clearer and cleaner sound as possible.

  •  Getting to know each other and creating a group dynamic is fundamental for the success of your workshop

    When starting a workshop, it is fundamental to create group dynamics, especially if the participants do not know each other. For this reason, after briefly introducing yourself and explaining the goal of the workshop, it is useful to carry out icebreakers that will help you make the participants at ease.

    In the video, you can see an activity used for participants to get to know each other and to create a relaxed environment, which can be done both online and offline. In the online version, the movement must be contained in the framing of the camera, and in order to pass the turn, participants need to call somebody’s else name, while in the offline version it can be done by indicating the other person with a gesture. The exercise should last 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the group size (1 minute per participant approx.).

    Step by step description: Ask participants to stand in front of the camera (in the offline version, participants stand in a circle). The facilitator plays a music and asks the participants to focus on her movements. The participants imitate them, until the facilitator passes the turn to one of the participants, saying her/his name. Now everybody follows the participant’s movements. The activity goes on until all participants have had the possibility to guide the group.

    This is just one of the many activities that can be done with the purpose of getting to know each other and creating group dynamic. You will find many more in our “Radio Workshop Guide”.

    It’s time for participants to grab the microphones and start learning how to make their own programs.

    In order for them to feel more comfortable, you can split the group into smaller ones and ask them to talk about something of their interest or some topics you suggested. The objective is to create a small spontaneous program.

    After a few minutes of working in groups, ask the participants to come around a table with microphones. Now they can start their program, feeling more comfortable since they have already rehearsed it within the group.

    As a facilitator, it is particularly important to give feedback to the participants, underlying their qualities and giving them practical advices on how to improve their performance.

    Now that participants have practiced, it is time they start running their own podcast.

    Before starting the live radio show, participants should

    • Name their show
    • Create the jingle (small music at the beginning of the show)
    • Choose a topic

    In order to help choose the topic of their show, you can ask them to write ideas on a piece of paper. As a facilitator, your role is to link and group their suggestions in a couple of key topics.

    Each show can have between 1 and 5 key topics; decide with participants the order in which the topics will be discussed during the podcast.

    Another option is to share an image, video or press article and ask questions to foster an open discussion which can inspire the content of the program.

    Find the one that suits the group you are working with the best.

  • HOSTING YOUR SHOW
    To start recording or to livestream a show can be a stressful situation for some participants. Make sure that they are at ease and propose some techniques to release the tension and the stress:

      • Breathing exercises
      • Short activities to familiarize participants to the use of the microphone
      • Shake the stress out of your bodies
      • Make voice projection exercises

      💡 The most important is to convey emotions through the mic, to help your participants to connect with emotions you can suggest to find their oldest radio memory and to share it with the group.
      As facilitators we should guide the participants until they find their own rhythm respecting their choices. Decide as a group how you will structure the show and define the roles of each participant so everybody can feel included and represented (roles like: host, journalist, technician, interviewee etc…) you can, of course alternate the roles during the show.
      To give an identity to the broadcast, ask the participants to give it a name (by vote or otherwise) and to create a jingle (people can sing, play instruments, and use their bodies…). The idea is to make a short and easy to remember music.
      Remember to train your participants with some of the basic journalistic principles, the host needs to bear in mind the 5 W questions: Who , What , When , Where , Why to introduce themselves and the topic in a dynamic way.
      To maintain the audience attention, we already addressed the importance of emotions and we are now adding the TOPIC that participant should chose: a topic that touches them or they feel represented by in order to communicate better their emotions, engagements and reach others with their unique point of view.
      💡 Be aware that if the participants get bored the audience will certainly be very much bored.
      Don’t forget that your listeners are blind, they can only refer to your sound and words:

        • Speak as close to the microphone as possible, standing upright with your feet on the floor. You can work on your posture with icebreakers.
        • Name the participants, describe what is happening, keep the momentum going!

  • AFTER THE WORKSHOP

    Your Workshop is finished. Congratulations, you have helped people to make their own podcast.

    EDITING AUDIO:

    Part 1: To avoid losing control, it is recommended to organize the recorded tracks. To do this, we name the tracks and mark them in color. This makes editing much easier,

    Part 2: It is time for the arranging. For example, you have to make sure that the jingle is really at the beginning of the podcast, that the order of the contributions is correct and that the outro is at the end.

    Part 3: Now comes the actual editing part. Trim the audio so that it is right. Cut out noise, uhms, and distortions. Shorten the contributions so that they are easy to listen to. You can also insert transitions to make the listening experience even smoother.

    Part 4: Now adjust the volume of the recordings so that nothing is overdriven and everything is at a relatively similar level.

    Part 5: Finally, you can add a few small effects to spice up the listening experience. Delay and reverb, for example, are suitable for this. But be careful: Don’t overdo it! Less is usually more!

    When you have edited your podcast, you can upload it on the internet!