Ira Glass Response

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Ira Glass speak about the power of storytelling. The way that he incorporates his own commentary with clips of interviews, ambient sound, and music is amazing to me. He stated that there is something so powerful about the human voice because you can hear when people are speaking from the heart. I think that this was very evident in the clips of people’s voices that he played for us, especially the voice of the female gang member.

His advice to improve our reporting by becoming involved and interacting with our interviewees is a very valuable tip. It is clear that Glass has perfected this skill because his stories always seem to get to the heart of others’ emotions. It was amazing to hear that during his 59-minute show, people who tune in listen to about 48 minutes on average. This is proof that the approach used in telling a story is key.

Although the stories that air on “This American Life” are not always interesting in themselves, the way in which they are told draws in the listener and makes it impossible for them to turn off the radio. Glass has an impeccable ability to build a story in a way that engages people and makes them want to know what’s going to happen next. I hope that in the future I am able to harness this ability and use it to gather valuable information as an interviewer and a journalist.