{"id":15639,"date":"2020-07-22T01:20:42","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T01:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/?p=15639"},"modified":"2021-05-11T22:26:16","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T22:26:16","slug":"the-power-of-podcasting-conversations-that-create-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/2020\/07\/22\/the-power-of-podcasting-conversations-that-create-community\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Podcasting: Conversations that Create Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Allison Ebner<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re living with family, friends or just your cats during the pandemic, it can be nice to hear from a different voice on occasion.<\/p>\n

Podcasts provide us with opportunities to connect with others, fostering a sense of personal connection through the power and intimacy of one\u2019s voice. They can provide an escape, a touchpoint with the world outside, and a sense of community\u2014and not just for the listeners.<\/p>\n

Librarian Amanda McCollom, our resident audio expert in the Student Multimedia Design Center (SMDC), is no stranger to supporting students, faculty and staff in the creation of podcasts.<\/p>\n

As the UD community has stayed at home to flatten the curve, some have embraced the creativity and excitement of making a podcast using equipment they had at home\u2014along with free resources, tutorials and guidance from experts like Amanda.<\/p>\n

Explore a couple of those stories below, and, if you\u2019re feeling inspired, dive into a few quick tips from Amanda on how to get started with your own podcast.<\/p>\n

Podcasting for Fun<\/h2>\n

In a way, rising senior Shay Smith has the quarantine to thank for \u201cShay Says,\u201d her podcast that offers different perspectives on cultural myths and mental health. While she first had the idea two years ago, the quarantine allowed Shay to commit the time to the project. It also provided the opportunity to contribute reliable information on how people with mental health issues are handling the quarantine.<\/p>\n

Each 13-minute episode of \u201cShay Says\u201d builds on the one before it, taking listeners on a journey from the basics of self-esteem to heavier topics about mental health. Shay, who plans to pursue her doctorate in counseling psychology after graduating from UD in 2021, guides her audience through this journey and is joined by experts in the field, including UD professors and clinicians at the Mid-Atlantic Behavioral Health in-patient practice where Shay interned.<\/p>\n

Early on, she reached out to Amanda for guidance. After a 45-minute consultation over Zoom where Shay was able to ask Amanda all the questions she had, Shay turned to Tools for Podcasting<\/em><\/a>\u2014an online, open textbook on podcasting that Amanda recommended\u2014and hit the ground running.<\/p>\n

\"Artwork

You can listen to Shay\u2019s podcast \u201cShay Says\u201d on iTunes<\/a>, Spotify<\/a> and SoundCloud<\/a> now. Artwork by Nathan Hissong.<\/p><\/div>\n

She bought a microphone to ensure the best audio quality, and began reaching out to experts and researchers to appear in episodes. She defined her audience\u2013her peers, ages 18-24\u2014and kept them in mind as she scripted each episode, breaking down the language so they could understand psychology without any background in the field. She kept her episodes under 15 minutes to accommodate shorter attention spans, left room in her scripts for natural conversation with guests, and used GarageBand to edit everything together.<\/p>\n

While the end-result is seamless\u2014complete with artwork by friend Nathan Hissong and music by friend Frank Ziegler\u2014Shay brought a lot of hard work and passion to make all the layers come together.<\/p>\n

Podcasting for Class<\/h2>\n

In Integrated Biology and Chemistry, an introductory course and lab for 300 life science majors a semester, a podcast assignment has been a staple for the past four semesters. While the mid-semester switch to remote learning changed many assignments across campus, the podcast assignment was easily adaptable.<\/p>\n

Working in groups of three, students chose their own topics and researched the subject using news articles. With that research, they scripted and recorded a podcast with one student serving as host and the other two as subject experts. When they were unable to record together in person this past semester, students turned to Zoom\u2014a platform they already knew how to use that provides an audio-only file of a recording.<\/p>\n

Through the assignment, students learn how to communicate their research in an accessible way. \u201cThey should really know how to communicate [scientific information] to the public, because we\u2019re just seeing more and more need for that, especially now with COVID-19,\u201d said Professor Stefanie DeVito.<\/p>\n

Professor DeVito and preceptors Anne McDuell and Jennifer Sykes provided the students with activities to encourage them to think through how best to communicate their research, like identifying how other podcasts facilitate breaking down scientific jargon. This semester, the instructors also used Amanda\u2019s Podcast Planning Worksheet<\/a>, which helps students think through and outline the purpose, audience, structure and tone of their podcast.<\/p>\n

Many students embraced the creativity of this project\u2014designing cover art, adding background music and learning the audio software Audacity even though it didn\u2019t earn them extra points\u2014and were excited to share the end-result.<\/p>\n

Listening to their classmates\u2019 podcasts is a fan-favorite aspect of the project for students, Professor DeVito explained. This semester, the students peer reviewed some of the submitted podcasts of their fellow classmates. While this portion of the assignment reinforced the concepts students learned in creating their own podcasts, it also helped foster a sense of connection between classmates despite being physically apart.<\/p>\n

Podcasting on Your Own<\/h2>\n

Do you have a story to tell, conversation to start or new perspective to share? Podcasting could be the right outlet. Here are a few tips from Amanda to help you get started:<\/p>\n

1. Listen to other podcasts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pay attention to the formats they use, and elements you like or dislike about them. Doing this will help you determine the type of podcast you want to create.<\/p>\n

2. Know your audience.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you identify who will be listening, you can determine what they already know about your topic and work to ensure you are speaking their language, breaking down jargon and terminology they don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

3. Plan and practice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brainstorming the purpose, structure and content of your podcast is essential. If your podcast is scripted, you\u2019ll want to practice delivering the script for the ear\u2014reading a typical paper won\u2019t necessarily translate to an engaging podcast without some tweaking. Even if your podcast is conversational, outline the key points you want to hit in advance to ensure you get to them when you\u2019re recording.<\/p>\n

4. Be aware of your surroundings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When recording, try to avoid areas with large open spaces, lots of windows and distracting ambient sounds. It should sound like you\u2019re in the same room as the listener. Test your audio levels until they are where you want them\u2014not too loud or soft\u2014so that you don\u2019t need to do extensive editing. Fun fact: Many podcasters record in their closets when they\u2019re starting out.<\/p>\n

5. Work with what you have.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can still record a quality podcast without recording equipment from the SMDC. Phones can record good audio as long as they are close enough to the person speaking. Headphones with a built-in microphone will sound better than a computer microphone alone.<\/p>\n

6. Record with Zoom.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The video conferencing platform works well for recording podcasts with multiple speakers. It allows you to save the recording as an MP4 video file and an M4A audio file.<\/p>\n

7. Use music to establish tone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is your podcast lighthearted, comedic, serious? Music is a great way to convey the mood and tone of your podcast. You can find free Creative Commons licensed music to use at Free Music Archive.<\/a><\/p>\n

8. Take advantage of free resources.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Use Audacity<\/a>, a free software available for Windows and Mac, to edit your podcast\u2014you can check out Amanda\u2019s tutorial<\/a> to get started. Turn to Tools for Podcasting<\/em><\/a>, an open textbook available online that provides practical guidance and best practices for the entire podcast process, including information on how to launch and promote your podcast. And, of course, we encourage you to schedule a consultation<\/a> with SMDC staff, who can answer questions related to podcasts, audio recording and audio editing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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