Interview style tips

by Charlie Meyerson | September 10, 2015

The key to a successful interview on Rivet is to ensure it fights for its audience’s attention — that it’s engaging from the first word, so listeners get right up front a reason not to skip. That means standing features, like a show’s name, or a theme song, or an underwriting or sponsorship message, should be delayed until after those most interesting words (maybe including a highlight sound-bite from the interview to come.)

But once you have the audience’s attention, how do you keep it? How do you keep the interview moving and engaging? You’ll find as many different approaches as you’ll find hosts. But here’s an approach that’s served me well over the years, adapted from a blog post for my journalism students.

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Q: How should I prepare for an interview?

A: Do your homework. Have an idea in advance what you hope to get out of the interview — although good interviews often reveal things you didn’t expect. Be ready to listen for answers that open your eyes to questions you hadn’t planned to ask.

Q: What should I do first?

A: At the start of every interview, you should ask, “May I record this interview for possible use on the air or on the Internet?” — even if you don’t intend to use it there, it’s good to have permission, just in case.

Q: Anything else to do before getting down to business?

A: The first thing to ask once you have permission to record is this: “Will you please give me your name, tell me how to spell it, and give me your title or otherwise tell me how you’d like me to identify you for this story/show/interview?”

Q: How can I remember all the questions I want to ask?

A: Write them down — word for word, if you like. And practice them: As with any writing, reading them out loud is a good way to make sure they make sense.

Q: Should I ask questions that can be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No”?

A: No.

Q: Why?

A: Because you may get just “Yes” or “No” for an answer.

Q: I’ll probably have one or two questions I really want answered the most. When’s the best time to ask them?

A: Save them for the middle or late part of the interview. That will give you and your subject time to warm up to one another. Don’t save Big Questions for the very end of the interview; if your subject has to leave or break away early, you wind up empty-handed.

Q: When my subject gives an answer I don’t understand, should I just let it go and double-check the facts later?

A: No.

Q: Oops. Forgot not to ask a “yes” or “no” question.

A: [Long silence.]

Avoid simply making statements, too. Your subject may not have anything to say about what you say. Your job is to ask questions.

Q: Well, what about those answers I don’t understand?

A: Your biggest job as an interviewer is to act as a translator for your ultimate audience — listeners, readers, teachers. The toughest part is thinking on your feet (or maybe thinking on your seat): Listen to what your subject is saying. If you don’t get it, the odds are your audience won’t, either. If you get an answer you don’t understand, ask the question again a different way. Or ask for an explanation of a specific word, phrase or idea you didn’t get. Remember — and, if need be, remind your subject — that your main job is to help your subjects explain their opinions and their knowledge to others. (“I want to make sure I can tell my classmates what that means. Could you help me explain it to them?”) Your job’s not done until you understand what your subject tells you.

Q: I want to ask a subject a really tough question — one that may hurt his or her feelings. How can I do it?

A: You can get answers without making yourself the villain. (1) Blame it on someone else: “Some people have said you’re a crook. What do you say to them?” (2) Take responsibility, but apologize for it: “This may be hard for you to answer, and I wish we could avoid it altogether, but are you a crook?”

Q: How’s interviewing someone for broadcast (audio or video) different from interviewing someone for a newspaper article or school report or other “interpretive” piece?

A: The difference is really in what you’re trying to do. Interviewing for entertainment, you may have to give up trying to nail your guest down on a tough question. If you spend ten minutes trying to get an answer to a question the guest doesn’t want to answer, it can bore the audience into tuning out; you may have to surrender and move on. If you’re interviewing someone mostly for information (something not in the Q-and-A format), you don’t have to give up until your subject threatens to leave.

Q: Any other differences?

A: Yes.

Q: OK, Mr. Avoid-Yes-or-No-Questions, what are they?

A: If you’re interviewing someone — an author, for instance — for entertainment (Q-and-A), sometimes it’s best not to do quite as much homework. You still need to know enough to lead your guest through an informative interview. But if you’ve read the whole book, you and the author can get caught up in an “insider” conversation that shuts out the audience — most of which has never seen or heard of the book.

Q: So why shouldn’t I goof off before the interview?

A: If you truly have no idea what you’re talking about, your guest and the audience will figure it out. And the guest won’t want to work with you ever again. But: If you’re interviewing someone for information, you need to understand the material.

Q: How about summarizing your most important points in a bulleted list?

A: I thought you’d never ask.

• Know your material before you begin.
• Write out the questions.
• Avoid yes/no questions.
• Get permission to record, and then get the name, the spelling of the name, and the title before you begin.
• Save Big Questions for mid-to-late interview.
• Understand the answers.

Additional notes to ensure your interview has the longest possible shelf life and moves efficiently and engagingly, start to finish:

• Coach your guest in advance not to say things like “today,” “tomorrow,” “this week.”
• Avoid saying things like “thanks for joining us,” either at the opening or close; just brings the interview to to a halt. (Because what does every guest say after that? “Glad to be here.” Duh.) Express your gratitude before or after the recording takes place.