StretchLearn Course

Conduct podcast interviews that guests rave about — and audiences binge.

Research, question, listen, and edit your way to a professional interview show.

Beginner9 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

This course walks you through every stage of producing a standout podcast interview: thorough pre-interview research, question architecture that surfaces non-obvious answers, on-mic listening techniques that create genuine conversation, and post-production editing decisions that turn raw recordings into polished episodes. You will work with real frameworks, industry-standard tools like Riverside.fm, Descript, and Audacity, and concrete templates you can reuse on your next episode. No prior audio production experience required.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Research a guest using systematic source triangulation to surface unique angles before the interview

Design a question arc using the funnel technique — context-setting, challenge, insight, and provocation layers

Apply active listening cues (verbal mirroring, strategic silence, pivot probes) to deepen guest responses

Operate a remote recording session on Riverside.fm or Zencastr with studio-quality local-track capture

Edit a raw interview recording in Descript to remove filler words, dead air, and off-topic tangents

Structure an episode narrative using the Story Spine and produce a publishable final cut with chapter markers

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Guest Research and Pre-Interview Preparation

Systematic research methods that surface unique angles, prevent repeated questions, and build instant rapport. Covers source triangulation, guest psychology, and briefing documents.

3 lessons

Source Triangulation: Building a 360-Degree Guest ProfileContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

The Pre-Interview Brief: Aligning Expectations Without ScriptingContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Identifying the Unexplored Angle: From Bio Facts to Hidden StoryContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Question Architecture and the Interview Arc

Design a question sequence using the funnel technique — moving from context-setting through challenge and insight to provocation — so every interview builds to its most powerful moment.

3 lessons

The Funnel Question Framework: Four Layers of DepthContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Bridging, Pivoting, and the Art of the Follow-UpContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Opening and Closing: The Bookends That Define Your ShowContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Active Listening and On-Mic Presence

Develop active listening habits — verbal mirroring, strategic silence, and paraverbal cues — and build the on-mic confidence to conduct interviews that feel like conversations.

3 lessons

Verbal Mirroring and Strategic SilenceContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Managing Your On-Mic Presence and Reducing Verbal ClutterContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Remote Interview Setup: Capturing Studio-Quality Audio on Any BudgetContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Editing and Producing the Final Episode

Edit raw interview recordings using Descript and Audacity, apply the Story Spine narrative structure, and deliver a publishable episode with chapter markers, show notes, and metadata.

3 lessons

Editing in Descript: From Raw Recording to Tight CutContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Narrative Structure: Applying the Story Spine to Interview EpisodesContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Publishing-Ready Deliverables: Show Notes, Chapter Markers, and MetadataContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

podcastinginterview techniquesaudio editingguest researchactive listeningDescriptRiverside.fmepisode production