Radio Talk
ü Start by greeting your listeners. Mention the radio show (fictional title) and station, who you are (fictional name), and what the purpose of the talk is at the start. You can either speak yourself on the issue or introduce a speaker (someone with some insight), from whose perspective you will write your answer. Make the characters seem as realistic as possible.
ü The tone should be informal but respectful, especially if you are dealing with a serious matter.
ü Try to cover key areas such as the political, economic, social, educational, religious, historical, etc., implications around the problem. In this way the issue will be examined in a wide sense.
ü Be conscious of your audience throughout, making such comments as: ‘Your listeners may be aware that …’, etc.
ü Use facts, statistics, quotations, etc. to support your points. You should also try to tell a few anecdotes throughout, but don’t bombard your speech with them.
ü Conclude your talk by thanking your speaker (if you decide to use one) and / or throw the issue open to your listeners – maybe invite them to text in their views.
ü Be clear and concise throughout.
E.g. – Radio Talk on Racial Prejudice in Ireland
Good evening, listeners. This is Mike Scott coming to you from the 95FM studios on our nightly spot ‘Straight Talk’. On tonight’s show we are considering the issue of racial prejudice in Ireland. To help us understand the extent of this problem, I am very pleased to have with me an eminent guest, Dr Bernard Kamali, who came to our shores in 1996 to escape the civil conflict and persecution in his home country of Liberia. Dr Kamali, now a practising surgeon at St Vincent’s Hospital, has kindly agreed to talk to us this evening about his experiences in our country and the issues that surround the problem of discrimination. Good evening, Dr Kamali; we’re delighted you can join us.
Thank you, David, for inviting me. I am very pleased to be here as I think tonight’s topic is an important one for us all to consider. I remember when I first arrived in Ireland … [INTRODUCTION]
I often hear people in the media and elsewhere claim that the problem is disproportionately exaggerated. Well I can tell you that as an African man, I deal with racial prejudice on a regular basis. Only last week, I was waiting for a bus in town … [ANECDOTE].
It is important to consider why such negative attitudes exist. I believe the death of the Celtic Tiger is in some way responsible … [ECONOMICS]
In my opinion, the government of Ireland has done little to address this issue … [POLITICS]
Racial prejudice should be tackled at grassroots level. Awareness programs are needed in schools … [EDUCATION]
There are many positive initiatives in place whereby Irish youngsters are encouraged to integrate with asylum seekers and refugees. One such scheme, organised recently by the HSE in Malahide, seeks to … [SOCIAL]
We have much to learn from our mistakes if we are serious about changing attitudes in this country. As the wise philosopher Confucius once said: ‘Study the past, if you would divine the future’ … [PAST & PRESENT versus FUTURE] … Perhaps one day our children will thank us for it.
Thank you, Dr Kamali, for your insightful and thought-provoking views on this important topic. I’m sure our listeners are eager to text in their opinions on some of the issues you’ve raised. We’ll take a short break now, but stay tuned as we have some more interesting guests coming up in the second part of our show.
ü The tone should be informal but respectful, especially if you are dealing with a serious matter.
ü Try to cover key areas such as the political, economic, social, educational, religious, historical, etc., implications around the problem. In this way the issue will be examined in a wide sense.
ü Be conscious of your audience throughout, making such comments as: ‘Your listeners may be aware that …’, etc.
ü Use facts, statistics, quotations, etc. to support your points. You should also try to tell a few anecdotes throughout, but don’t bombard your speech with them.
ü Conclude your talk by thanking your speaker (if you decide to use one) and / or throw the issue open to your listeners – maybe invite them to text in their views.
ü Be clear and concise throughout.
E.g. – Radio Talk on Racial Prejudice in Ireland
Good evening, listeners. This is Mike Scott coming to you from the 95FM studios on our nightly spot ‘Straight Talk’. On tonight’s show we are considering the issue of racial prejudice in Ireland. To help us understand the extent of this problem, I am very pleased to have with me an eminent guest, Dr Bernard Kamali, who came to our shores in 1996 to escape the civil conflict and persecution in his home country of Liberia. Dr Kamali, now a practising surgeon at St Vincent’s Hospital, has kindly agreed to talk to us this evening about his experiences in our country and the issues that surround the problem of discrimination. Good evening, Dr Kamali; we’re delighted you can join us.
Thank you, David, for inviting me. I am very pleased to be here as I think tonight’s topic is an important one for us all to consider. I remember when I first arrived in Ireland … [INTRODUCTION]
I often hear people in the media and elsewhere claim that the problem is disproportionately exaggerated. Well I can tell you that as an African man, I deal with racial prejudice on a regular basis. Only last week, I was waiting for a bus in town … [ANECDOTE].
It is important to consider why such negative attitudes exist. I believe the death of the Celtic Tiger is in some way responsible … [ECONOMICS]
In my opinion, the government of Ireland has done little to address this issue … [POLITICS]
Racial prejudice should be tackled at grassroots level. Awareness programs are needed in schools … [EDUCATION]
There are many positive initiatives in place whereby Irish youngsters are encouraged to integrate with asylum seekers and refugees. One such scheme, organised recently by the HSE in Malahide, seeks to … [SOCIAL]
We have much to learn from our mistakes if we are serious about changing attitudes in this country. As the wise philosopher Confucius once said: ‘Study the past, if you would divine the future’ … [PAST & PRESENT versus FUTURE] … Perhaps one day our children will thank us for it.
Thank you, Dr Kamali, for your insightful and thought-provoking views on this important topic. I’m sure our listeners are eager to text in their opinions on some of the issues you’ve raised. We’ll take a short break now, but stay tuned as we have some more interesting guests coming up in the second part of our show.