How not to do an interview
March 11th, 2008 by BryanRex Hammock (who I met in Nashville, but is now in Austin at SXSW) and Jeff Jarvis provide good advice for folks who conduct interviews. Now, they will say the advice is for those who conduct interviews in a public setting, but I’m going to say that advice extends to any kind of interview setting. Read them here: Rex - Sarah Lacy was not as bad as Miss Teen South Carolina: Reflections from observing a train wreck, and Jarvis - Zuckerberg interview: What went wrong.
If you’ll notice most of the interviews I conduct here at the ICM blog, I ask a question and let the subject answer. It’s easier to do in an IM setting (or in Skype, as with Paul Bradshaw), but it’s still essential to learn if you’re going to do anything with the interview other than transcribe it for a print story: let the subject talk. Know the context you’re in, and fit into the context.
To borrow a phrase from Rick Warren: “It’s not about you.”
