A learning manager from Texas pulled me aside during a seminar earlier this year to tell me he had some questions about ethics. 

He’d interviewed a subject matter expert for a learning podcast he was creating and the expert waffled on an on, regularly going off topic. 

In fact, while a small part of his interviewee's comments was relevant, most of it was a self-indulgent rant.

“I don’t want to offend him by not using the interview or cutting it down too much, " he told me.  "But I’m worried his comments are too long and too vague.  They may turn the listener off.”

I don’t believe this is an ethics issue.  It’s an accountability issue.  And it's a question that worries a lot of people who are new to media production. 

It's especially tough for "nice" people who don't want to offend people they have personal contact with during the production of their podcast.

My answer to the learning manager's question is in the form of a question.  Who is your podcast for?  If you can answer this question your decision becomes very easy.

If you're producing the podcast for your guest, well let him waffle on.  If you're doing the podcast for yourself and you can put up with the digressions, don't cut the interview. 

However, if you're doing the podcast for a listener, it's a no-brainer.  Use the parts of the interview that are relevant to your podcast and its purpose and chop the rest.

I have difficulty understanding why people don't create podcasts for other people so in my mind, I'd be chopping out every part of the interview that is irrelevant.  I wouldn't want to waste my listener's time and drag her through wasted waffle. 

It does bring us back to an issue that new podcasters need to grapple with.  And that is, how do you deal with interviews that don't make the cut? 

The first thing is to toughen yourself up and get used to throwing irrelevancies on the cutting room floor. 

I've heard it said that of the major current affairs programs on television, for every 20 minutes of shooting, they use 15 to 20 seconds.  Take comfort if you feel you're short-changing your guest because that's what the best do.

Also remember that by chopping out their irrelevancies you're making them sound more concise and it improves their image.  You see, it's a win-win.

The second thing I recommend is something I learned when I started out as a radio interviewer.  Never promise a guest that you'll use their interview or all of it in your podcast.  Never guarantee anything. 

Tell them that you're gathering information and hope to use their comments.  Manage their expectations.  And make the decision to use or chop their interview based on whether it achieves your podcast's aims.