Two women and me, they one on side of the table at Tim Hortons and me on the other, with my iPhone set down between us. The voice memo app was activated and I pushed “record.” The interview started in a friendly enough way and soon the conversation was flowing easily, with smiles and shared laughs. The women were partners in their own Human Resources firm. The one on the left was bubbly and gregarious; the one on the right was composed and friendly. Time flew by as we talked. Before I knew it, I had nearly forty minutes of good material. That’s twice as much as I’ll ever need to write a 500-word business profile.

Not all interviews are this easy or fun. Somehow I’ve been lucky enough to conduct mostly ones that are. I typically talk to business owners that want to tell their company’s story because chances are it will mean more business for them. Most of the journalists I know conduct similar types of research interviews, where the emotional stakes are low and the interviewee has much to gain by offering information.

The reporters that I used to work with at Citytv know the flip side: hard core news situations where uncomfortable circumstances are often at play. They can experience situations that include:

• people that are angry, resentful and frustrated at being mistreated
• people who just don’t want to talk and won’t reveal anything
• politicians that don’t offer much more than rhetoric
• public officials, such as police officers and hospital spokespersons, who are at liberty to divulge only certain information
• people experiencing heartbreak and loss, typically following the death of a loved one

These are heady conditions and are best left to trained and experienced journalists with a disposition for such things.

For the rest of us, there are a few simple rules that will help us conduct a good research interview where we can gain a lot of useful information. These rules do not include general ones that should go without saying: be on time, be nice and be well-groomed.

Here then are my interviewing tips and tactics:

1. Choose a good setting It’s best to select a location where there is less chance for you or your subject to be distracted. You may not wish to meet in a coffee shop, like I did with the HR ladies. Or, your interviewee may actually prefer that because it gets them out of the office. I would let them make that call because I want them to be comfortable.
2. Bring a well-charged recording device such as your smart phone. After all, you should be listening and asking questions, not scrambling to take notes. It’s not the 1940s.
3. Explain the purpose of the interview because you don’t want any confusion about this.
4. Address the terms of confidentiality First and foremost, absolutely don’t promise anything that you may not be able to deliver. Explain who will have access to their answers and how their answers will be analyzed. Get any written consent that may be required, i.e. for the use of quotes, images and confidential documents.
5. Listen intently because you never know when a gem will be told. You don’t want to miss out on the good stuff and you don’t want to be caught not paying attention as someone tells you about themselves.
6. Stay focused It’s so easy to get off track and meander into a directionless conversation. That can be fun but time goes by quickly. You don’t want to get to the point where one of you has to leave and you don’t yet have the information you needed.
7. Be considerate This includes respecting their time and possible interruptions, asking if they have any questions, and telling them how they can get in touch with you after the interview. It also includes just being polite, because you need to be if you are a professional communicator. You don’t want your interviewee walking away thinking you’re harsh or impatient. It reflect poorly on you.
8. Be prepared and ask good questions This comes from knowing your interviewee’s line of work and having done your research. Because the web exists, you have no excuse for not having done your research and formulated at least a few good starter questions, from which other questions could naturally evolve.
9. Be aware of your interviewee’s personal agenda some people want to talk about certain things and may repeat themselves with the idea of getting their point across. For example, a business owner may be explicit in telling you that his company provides great customer service. This may be true but it’s not interesting or valuable. It’s assumed that if they are running a successful business, they’re providing good customer service. Remember, you have an agenda too, and for the purpose of this interview, it trumps their agenda.
10. Stay calm Interviews can take a number of different directions and people can say interesting and revealing things, some of which can never be re-told with specific details or with that person’s name attached to it. For instance, I had one person tell me about a bad experience she had where a male customer wouldn’t leave her studio and it scared her. I listened intently until she was finished. I didn’t freak out and I didn’t tell her it was inappropriate. (It wasn’t.) If I had felt it was inappropriate or that I was uncomfortable discussing it, I would have said so. But I would have done so calmly and without making a fuss about it.

Remember, have fun! Interviews are fun, in case you didn’t know. You get to meet new people and learn more about them than you ever would have in a casual conversation. You came for information but the process is meant to be anything but painful.

I do interviews, as you know

I conduct interviews as part of my business, as you know after reading this article. (Thanks for your time.) If I can help you with your interview process, or conduct interviews for you, as a stand-alone task or as part of a larger project, please Contact Me and let’s talk about your needs.