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Interviewing Tips (Celebrities & Politicians)
The Craft of Interviewing by John Brady is a how-to book for authors
and writers on interviewing celebrities and politicians. It was
based on interviews with the likes of Barbara Walters, Arthur Hailey
and Bob Woodward.
The following are quotes from contributors to the book and while
we as incident investigators aren't quite in the same line of work;
there may be something of value in the experiences of these professional
interviewers.
Getting the Interview
"9 out 10 people wouldn't let us in the door, and if you
called them on the phone they would say no, but instead show up
at their home well-dressed and civilized and convince them you are
interested in the truth and not preconceptions. Tell them that if
you've been in error, they are in a position to show you where you
went wrong, and while we didn't think we were in error very often,
it was an effective introduction." (Bob Woodward)
"Never ask to interview a busy person, but rather, ask for an appointment
to get his ‘constructive opinion' on the information you have already
gathered." (Philip Marvin)
"Getting a hostile or balky
subject to agree to an interview can be downright difficult. Try
telling them that since they will be the subject of the report anyway
for the sake of accuracy you would prefer to get their statement
firsthand." (Nat Hentoff)
Rapport Building
"The object is to get the interviewee relaxed, to
make him really talk instead of just answering questions. Forming
a rapport is a prerequisite for anything other than the most superficial
work." (John Gunther)
"For all but the busiest subjects,
small talk is a smooth icebreaker." (Barbara Walters)
"It is better for the interviewer to create atmosphere than to urge
frankness." (E.S. Bogardus)
"You want the interviewee
to accept you as a friend, or at least as a substitute doctor/psychologist
to whom he can unload his problems." (Rex Reed)
"Establishing
rapport if honourable; faking it is risky." (Hunter Thompson)
Doing Research
"Few things are more
infuriating for a subject who is busy (or believes himself to be
busy) than to grant an interview to an unprepared investigator."
(Jessica Mitford)
"Experienced writers agree that
for every minute spent in an interview at least ten minutes should
be spent doing research. Interviews that follow (rather than precede)
careful research are nearly always more productive." (William Manchester)
"Never interview anyone without knowing 60 percent
of the answers." (Cornelius Ryan)
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