Week 4: Episode Outline
Objectives
Throughout this week you will:
- Continue refining the content through additional reading.
- Develop an outline for the podcast episode collaboratively.
- Decide on the tone (formal, light, fun) of the episode.
- Assign roles for the final episode (who will speak, etc.).
- Begin working individually on respective sections.
- Seek guidance and feedback as needed.
Key Ideas from Previous Sessions
- Always keep in mind who your target audience is while you tailor the content and format of your work.
- Focus on a narrow sub-topic within your main topic. Conveying a few ideas effectively is better than swampping the audience in information.
- Attribute different roles to group members is a great way to maximize efficiency
- The recording should not be a formal presentation of a paper
- Use the skeptical watchlist while researching (available on this book and on PRADO)
Tasks
Refine Content:
- Identify key points and supporting details to include in the episode.
- Conduct further reading on your selected topic. This keeps coming back again and again. And it does so for a reason! Reading and researching is keep to inform your opinion.
IMPORTANT NOTE!! Not everything that you find (every paper, study, podcast) needs to be included or unpacked in the episode. Sometimes, this extra bits of information allow you to structure the ideas and to enrich the overall narrative with a novel angle but this might be not directly apparent for the a
Develop Episode Outline:
- Work together to create a structured outline for the podcast episode.
- Ensure the outline flows logically from one section to the next.
And here’s an example Outline for an ~8-minute podcast on “Perceptual Illusions”
Title: “Tricking the Brain: The Fascinating World of Perceptual Illusions”
00:00 - 00:10 | Jingle - Intro music
00:10 - 01:00 | Welcome (Host A) - Fade out of the jingle throughout
- Welcome listeners
- Brief explanation of perceptual illusions
- Tease interesting examples to come
01:00 - 03:00 | Visual Illusions (Host B) - Subtle background music
- Explain how visual illusions work
- Signal two famous examples (Rabbit-Duck illusion, Rubin’s vase). “I’m sure you have seen”
- Transition: “But it’s not just our eyes that can be fooled…”
03:00 - 05:00 | Auditory Illusions (Host A)
- Introduction to auditory illusions
- Showcase the McGurk effect with listeners mentally visualizing the mouth movements (play audio example)
- Explain the science behind it
05:00 - 07:00 | Interview Inset (Host B & Guest Expert) - Subtle background music
- Briefly introduce guest neuroscientist: “We got the opportunity to talk with…”
- Q1: Why did our brains evolve to be susceptible to illusions?
- Q2: Are some people more prone to experiencing illusions than others?
07:00 - 08:00 | Outside the Lab (Host A) - Sound effects
- Illusions around us:
- Art and design
- Films
08:00 - 08:30 | Outtro
- Concluding message: “What we perceive with our senses, is not necessarily there…”
- Thank listeners
- Outro song
Sound Effects/Music:
- Intro jingle: Stock music
- Subtle background music during segments: Stock music
- Sound effects: Stock audio
- Outro song: There, there by Radiohead
- Decide on Tone:
- Discuss as a group whether the episode should be formal, light-hearted, or a mix.
- Choose a tone that fits the topic and your audience.
- Assign Roles:
- Determine who will speak in each part of the episode.
- Assign specific sections to each group member for detailed preparation.
- Individual Work:
- Begin drafting your assigned sections.
- Incorporate feedback from peers and instructors as you go.
- Seek Guidance:
- Reach out to your instructors or peers for feedback and support as needed.
- Ensure that everyone is on track and any issues are addressed promptly.
Next Steps
Stay focused and collaborative as you work through these tasks. Your efforts now will set a solid foundation for the upcoming stages of your podcast project. In the following week we will talk about interviewing experts.