Interviewing Tips

How to get the best from your subject

It's been a busy few weeks as a journalist. Yesterday, I spent some time chatting over Zoom with presenter and actor Alexander Armstrong about a quiz show he'll be co-hosting in Kew Gardens; a few days ago I interviewed author and social historian Hallie Rubenhold about her new book, Story of a Murder; and the week before that my feature on singer Sharlene Spiteri (see image above) was published.

I've interviewed lots of different people over the years, most of them not celebrities, from ex-prisoners getting used to life on the outside to interior designers who want to showcase their work, from women celebrating birthday milestones to men who want to talk about growing up in care.

Whomever you're interviewing, whatever it is they want to talk about, here are a few tips to help you write the best feature you can:

Tip 1: Research. Find out everything you can about your subject and write your questions around these facts. If it's a celebrity, know what it is they're promoting (read the book; see the TV show; watch the play); if it's someone talking about adoption, make sure you know the basic facts about the adoption process so that you can ask them questions that dig a little deeper.

Tip 2: Smile. Always smile and look happy. No one wants to be interviewed by someone who looks as though they wished they were somewhere else. And an enthusiastic, positive interviewer makes for a better conversation (and feature).

Tip 3: Listen. Yes, you're probably recording your interview on a dictaphone or on Zoom, but actively listen to your subject rather than waiting for them to take a breath so you can ask your next question. Be prepared to go off piste and ask them a follow up question about something they've just said. But also, listen to make sure it makes sense. It's much easier to ask for clarification about someone's name or a place someone stayed than to recontact that person afterwards to check.

Tip 4: If someone is a bit reticent, being chatty yourself (initially) can be a way to break the ice and get the interview underway. I often use my dogs as a way to connect with someone who doesn't particularly feel comfortable chatting. Or I tell them something personal about myself, if it's that type of feature, so that they feel they too can share. (Remember though, that none of this is really about you.)

Tip 5: Before you begin writing your interview questions, have an idea of what you want your feature to be about. If it's a celebrity interview, what else, aside from the promotional product, do you want your piece to be about? Can you focus on what it's like to be a woman in a band or whether things are better now for female newsreaders than they were 20 years ago? Has someone's childhood dictated what they write about? Has having children changed the roles an actor is prepared to take?

Tip 6: Whatever you've prepared, in whatever direction you think the interview is going to go, be prepared to throw away your questions and do something entirely different. Sometimes people have grown tired of promoting their new book/film/play and are more than willing to be led down an entirely different path. The new product still gets a mention but you have a feature that is different to everyone else's.

Tip 7: Don't approach your interview feeling you already know the answer to each question. If that's the case, change the questions.

Tip 8: Enjoy! I've loved every interview I've done. Not only because I am rather nosey about people but because almost everyone I've ever interviewed has been a delight.