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I am doing a podcast on a voluntary basis with researchers in our field! I have been asked to try to reach the X star researcher in our field who is highly respected in the field. I feel excited, however, I am afraid that podcast could not go well which could leave a bad impression, the podcast would be through Skype, so I don't know how to start breaking the ice before the interview. I prefer to be in person, but in that case, Skype is the only option.

The question: How can I break the ice before the podcasting interview with a star researcher? I am afraid to do counterproductive actions that could affect my career due to the fact that we already in a very small research field.

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    The answers to your last question were basically to go for it, so it is with this one, if you want a list of questions then talk to your advisor... Last question for reference : academia.stackexchange.com/q/132170/72855
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Jun 30, 2019 at 17:32
  • This podcast is not related to my advisor, this is not his job, I am doing that on a voluntary basis, the question is completely different, I am asking how I can start breaking the ice or how I should start talking before going to the podcast.
    – user103209
    Commented Jun 30, 2019 at 18:11
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    You seem to have a lot of issues understanding... I did not suggest that it was your advisors job... But your advisor should be aware of what you are involved in and, as they are involved in this topic (as they are your advisor) they should be able to discuss possible questions with you that could "break the ice" perhaps more for you than your "guests"...
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Jun 30, 2019 at 18:15
  • okay! Thanks for this suggestion! I would try and see whether they have time for that.
    – user103209
    Commented Jun 30, 2019 at 18:32

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I have only been on one podcast, but in my experience there was very little ice breaking. They just confirmed a few pieces of information they wanted to make sure they got right during the interview, made sure I was aware of the audience and goal length of time for the interview, and then we jumped right into recording.

Similarly, when I have interviewed people for my class (I do video interviews with people in the field), I don’t do any real socializing beforehand. We may say a few small pleasantries, but we jump right into the work of preparing and creating the video content.

If you do feel like you need a warm-up question, “what inspired this line of work/this paper?” is always nice.

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