{"id":2062,"date":"2010-04-14T10:40:22","date_gmt":"2010-04-14T17:40:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/?p=2062"},"modified":"2010-05-15T15:10:03","modified_gmt":"2010-05-15T22:10:03","slug":"how-to-conduct-a-great-interview-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/2010\/04\/how-to-conduct-a-great-interview-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Conduct a Great Interview, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"David<\/a>Last week I talked about the art of the interview<\/a>, an essential skill in creating content that generates traffic and visibility. (Be sure to read the advice of others who contributed comments to the blog entry). The first part of this two-part entry talked about preparing for an interview. Now let\u2019s look at what to do when you sit down with your subject or begin the phone call.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Be Conscious Of Time<\/strong> \u2013 I almost always ask interview subjects how much time they have. This helps me plan the pace of the questions and also makes sure that I get to the critical ones. If you\u2019re expecting an hour and your subject has only 15 minutes, you need to adjust quickly. If you need extra time, ask for it up front. If the subject turns you down, ask again later in the interview when he or she is hopefully more invigorated about the conversation.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Ask About the Subject\u2019s Background<\/strong> \u2013 People like to talk about themselves, so indulge them with a question that they are happy to answer. I\u2019ve found that the simple question, \u201cTell me about yourself\u201d is a great conversation-starter.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Avoid Yes\/No Answers <\/strong>\u2013 Instead of asking, \u201cAre you satisfied with your progress this year?\u201d use \u201cTell me how your progress this year compares to your expectations.\u201d Avoid questions beginning with \u201cdo,\u201d \u201cwill,\u201d \u201care,\u201d \u201cand \u201cshould,\u201d and instead use questions beginning with \u201cwhat,” “how,\u201d \u201cwhy\u201d and \u201cdescribe.\u201d \u00a0Asking someone to \u201cTell me about…\u201d gives them no choice but to share an experience.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Invite Stories<\/strong> \u2013 I once heard former Wall Street Journal<\/em> feature writer Bill Blundell<\/a> give advice I\u2019ll never forget: \u201cWrite in pictures.\u201d In other words, tell stories that readers can visualize in their minds. Storytelling is the most powerful form of human expression. Stories turn abstract ideas into useful examples. Ask the subject to make the topic real by citing examples or personal experiences.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Be Afraid To Ask The Same Question Twice<\/strong> \u2013 This is particularly true in an interview that concerns a controversial subject. Executives are media-trained to answer the questions they want to answer rather than the questions they\u2019re asked. If your subject is evasive, ask the same question a different way. Sometimes you can coax someone into answering a difficult question by feigning ignorance: \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t follow that. Can you dumb it down a bit for someone like me?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Control the Interview<\/strong>\u2013 You need to dictate the pace and topic of the interview. If the subject rambles or goes off course, cut her off gently whenever you can get a word in. Even if you back off a bit to let her finish the thought, you\u2019ve sent a subtle message that it\u2019s time to move on.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Be Empathetic <\/strong>\u2013 Chances are your subject is pretty passionate about the topic you\u2019re discussing. Let your behavior reflect that interest. Smile when she smiles and shake your head when she relates a tale of woe. This isn\u2019t misleading; it\u2019s simply reflecting back a person’s feelings in a way that helps to draw them out. People like to talk to responsive listeners.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Ask For Closing Thoughts<\/strong> \u2013 The longer people talk, the more comfortable they are. This is why the best quotes often come at the end of the interview. When you finish your questions, give your subject a chance to summarize her thoughts or restate an important point. One good tactic is simply to ask, \u201cIs there anything I missed?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Here are thoughts on a few common questions:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Should You Use A Tape Recorder<\/strong>? These days, the answer is increasingly yes because you want the latitude to publish the interview as a video or audio podcast. That said, recording devices can put a damper on a conversation. Once you start recording, put the gadget aside and don\u2019t look at it. You want your subject to forget about it as quickly as possible. Also, most states require that a person audibly consent to be recorded. Be sure you get that permission on tape.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Should You Go Off the Record<\/strong>? This question is complicated by the fact that \u201coff the record\u201d means different things to different people. Technically, \u201coff the record\u201d means the information can\u2019t be used under any circumstances, which makes it of little value to you. However, people often use this term when they really mean \u201cnot for attribution.\u201d I rarely agree to off-the-record terms but I will go on background if the information is important. It often turns out that you can negotiate the use of background comments if you paraphrase them appropriately.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Approvals<\/strong> \u2013 Many people ask to approve an article before it\u2019s published. I let the context be my guide. Very often, both interviewer and subject have the common goal of making the speaker look good. In that case, I see no problem with letting someone review their comments for accuracy. However, if the topic is controversial or if the speaker is a celebrity or public official, no way. Those people know the rules. In any circumstance, I advise against giving full editing access. Confine the subject\u2019s revisions to statements of fact. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Those are some of my best practices. What are yours? Post your advice as a comment.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week I talked about the art of the interview, an essential skill in creating content that generates traffic and visibility. (Be sure to read the advice of others who contributed comments to the blog entry). The first part of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[5,16],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pTy95-xg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2062"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2062"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2075,"href":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2062\/revisions\/2075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}