{"id":5737,"date":"2013-10-05T18:19:19","date_gmt":"2013-10-05T22:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allandouglas.com\/blog\/?p=5737"},"modified":"2025-04-21T01:56:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T05:56:40","slug":"interview-like-a-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/interview-like-a-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview like a Pro: Think like a Shrink"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"therapy,<\/a>
Courtesy sftherapy.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My writerly background is primarily non-fiction and journalism.\u00a0 As such, I\u2019ve done a lot of interviews.\u00a0 Along this journey I\u2019ve learned a few tricks: one is to approach an interview as a therapist would approach a patient.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In college I took some psychology classes: not to become a therapist but to learn what makes people tick.\u00a0 These classes helped a great deal in this regard and in dealing with people in general.<\/p>\n

I found this particularly helpful while I was working with a Smoky Mountain Visitors Guide, for which I was interviewing a different Smoky Mountains region artist each month.\u00a0 The articles were full-page spreads and needed to be in depth and interesting.\u00a0 Artists *can* be kind of high-strung.\u00a0 Here are a few of the tricks I developed. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Be Prepared<\/h1>\n

This should go without saying, but too many of my newspaper buddies from way back got into a habit of gathering only basic information on the folks they were being sent out to interview and figured they\u2019d \u201cplay it by ear\u201d once they got rolling.\u00a0 But that can leave you foundering if the rote questions don\u2019t produce anything interesting.\u00a0 Know as much as you can about your subject prior to the interview so you know what aspects of their life or experience you will want to highlight.\u00a0 But remain open-minded: sometimes the side trips prove fascinating.<\/p>\n

Be sure you are armed with materials to take accurate (and copious) notes.\u00a0 I prefer a voice recorder to pen and paper because I don\u2019t write all that fast and when I rush it gets sloppy.\u00a0 I feel it\u2019s better to have a complete and accurate record of what was said that I can play back and listen to (over and over if need be), to be sure I got it right.\u00a0 This also allows me to focus on the person I\u2019m interviewing and not on scratching down everything I think is interesting.\u00a0 Others disagree: they say a recorder makes their subject nervous; pen and paper are less intimidating.\u00a0 If you do record, make sure your subject knows he or she is being recorded and some states require a signed release by the subject if a recording is to be used.\u00a0 When you set up the interview ask if it\u2019s OK to record.\u00a0 If not, bring pen and paper.<\/p>\n

Put Your Subject at Ease<\/h1>\n

Begin when you call for the interview.\u00a0 How you approach them initially will set the tone for the interview.\u00a0 Give them no reason for being defensive.\u00a0 Before beginning the interview you may want to break the ice by telling them a little about yourself \u2013 not your life story, just enough to know they are in competent hands and you\u2019re not some psycho. \u00a0Maybe something funny: laughter is a great tension buster.\u00a0 Or you can start by asking some innocuous questions about them or their home or office.\u00a0 Give them a chance to talk casually about themselves, off the record, before you get into the formal interview.<\/p>\n

Pay Attention<\/h1>\n

When you begin the interview, actively listen to your subject.\u00a0 Make eye contact as much as possible (this may be difficult if you are taking written notes).\u00a0 Avoid the temptation to think ahead so that you\u2019re not really listening.\u00a0 Occasionally repeating something they said, by paraphrasing it, helps you understand and shows that you are paying attention.<\/p>\n

Ask follow-up questions as interesting points come to light; pursue the nuggets that may slip in.\u00a0 These are what will make your interview unique.\u00a0 Also, finding some aspect that interests you will make an interview on even the most boring topic more enjoyable for you and your subject.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Cut Them Off<\/h1>\n

One of the things that annoys me most about television interviewers is the way they\u2019ll ask their subject a question, then two sentences into the response they\u2019re jumping back in with more questions.\u00a0 Obviously they\u2019re trying to steer the conversation in a particular direction, to get them to say what they want them to say as quickly as possible.\u00a0 Some people will ramble on and on and you will need to gently redirect them; but for a proper interview, let them explain themselves \u2013 then edit.<\/p>\n

Sometimes you will ask a question and the subject does not respond immediately.\u00a0 Do not fear the silence; do not quash their answer by trying to \u201cclarify\u201d your question.\u00a0 Give them time to reflect and give you a composed answer.\u00a0 If they\u2019re glaring at you, not reflecting, you might want to move on with your next question.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Tell Them What They Think<\/h1>\n

In a session with a real therapist, I was impressed with how helpful asking non-leading questions can be.\u00a0 Instead of saying, \u201cSo you think bla-bla-bla\u201d she\u2019d ask me questions that got me to think about what I thought. \u00a0She never told me what I thought, or what I should think.\u00a0 It\u2019s a great way to draw people out without any risk of making them feel judged.<\/p>\n

Interview, Not Judge<\/h1>\n

Try not to go in with a head full of assumptions.\u00a0 Know enough to know who it is you\u2019re talking to and why, but don\u2019t think you know everything there is to know.\u00a0 If that were the case, there would be no point in the interview.\u00a0 You are there to discover something new.<\/p>\n

If something comes out that you find objectionable, do your best to remain neutral and passive.\u00a0 If you explore that topic do so in as unbiased a manner as you can.\u00a0 Many interviewers will, rather than forming pointed questions, simply say, \u201cTell me more about that.\u201d And let them talk.<\/p>\n

Do Be Empathetic<\/h1>\n

When interviewing a subject who has gone through a bad experience, expressing empathy for them will put them at ease \u2013 but it must be genuine.\u00a0 Empathy is one of the most difficult emotions to fake well.\u00a0 If you are unsympathetic, just keep the tone professional and explore their story.<\/p>\n

If your questioning produces anger or withdrawal in your subject, the interview will be over if you don\u2019t diffuse it quickly. If there is truth in the subject\u2019s lash-back at you, admit to it, remain calm, then redirect. \u00a0You may need to change the subject entirely, but often you can approach the same subject from a different direction by gently asking why that question produced such a reaction.\u00a0 Often, it will have taken them by surprise too.<\/p>\n

Edit Carefully<\/h1>\n

Report, don\u2019t fictionalize.\u00a0 Nothing will get you shunned (or sued) faster than a reputation for twisting the facts or being sloppy.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to tell everything they said, but what you tell must be factual.<\/p>\n

I\u2018ve been interviewed for television twice.\u00a0 In both cases the lengthy interview was edited down to a few minutes for prime-time exposure.\u00a0 One was well-done and retained the kernel of what I said.\u00a0 The other was so hacked that the real meaning of what I said was lost in several instances.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As writers we are often students of human nature, people watchers, and generally more in tune with why people do what they do than others are.\u00a0 This skill will give you an edge in interviewing people.\u00a0 Even if you\u2019re a novelist who has never done any form of journalism, you may find yourself particularly apt at this type of writing.\u00a0 You probably go through a similar process with the characters of your novels.\u00a0 Want to branch out, earn some extra cash?\u00a0 Try doing interviews for newspapers and magazines.<\/p>\n

If you are doing interviews, do you have any favorite tricks to share?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My writerly background is primarily non-fiction and journalism.  As such, I’ve done a lot of interviews.  Along this journey I’ve learned a few tricks: one is to approach an interview as a therapist would approach a patient. In college I took some psychology classes: not to become a therapist but to learn what makes people … Continue reading “Interview like a Pro: Think like a Shrink”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[51,29],"class_list":["post-5737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tools","tag-interview","tag-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5737"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21526,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5737\/revisions\/21526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}