Art of the Interview Part II: The Interview Itself

One thing I forgot to mention in Part I is to schedule your interview on a Thursday or Friday. People are not as rushed then as they are the first of the week and tend to be more talkative/relaxed.

Use a tape recorder and don't make a big deal about it. When you bring out your tape recorder (or tell them on the phone that you'll be recording the conversation), do it in a casual, business-as-usual kind of way so they don't freak out. I always say, "It's just so I don't have to take notes and can concentrate on what you're saying," which is true and why you should use one. (Note: People aren’t as nervous about tape recorders today as they were right after Richard Nixon was President. He gave tape recorders a very bad rap.)

Whether on the phone or in person, it's a good idea to start with something spontaneous/easy/conversational, just to get them relaxed, like: "So, before we get started, tell me, where did you grow up?" Or "I have to ask how you ever got such an unusual first name…"

Keep your intro short. After a brief set up per above, get right to it. People are busy; they don't have time for a lot of chit-chat.

Have your questions in front of you, and ask them in the same order as those you've e-mailed them ahead of time. This makes it easier for the person and helps with organization later. You can ask anything else you've thought of after you've gone through your list.

Stay in control of the interview. Although a little straying can be OK (and can often yield surprising rewards), it's important that you get everything you need within the allotted time. So if they start going off on too many tangents, gently steer them back on course.

Let them do the talking. Remember, you’re not at a party, so this isn’t about having a good conversion, it’s about getting information. If in the middle of your interview, you respond to something they've said like, "Oh, you went to Notre Dame? My brother graduated from Notre Dame!" it can change the whole tone and get you totally sidetracked.

At the end be sure to ask them if there's anything you haven't covered that they might want mentioned. I usually say something like, "Is there anything else that might be important for our readers to know?"

Re: Follow up

Stay in organized mode. If you realize you've forgotten to ask something, wait until you transcribe your tape before calling the person back. That way, if you have more questions or need further clarification on a point, you won't need to call him/her back a second time.

I supposed I should do a whole thing on the next step -- turning your notes into a story -- but that would take far more energy than I have today, so perhaps another time.