How to Understand the Power Dynamics In Podcast Interviews
Nov 22nd
Whether it is a relaxed conversation or a probing exposé, there are always power dynamics at play that can change how an interview goes. Francesca Turauskis offers some tips for helping you understand where you stand as an interviewer…
One of the themes that I really appreciated at this year’s International Women’s Podcast Festival was how many of the sessions gave space to the interview process. Conducting interviews is such a keystone of podcasting, but I think it can sometimes be forgotten that there is a lot of skill in doing it well. In particular, there is an aspect of interviewing that many of the sessions I saw touched on: interviewees and interviewers are not equals.
There are always power dynamics between people in our society, so there will always be power dynamics in interviews. Things such as job roles, the topic you’re talking about, and your relationship to each other can affect who feels most ‘in charge’ of the conversation. In a similar way, it is worth acknowledging aspects of privilege and power within society that could affect how you connect to the person you’re interviewing.
For many conversations, you and your guests will likely have an unconscious understanding of where you both stand, and approaching the conversation with a warm and friendly attitude will be all you need. However, for some interviews, it is worth considering the power dynamics more consciously as they might affect your experiences of the interview – and what your listener ends up hearing.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself to start thinking about the different places power can lie in an interview.
Who is asking the questions?
Being the interviewer asking the questions automatically gives you a certain amount of power over the conversation. You have more idea of where the conversation will go, and you know what you hope your listeners will hear. For some guests, this could be part of the fun and they might not need more than a general idea of the topic, but you might find others want to have a bit more control over the conversation.
If your guests ask for the questions beforehand, put vetoes on topics or suggest and rewrite questions, it might suggest they want to feel more in control. How much of this power you do hand to your guests in this part of the process depends on the next question…
What type of interview is it?
When considering the power dynamics in your conversations, it is important to ask yourself what the purpose of the interview is. Are you asking an expert to share their knowledge? Are you challenging a politician for information? Or are you asking a guest about their personal life and traumatic experiences? The type of interview you are conducting really affects where the power lies, and also whether you want to try and equalise the interview (more on that in a future article!)
Interviewers have the power to make people feel comfortable or uncomfortable, depending on the purpose of the questioning. At An Evening with Sarah Koenig, Sarah was addressing how some interviewees found the process too aggressive or probing. She pointed out that interviews “aren’t always supposed to be fun”. When it comes to investigations in particular, interviews can be “uncomfortable, but that’s also our job”.
Who picked the location of the interview?
One good indicator of who is in charge of an interview is thinking about who picked the location. Did you suggest somewhere you are comfortable, or did they invite you to meet them somewhere? Did someone invite you to their home, or did you surprise them on the doorstep? Where an interview takes place can make a real difference as to how comfortable you both are, but if one person was leading more on that decision, it could show where the control in the conversation lies. You could be interviewing someone in their home – but if you invited yourself over, that is quite a powerful statement on who is in charge.
What are the social and cultural dynamics?
If you have a diverse list of guests (which hopefully you do!) you are going to speak to people who come from different backgrounds, and experience the world from a different perspective. Although your conversations might not be addressing their identity, politics or culture directly, it is important to have some understanding of how these aspects feed into the experiences of your guests. Try to approach all interviews with an awareness of the privileges and disadvantages that are inherent in our society.
How well do you know each other?
How well the interviewer and guest know each other can really affect all the other contexts: you might be interviewing the King in Buckingham Palace, but if you are the Queen it makes that interview much more equal. You might be very similar to each other and meeting in a mutual place, but if you don’t know the person the power is more likely to lean towards your professional status as the interviewer. Think about your relationship to each other, and how that might change the dynamics of the interview.
Remember, you can’t know all of the context to an interview and who holds power could change throughout the course of an interview. However, by asking yourself these questions it will give you some more information to help you prepare for a successful conversation.
The video versions of the IWPF panels and workshops about interviews will soon be online, but in the meantime, you can head back to basics with Imriel Morgan’s Top Tips for Podcast Interviews.