The question behind the question
Learners in Module 1 ask us the same thing in almost every cohort: what exactly goes into a guest brief, and how long should it be? Behind that sits a quieter worry, which is that a brief might feel stiff or bureaucratic to a guest who has kindly agreed to give their time.
In my experience the opposite is true. A guest who receives a clear, friendly page a few days ahead arrives calmer, because they know what will be asked, how long it will take and what happens to the recording afterwards. Surprises are what make people tense on camera, and a brief removes most of them.
The brief is not a script. It does not hand over the questions word for word, and it does not ask the guest to rehearse answers. Its job is to set expectations, agree the ground you will cover and leave room for the conversation to breathe once the recording starts.
The five parts of a useful brief
A good brief fits on one page and answers the practical questions a guest would otherwise have to email you about. Keep the language plain and write it as you would speak to the guest across a table, not as a contract.
Start with the purpose: who the interview is for, where it will appear and who is likely to watch or hear it. Guests speak differently to a room of colleagues than to a general audience, and they can only adjust if you tell them. Then give the logistics, which most people forget to put in writing until the last minute.
Finish with the topics you hope to cover and anything you have agreed to leave out. This last item matters more than it looks, because a subject someone prefers not to discuss is far easier to handle in advance than halfway through a take.
- Purpose of the interview and where it will be shared
- Date, arrival time, location and expected length
- Three to five topic areas, not finished questions
- Subjects agreed as off limits, if any
- What happens to the recording and who approves the edit
Setting expectations without sounding stiff
Tone is the part learners worry about most. A brief that reads like terms and conditions makes a guest nervous before they have said a word. Write in the first person, keep sentences short and say thank you once, sincerely, near the top.
Be specific about time. If the conversation will run forty minutes, say forty minutes, and mention that a short pause or a retake is normal and nothing to apologise for. Guests who expect to stumble are far less afraid of stumbling.
Say honestly what the guest does and does not control. Most will approve the final cut or at least a list of excerpts, and you should state this clearly if it is true. Never promise a level of control you do not intend to give. A guest who feels misled at the edit stage will remember it much longer than any awkward moment in the studio.
Agreeing topics before anyone sits down
Topic agreement is a short conversation, not a form. We teach learners to send the draft brief and then offer a ten minute call or a reply thread to refine it. Often the guest suggests a better angle than the one you planned, because they know their own subject more deeply than you do.
Ask the guest which story they most want to tell and which question they are tired of being asked. Both answers shape the session. The first gives you a strong middle section, and the second tells you what to avoid or approach differently.
Write down what you agree. A short confirming message after the call, listing the topic areas and any limits, protects both sides. It also becomes the backbone of your question preparation in Module 2, so the effort pays off twice.
- Offer a short call or a reply thread
- Ask for the guest's favourite story
- Ask which question they dread
- Send a confirming note afterwards
Mistakes we see in first attempts
The most frequent mistake is sending too much. A brief of four pages with background reading attached is rarely read, and the guest ends up less prepared than if you had sent a single clear page. Edit your own brief the way you would edit a recording.
The second is vagueness about use. Saying the interview will appear online is not enough. Guests want to know whether you will publish a full recording, short excerpts or both, and for how long it will stay available. A line on this prevents awkward emails later.
The third is sending the brief too late. Two or three days is a sensible window in most cases, long enough for the guest to think and ask questions, and short enough that the details are still fresh. In these autumn weeks, when diaries fill quickly, many learners send theirs a week ahead and a gentle reminder the day before.
Reviewing your first brief in the course
In the Module 1 assignment, learners write a brief for a guest they plan to interview and submit it for written feedback. We read it as the guest would, asking whether anything is unclear, intimidating or missing.
Comments usually concern order and tone rather than content. Moving the logistics higher, cutting a paragraph of background or softening one instruction often transforms a brief. Most learners revise once and keep the result as a template for their own projects.
There is no pass mark to chase and no certificate attached. The aim is a brief you would be glad to receive yourself, one you can adapt for each new guest in a few minutes.
A guest brief is a single, friendly page that states the purpose, the logistics, the topics and the limits, and says plainly what will happen to the recording. Write it early, keep it short and confirm what you agree in writing. Do that, and most of the nervousness you would otherwise meet in the studio is gone before the first camera is switched on.