Last week, the National Prison Radio team were delighted to welcome journalist, broadcaster and author Sonali Shah to HMP Brixton for a special workshop focused on improving the team’s presenting and interviewing skills.
Sonali is one of the most recognisable broadcasters in the UK, having worked on shows such as BBC Newsround, Escape to the Country, The One Show and Pilgrimage. She also currently hosts the Sunday Breakfast Show on Magic Radio.
She joined us at our studios in HMP Brixton, where she was greeted by our team of prisoner-producers, as well as several former prisoners who now work with the Prison Radio Association outside prison, presenting and producing for National Prison Radio.
Sonali gave a short talk on her top tips for being a better presenter and interviewer before listening to audio from each of the team’s shows and providing her feedback.
We also had the opportunity to record an interview with Sonali, which will air on NPR Talk later this month.
The group said the session had been invaluable to them.
Meanwhile, Sonali herself remarked on how impressed she was with the standard of presenting in National Prison Radio, especially given some of our team have only been working with us for a few weeks. Most people who come through our doors are setting foot in a radio station for the first time.
📻 Today’s office…helping out my mates at National Prison Radio with a presenting and interviewing workshop pic.twitter.com/E6ldbraRK5
— Sonali Shah 📺📻 (@SonaliShah) April 23, 2024
The hope is that this workshop will act as a springboard for similar events in the future, allowing our team to maximise their potential and continue to create award-winning radio shows.
NPR Talk broadcasts every Wednesday at 12:00 and 18:00 on National Prison Radio.
