Module 3 - Lesson 3

In this lesson, we are going to focus on podcasts, hoping that these observations will
eventually help you to create your own sample.
Podcasts are soaring in popularity, allowing for a more democratic use of the audio-
broadcast universe in which people do not need an executive to hire them because they
can create content from the comfort of their own home and be their own boss. This is what
many podcasters have been doing to either promote their business or brand, or simply
enjoy and share their hobbies and interests.
Podcasting began its development in the early 2000s, with the term ‘podcast’ coined in
February 2004 by Ben Hammersley in an article for The Guardian1. What exactly is it? It is
a digital packet of audio which is generally part of a series, released at regular intervals
and automatically downloaded to personal media devices when made available.
Podcasts are as varied as the people who create them. There are excellent podcasts
about history, pop-culture, neuroscience, and, of course, English as a foreign language.
The only limit to what to do with a podcast is the podcaster’s own imagination and the only
requirement is to be passionate about what they do.
Podcasts are a great way to build a genuine connection with the audience through the
creation and curation of content. They are episodes of a longer conversation going on with
a community and they are friendly since people can listen to them while driving, working
out, or just doing chores around the house. There is a lot of unexplored space in the
podcasting industry but, at the same time, there is a well-defined territory already of what a
podcast is.

Let’s explore some podcasts!

Podcasts are a genre of oral discourse covering a wide range of topics. Within this genre,
there are further genres such as educational podcasts and, within those, more specifically
podcasts on English language learning. Genre analysis is widely used to examine how
media convey information in ways that are engaging and intelligible for the target
audience. These formats have a common communicative purpose and form and,
interestingly, they are commonly understood as not ‘static’ but fluid, always changing and
evolving with practice. The fluidity of genre formations is particularly relevant to new media
genres whose conventions are in constant evolution.
Let´s explore some examples of educational podcasts in three different moments that will
help you notice some elements and also define which style suits you best. Please solve
the following:
1- The first task is to listen to a pair of podcast episodes and compare them. You will
listen to the first 5 minutes of each. One is Episode 4 in Series 2 of the British

1
Bonini, T (2015) The ‘second age’ of podcasting: Reframing podcasting as a new digital mass medium.
Quaderns Del CAC 41(18): 21–30.
 Council Podcast and the other is Episode 23 of English with Monty. Listen to the
first five minutes of each and then answer the questions below.

 What common features do they have at the start of the audios?

 What differences do they have in terms of design?
 Are they pre-scripted or spontaneous?
 What is the purpose of each?

2- Now listen to this short podcast and answer the following questions:

 What is the effect of having a cohost?

 In your opinion, is this one pre-scripted?
 How relevant is data?
 Is there a focus on language?

3- Finally, let´s listen to this whole episode on Luke’s English Podcast and answer the
questions below.

 Luke compares his podcast with a comedy show and also a radio programme.
After listening to this episode, in what moments would you say he materializes
those claims? Mention some.
 Apart from these characteristics, there is also technical or academic content such
as?
 Which of the strategies from Module 2 – Lesson 2 can you identify in Luke’s
speech?
 Take the example of “comprehensible input”, Luke explains extensively the concept
behind this term. Does it surprise you how much he speaks about it? Do you find it
useful?
 What different genres does he mention when talking about listening?
 What is the description he offers when talking about extensive and intensive
reading?
 What genres of written language resemble spoken language?
 Are you familiar with the CEFR and the book collections Luke mentions?
 Why does he compare the “productive worlds” as “nebulous” and an “alien land”?
 What are the benefits of “engagement”?
 When talking about writing, what is his advice on accuracy?
 What phrase does he find funny because it sounds like a tongue twister?
 As a conclusion, what happens to the four skills in real life? What are the two
ingredients of Luke’s recipe?

We have covered an interesting number of samples, are you now more familiar with this
genre? Time to plan your own episode, then!