interviewing is an art
The internets is ablaze with a ton of chatter about a poorly conducted interview by Sarah Lacy of Mark Zuckerberg (of the Facebook fame) at a conference called SXSW. I’m amazed at how so many people, who could probably not even interview a tree, are lashing out at the poor skills of the interviewer, and the poor skills of the interviewee.
But I want to take a step back and talk a moment about interviews. I’m not here to judge, and I’m not here to have an opinion on the event that happened at SXSW. Although I’ve seen the videos, and read many posts about it (top of my list is Robert Scobles assessment), I don’t have an opinion. What I do have an opinion on is interviews and the art of interviewing.
Interviews are hard as hell.
There is nothing more challenging than facing another person and talking in an open, honest and frank manner about who they are (who you are), what they do (what you do), how they do it (how you do it), and why they exist (why are you famous again?). Let’s face it, if someone is interviewing you, it’s because you are special in some measured way. Or if you are the interviewer, you are holding someone up to something.
Standing next to a ruler ain’t an easy thing, no matter if you are holding the ruler or not.
I have had the immense pleasure of interviewing lots of people over the past few years, famous and infamous. I say immense pleasure because I’m the kinda guy who likes to get into people’s heads and dig around. I have that gregarious streak in me that loves to relate to other people, but there are some cardinal rules I follow when I’m interviewing, and my point of this whole post is to offer some advice. Not to Mark, not to Sarah, but to the world. With all the buzz on interviewing, I felt like chiming in to say what I think makes a good interviewer and interview in general.
Let’s start with good interviews. They should:
…introduce the interviewee in an objective manner. I don’t care if you’ve loved Ricky Martin since he was in Menudo, don’t open with how much you love him and his work. You can slip that in later, but I’d stray from that. Open objectively.
…introduce where you are and what the point of this interview is. Just because Angelina Jolie is on the phone doesn’t mean people are interested in watching/listening to you chat with her on the phone. Boring! Let everyone know why you are there with that person, in that space. If possible, tease the kinds of things the audience will ‘discover’ by the end of it. Interest the audience at the beginning, and they’ll stick with you.
…be about the interviewee. I dislike interviewers who rambles on forever while asking questions. My own philosophy? I should only be talking 5% (or less) of the entire interview. In a panel interview, that rule changes because you may have to point/redirect questions to different people at different times. But mostly, interviews should contain questions to move the interview along and let the interviewee do most of the talking.
…teach or tell you something you didn’t know before the interview began. That is the core of a good interview. New facts aren’t done through ambush, nor are they done through deception. Thoughtful and interesting questions, targeted to the audience, bring out new information.
A good interviewer should:
…know when to shut TF up. I can’t stress this enough. When someone interviews you, then by all means share your world. But when you are the one asking the questions, sit back and let the information come out.
…make their guest(s) feel comfortable and welcomed. Don’t get too personal and except when the subject matter is really off color, pretend like your mother is watching. Act professionally, and act exactly the way you’d want someone to interview you.
…be sensitive to sensitive information and interviewees. Let’s face it, some people don’t like standing next to that ruler. Don’t embarrass them, and don’t deify anyone. Ever. Find whatever strengths or talking points that the interviewee has and work on those. Someone who is uncomfortable talking about their sexuality wouldn’t want you to ask about it. Besides, they probably didn’t sign up for the interview knowing you’d go there. Ask questions apropos of the point of the interview.
And now the toughest part. A good interviewee. So many people, in so many places, think they are great at giving interviews. And they are an extreme flop. I’ve worked with my share of flops everywhere and honestly, a little warning statement up front would have helped a ton.
A good interviewee should…
…say, right away, up front, before the cameras/recording begin, what is in and out of scope. If nobody asks, speak TF up! If you didn’t tell someone you wouldn’t talk about your ex-husband, chances are they’ll ask you about it. I know that is contrary to my good interviewer rules, but let’s face it. Not everyone is a good interviewer. Tell your interviewer generally where you intend to go with the interview before the interview begins.
…have a presence, but not too strong. That’s a hard thing to do when all eyes are on you. But remember, you are there because they want to learn something. Not everyone is a teacher, but the more you learn to share what-makes-you-special, the better you become at it. Being interviewed can take you on an emotional roller coaster. If you are nervous in front of cameras or microphones, I highly recommend a product called Rescue Remedy. A few drops calms you down without drugging you. Think before you speak, and speak with as few emotional responses as possible.
…honestly tell people when you don’t know something. But if you are THE CEO of a networking company, don’t you dare go dumb when it comes to networking questions. But as said CEO, if someone asks you about the percentage of endangered species in Tanzania and you don’t know, say you don’t know. That is far better that quoting something false and ruining your credibility later. Prepare to talk about what you know and admit when you don’t know something.