Comments on: How to give good interview

By: JLLopez1006

JLLopez1006 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:28:53 +0000

Sorry, I stumbled upon this article while looking for tips on job-related interviews, which I know is not your intended focus. But nonetheless, this article is interesting to me, as I am a freelance writer who conducts interviews with local businesses, so this definitely speaks to me. I think many of the tips can apply in either situation. I like when people are prepared, but not trying to tell me exactly what or what not to cover. My biggest pet peeve is people who say something, and then say, “Oh, but don’t include that in the article!” Interviewing individuals for the purpose of the article is quite the interesting beast, I have to say, and my best people are normally those that are totally new to it. Those who have been interviewed previously are too calculated and attempt to control the interview too much or can be pushy or downright rude. But I do enjoy getting to find out more about people, their background, and in particular, the passion behind their business. Since I write advertorials, the one thing that I wish interviewees would know is that I am there to make them look the best possible without being fictitious, so if they trust in that, it makes the interview process much easier, and in turn, the article richer.

By: Elizabeth Mueller

Elizabeth Mueller — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:14:01 +0000

Okay, I find your sit extremely fascinating! I had a friend interview me live via BlogTalkRadio. I was nervous because it was my first time. I’m proud that I picked up on cues she gave me without talking about it previously. Thanks for posting this, I’ve just shared it with my author friends.

*curtsying*

By: palak

palak — Tue, 17 May 2011 06:19:23 +0000

In next two or three days i have to give an interview,as i am fresher going to start a simple bank job.some points from this page has helped me,,some points are very good and are very necessary for both fresher and experienced….i found it good and hope for best interview from my side…

thank you!

By: cherryl252washere

cherryl252washere — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:16:13 +0000

great points!

i’m a freelance journalist and this really helped me see the other side. i’m considering emailing a link to this page to people i may interview who don’t get interviewed much. might help us both in ensuring a smoother interview.

thanks for this!

By: Interview Tips « ConradAskland.com

Interview Tips « ConradAskland.com — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:18:05 +0000

[...] 10. Followup How to Give a Good Interview http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-give-good-interview [...]

By: L’expert Minute Rice* : savoir parler aux médias « juris [diplomat]

L’expert Minute Rice* : savoir parler aux médias « juris [diplomat] — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:38:53 +0000

[...] certain contrôle sur le contenu et d’assumer pleinement son rôle d’expert. Souvenez-vous de ce que les médias recherchent [...]

By: Grace Hr

Grace Hr — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:34:29 +0000

Thanx a lot Mr Matthew, u’r article is very usefull for me. I am a university student from Indonesia. I have assiggment from my Speaking teacher, about “HOW TO BE A GOOD INTERVIWEE”.
And I must train my friend in front of the class when I represent my job. Through the article that you created, hopefully my presentation will be success.

By: Matthew Stibbe

Matthew Stibbe — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:08:02 +0000

Agreed. Very good points.

It’s very easy to relax at the end of an interview and, in fact, I often get my best quotes (for case studies rather than editorial articles these days!) at the very end when people think it’s over. In my experience, people relax enough to stop trying to sound ‘big and clever’ and they actually sound much more human.

This is, ideally, what you should be aiming for as an interviewee from the beginning: human, concise, knowledgeable, interesting. In a word, quotable.

Multi-part questions are just lazy thinking from the journalist. You can always say “what was the first part again?” if you get lost mid-question!

By: janicelbrown

janicelbrown — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:44:47 +0000

Great article and list of tips, Matthew. A clip-and-save for anyone who does press interviews. Two additional tips:

(1) Watch out for the “walk to the elevator.” The interview is not officially over until you or the journalist leaves the building , so stay “on” until the very end. Informal parting comments or responses to seemingly innocuous questions can end up in the story.

(2) If the journalist asks a very complex, multi-level question, break it up into parts when answering. Restate/rephrase each part before answering it.

By: Larry B.

Larry B. — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:07:23 +0000

I have a television talk-show interview next week and I found your tips very useful.

I’m a professor, so it is difficult for me to speak in small bits, but I will practice over the weekend. I’ll use a stop watch to try to make sure my answers are between 30 to 60 seconds.

Thanks a lot