So you have set an interview date with your guest and decided on the subject of the show, only to discover that your guest is going through some health challenges but you have no clue on what questions to ask about his or her health.

In this article, we have listed a handful of general health questions to ask your guest. After going through this list, you will have a better idea and be equipped to craft the right questions specifically personalized for your guest.

Have a go at a prior article, Podcast Interviewing the Right Way. Learn important tips before interviewing your guest, and discover common mistakes people make during interviews.

Sample Questions

Health questions can be divided into 5 categories:

For guests with chronic diseases and permanent illnesses:

These people have generally built resilience around their illness and are comfortable talking about it and embracing it (obviously each situation is different and you have to treat each guest with respect and not go  overboard) but by treating it like a normal event you are giving them the freedom to express their selves freely and without constrains.

For guests with a recent health challenge:

This situation can be a bit tricky since the wound is recent and they might have some difficulty talking about it especially if they haven’t dealt with it internally, so you need to start by asking some questions before the interview to check whether or not this is a topic they are comfortably willing to talk about or they rather avoid it and talk about something else, these first few questions can unravel that before using your judgement and going for the heavy stuff.

For regular people with no known health problems:

If you don’t know whether or not your guest have health problems in the past and you want to tackle this topic, what you can do is gather as much information about the guest to see if he or she have a recent experience or send ask them strait away to see if they have

For people with a particular lifestyle (vegans, fruitarians, carnivores…)

In this case cultivate yourself and do your due diligent because those people generally have gone deep into their chosen lifestyle and beliefs

 

For professionals in the medical field:

For shows featuring health specialists, you will still have to pick a particular topic based on the guest expertise and knowhow and prepare your questions according to that, but here are some general questions that will help you start the conversation and keep it flowing:

• What qualities do you think a good doctor should possess?

• How to best handle emergencies and back-breaking workloads?

• What was the biggest challenge in the training years of your career?

• Do you have a daily routine that keeps you in check?

• How do you stay updated on the current events in the medical and healthcare industries?

• Tell us about any recent medical breakthroughs and issues?

• What aspect of practicing medicine do you find the most challenging and why?

• What have you gained from your work experience?

• When did you decide you wanted to go into healthcare?

• Describe how you communicate complicated medical information to patients you are treating?

Health-related Inquiry Questions

Use these questions to start up conversations about wellbeing.

• Why is it important for people to go for medical checkups? And how often should they do this?

• How is [health condition] treated or managed? Are there long-term side effects?

• What advice would you give concerning herbal mixtures?

• How late can one eat dinner?

• Can you tell us about some good supplements that supply the body with all the nutrition it needs daily?

• Is being vegan a health risk? If so, what diet plan do you recommend for such persons?

• Is it true fleshy food takes up to three days to digest?

Conclusion

Try not to bore your guests by sounding too formal during the interview. Don’t be afraid to get a little personal. Find out their background, motive, and perspective.

Digest our article on The Ultimate Guide to Narrative Podcasting for a proper walkthrough on everything you need to know about creating a narrative-style podcast.