by kylepmartin

5 Ways to Maximize Your Interview

A key component of creating great content comes from the interview. This is where you’re going to gain the building blocks of your project and the creative direction you need. Nail it and you can move forward with confidence. Blow it and you’re going to flounder.

 

My background is in newspapers, so my experience with interviews started with the traditional back-and-forth, Frost/Nixon, Barbara Walters-style conversation you picture when you think of news. The setting, though, was often untraditional. I’ve interviewed people through kitchen windows, in hospital rooms, on firing ranges, beside the wreckage of a plane crash, in the smoke of a brush fire and beside crime scene tape, just to name a few.

I didn’t come across many courtroom dramas when I transitioned to marketing, but the interview skills I had developed were just as handy. I used them first to craft stories for digital and print mediums, as well as videos. Other times, especially as a consultant, a good interview gives me a better picture of how the client wants their brand portrayed. This is the foundation and starting point of creative content that will tell a brand’s narrative and develop an emotional connection between the brand and consumers.

 

Here are five tips to make your next interview a success.

Warm Up Your Subject

Your interview does not begin when you start taking notes. It starts with the first impression you make on the doorstep or when you first walk into a meeting. Move with confidence and keep the conversation going. If you’re in an office or home, pick out a photo, trophy or souvenir and ask about it. Or, if you’ve done your homework (think LinkedIn, a phone call to an associate), you’ve come equipped with some background on your subject’s hometown or hobbies.

This serves two purposes. First, it gives your subject some easy and familiar questions to answer and, consequently, puts them more at ease. Secondly, it helps them trust you, which is crucial if you’re going to get a good quote and an impactful story.

Do Your Homework

At their core, interviews are really about uncovering someone’s perspective and opinion. The more you can set aside your bias and understand your subject’s world view, the better your interview will be.

That’s a heavy concept, so let me put it in more practical terms. Some of the most powerful interviews I’ve done are with veterans who survived the Pearl Harbor attack. I’ve never served in the military, much less experienced combat or even been to Hawaii. I can, however, look up details of the attack and talk in broad terms about Schofield Barracks, Oahu and the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. Repeating that knowledge demonstrates that you care about the subject and will help you go into an interview prepared to understand your subject.

Shut Up

As much as you want to show off your newfound knowledge, the interview is not about you. Your job is to supply the questions, then listen attentively and take notes.

One way I avoid interrupting the subject is to write down a question mark or star next to an interesting quote or statement. This will satisfy the urge to interrupt and keep you from forgetting a follow-up question.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Does anyone else cringe when an interviewer asks, “So, how did that make you feel?” There is a time and a place for closed questions. For example, “what is your final deadline?” More often, though, you want open-ended questions. One of my favorite opening questions is, “Tell me about…” This allows the interviewee to pick what’s most important to them and gives you home court advantage.

Ask the Obvious Question

Even with the best preparation, you’re not going to be an expert in the subject. That’s why you’re interviewing this person. So if something comes up you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask. Don’t ask so often that you come across as completely unprepared. But frame it like, “I’m sorry, can you help me understand what means?” Most interviewees will be happy to help.

Leave a comment