Locally produced talk shows are a form of public square.

They offer an efficient and traditional way to interact and amplify voices around salient issues.  

In this regard, talk shows are the original form of public radio style engagement: A space where experts can answer questions from the public, where communities can share how issues are directly affecting them.  

The day-to-day grind of producing a regular talk show, whether live or pre-produced, has its challenges. When you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard to find the time to break out of the typical workflow and methodology. Of course, community engagement asks us to do just that — break out of our molds.  

So, with that in mind, here are a few ideas tailored to producing community-engaged talk shows. You can pick and choose from these ideas and incorporate some or all into your workflow, before production, during production and after the show.  

The goal is to put communities at the center and generate innovative approaches and enterprise topics to spruce up your regular programming.