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Interviewing and the Art of Profile Writing
Workshop Presented by Susanne M. Alexander, New Orleans, March 17, 2001 BACKGROUND RESEARCH? Jennifer Ansbach: I do enough background research that I have a connection to make with that person. You need to have a human connection, to be a real person to them before they will give you anything useful. I do background research looking for those small details that will help, and I read other profiles to see what information was left out that I (as a reader) would have liked to know. Often people miss the obvious but compelling follow-up question. Salvatore Caputo: Depending on the type of person you're going to interview, you're likely to try to find some old publicity clips that mention this person. If the person has a publicist or is an executive of an organization or company, you'll likely get some handouts about the interviewee's background. If this profile is an extensive one, then just as you would for any other feature or news story, you're going to want to identify sources you can talk to who can help you understand the subject. You might use these interviews only as background to help you develop the questions you want to ask the profile subject, or you might quote them directly if the source has a firsthand story that involves a defining incident that involved both of them. As with any other story, it's important that you attempt to verify these nuggets, either by asking the profile subject, another close source, or even by checking clippings or other available media sources. Chelle E. Cohen: In the type of profile writing I do, I usually am interviewing "real people" who have just experienced an unusual life-changing dramatic event. I am writing about them because of the novelty of their experience, and their heroic response to it. There usually hasn't previously been much written about the people themselves. However, if I know that they have undergone, say a liver transplant, then I will research that, so that I have an idea of the terminology and general procedure that is done with their particular medical condition. On the business entrepreneurs, I might briefly investigate their industry so I have a general background on it. But I don't do extensive research on any profile. That's one of the beauties of doing these pieces, they are less research-intensive and more "people oriented." I like to get to the heart of the person I'm interviewing, and to view the world through their unique perspective and life experience. Flo Conner: I usually like to look at other interviews they've done and pick out unusual phrases or keywords that sound interesting. I try not to talk very much during the interview, so these phrases help show I've done my homework. Lisa Collier Cool: If the person is an expert in some field, it's often helpful to have him send you a CV and whatever studies, journal articles or books he's written--or obtain these materials from his publicist, publisher, or university. Kerry Dexter: There are times when I'd prefer not to read what other people have said about the person. Many of the people I write about are musicians or music business people. I want to look at/listen to/see their work, both current and older stuff then perhaps read something about them if it's available. Kelly Boyer Sagert: The writer must ask all the pertinent questions and ensure the accuracy of the answers. But, a good interviewer is also willing to veer off the subject, if a more engaging one surfaces and so begins the act of balancing. My personal solution is this: I research the subject of the interview and jot down thoughts in preparation, but I never create a hard and fast set of questions. I want my interviews to have the flavor of a pleasant yet professional conversation. There's a risk in this because vital questions can be overlooked. I won't claim that this never happens to me, but, with practice, it has become a rare occurrence and the spontaneity I maintain is worth the gamble. Shari Sweeney: In addition to gathering raw data & facts -- where she went to college, whether he has kids, etc. -- I like to try to get some idea what this person is like. Reading other profiles of the person, or just news stories in which he/she is quoted, can give some clues to whether the person is talkative, friendly, easy to anger, etc. CRITICAL QUESTIONS? Jennifer Ansbach: I always double-check basic background info, including all spelling. I know one professional hockey player whose hometown is wrong in all the press materials, and he always remembers that I'm the only one who gets it right. Ask the obvious questions to hear it from the subject's mouth--anything could have been misinterpreted in the past. Robert Bittner: Open-ended questions that can't be answered with a simple yes or no are the mainstay of profile writing. But I also think it's important that you not be satisfied with a brief answer that you think you understand. When I was just starting out, a subject would say something that was a little vague or simplistic -- "You know, I really didn't enjoy my high school very much" -- and I'd let it go at that. Of course, these kinds of statements need to be pursued in order to get a full and accurate profile. (If they aren't pursued, you and your readers will simply read into the subject's answers whatever experiences or thoughts we've had ourselves, thereby missing what makes this particular subject unique.) Salvatore Caputo: First, you have to ask yourself why you're doing the profile and whether other profiles have been done on this person. This will help you to know what's commonly known about the person, so that you can ask questions that probe a little more deeply. In the interview, though, always assume that all your research is wrong. As much as you can, quickly verify with the profile subject the truth of the main points you want to make as a result of your research, and get the subject to elaborate on your key points if possible. Get the subject to tell stories as much as possible. A profile of Fife Symington, one-time governor of Arizona, began by retelling the time student Symington was going to school with Bill Clinton and saved the young Clinton from drowning. If there is a controversy in this person's background that's only tangential to the profile you're doing, you'll want to ask the person to comment on it, but save the question for last, get what you really need first. Say, you're doing a profile on a stockbroker who has had tremendous success picking stocks that everyone else pooh-poohed. You'll want to try to find questions that let the broker explain how his life experiences led to this success, and what obstacles he had to overcome to get there. As you are about to end the interview and before you ask any potential controversial questions that could make the interview subject clam up or storm out, ALWAYS, always ask whether there is something else that you haven't touched upon that they wish to mention. Quite often, they have nothing, but every now and again, this question turns up brand-new information that the interview subject, now comfortable with you, would never have mentioned earlier. Chelle Cohen: Luckily, most people love to talk about themselves. The important thing is to just keep asking questions, and to keep listening carefully. I usually start by getting them to tell me some comfortable, easy-to-report information, such as their correct name, address, phone, and email address so I get them in the mode of talking. Then I go to some easy to answer questions such as, "What are some everyday activities you do each day as a ____________(occupation or role in story)." Then I try to get them back in the experience they are recounting by asking for telling details. "What were you wearing on the day your house burned down?" "Was your daughter carrying her stuffed animal with her - or did she leave it inside?" "What did the fire smell like to you?" (as well as many other sensory detail questions) "What were your thoughts when you realized the cat was still trapped inside?" "How were you feeling when you saw the fireman carry him out?" "What the cat listless? Wailing? Yowling?" "What were your husband's exact words when you called him on the phone to tell him?" "How did he react to the news? Did he get angry, sad?" "Did he sigh, swear, or reassure you?" Last, I try to get them to summarize the emotional impact of their experience. Questions like, "What was the hardest/most painful thing that happened?" "How did you get through those rough times?" "What people did you turn to? How did they offer support?" "Was there ever a time you and your husband/wife almost lost hope?" "How did you keep pursuing your dream, even when it seemed beyond your grasp?" "How did your life change since the fire?" "What lesson did the fire teach you?" Some of the best material comes out after the interview is formally over - so don't turn off your tape recorder! I often ask, "Is there anything else you feel we haven't covered? Anything else you'd like to add?" Flo Conner: Usually I'm talking to people about their expertise and advice they have to offer others in their field, so it's crucial that we establish their credibility. Lisa Collier Cool: I always start with the easy ones, such as the spelling of her name, her title or profession, age, marital status, names and ages of her kids, if any, etc. Then I basically encourage the person to tell her story in chronological order, through questions like, "When did you first have any symptom you now associate with this disorder?" "What prompted you to search for your birth mother?" "How did you get started as a jockey?" "What were you doing right before the explosion?" Lea Leever Oldham: The first question I always ask is "How did you get into this . . ." That's whether it's a profession, a business, a creative pursuit, or whatever. And I take notes and jot down questions that come to me based on the answer to that question. I also always tape the conversation but take notes so I won't forget what I want to know and just in case the tape player doesn't work. My last question is always the same, "What advice would you give someone who wanted to..." Fill in the blank. NON-STANDARD/UNUSUAL QUESTIONS? Susanne M. Alexander: I like to ask how the person is giving back to the community or to other people. It gives me a glimpse of their heart and values. Another line of questioning that can result in interesting quotes is asking if there was an experience that was a turning point in the person's life and how any learning from it shaped who they are. I also like to dig into the key skills a person uses to be successful and how they apply those skills in all areas of their life. Jennifer Ansbach: I try to ask questions away from the obvious. When I interview professional athletes, I work on finding out who they are off the ice -- "not-hockey" questions as one player calls them. Their idea of a perfect day, or evening, who they would want to have dinner with, etc. I try to ask unusual questions suggested by what I already know about them. And, of course, I always finish an interview with "What else would you like me to know about you? What questions did you think I would ask that I didn't?" The latter uncovers all kinds of stuff they assumed you knew about, and it is often something they wouldn't have answered but now they opened the door to it themselves. Salvatore Caputo: I always used to ask pop musicians whether they knew Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue," which was a landmark sort of jazz record. This was a question that would seem really outside the ballpark for most of them because it wasn't about their current projects (profiles of musicians are almost always a case of using the press as a marketing tool to tout the latest project/tour). If they didn't answer with a one-word "no" or "yes," they either revealed some surprising depth to their musical knowledge and often offered a new perspective on how they viewed their own work or an interesting anecdote that no other interviewee had ever pried from them. To develop such questions, you need to think about the nature of the profile you'll be writing. What don't people expect to hear from your interviewee? Ask a stockbroker about his favorite sport, maybe? Things of that nature can fill out the portrait very well, often revealing something telling or providing a stark contrast to the image the interviewee may want to project. Flo Conner: I don't do controversial or interrogative interviews, so I spend my time listening for interesting detours that will flesh out a point. I'm always asking for examples and stories and jump on often throwaway comments that really contain a rich vein of dialogue. I keep in mind that people love to talk about themselves and what they're passionate about, but they're often self-conscious at the beginning of the interview. I start out with easy, almost formula questions, then move deeper. It's fun to uncover what they're passionate about. Lisa Collier Cool: Depending on the nature of your profile, you may want to ask about the person's religious faith, medical history, alternative treatments he's tried, his childhood, what his parents were like (and their professions), his pets, mistakes he's made, what his family thinks about decisions he's made (you might also want to interview family members or friends), what he would say to people who are skeptical about his methods, why he stuck to his plan despite discouragement, what lessons he's learned from this experience, what he'd do differently next time, secrets of his success, etc. Lea Leever Oldham: I sometimes ask who the interviewee's role models were and why. Sue Russell: I asked Jim Harrison, author of the book (and film) Wolf (starring Jack Nicholson), if he was meditating heavily when he wrote Wolf. He answered -- looking surprised -- that indeed he was. I just sensed that he was in some kind of, shall we say, altered state from the way he was describing his lonely months in a remote cabin writing the book. I don't care if I'm accused of armchair psychology, I always try to figure out what was going on in the person's mind when they committed a particular act, be it a crime or a decision to leave a lucrative career for life in a commune, or to become part of a three-way marriage. I put myself in their shoes, in my mind, and the questions come. Arline Zatz: I usually ask them to tell me the best thing that's ever happened to them while in business, and the worst thing. This usually breaks the ice, especially when I have a person who goes blank. QUESTIONS/SUBJECTS TO AVOID? Jennifer Ansbach: Never. Don't be insulting unless you can afford to have the subject walk away. Don't ask the tough question until the end when the subject walking away will not prevent you from writing a story anyway. Salvatore Caputo: No. The interviewee is free to decline to answer certain questions. That being said, you also have to determine what bounds of civility you want to maintain. If you're told beforehand that the subject hates talking about his or her childhood and his or her childhood isn't what your stories about, then why ask? If it's germane or the central point of your story, you have to make that clear to the interviewee before you go in. Your upfront tact and clarity of purpose can get a person to talk about things he or she normally hates to discuss. I wouldn't ask a man who has no history of abuse in his background, "Do you beat your wife?" So, stick to the subject matter that is relevant to your audience and assigning editor. Leave tangential controversial questions until last. If the subject chooses to end the interview at that point, you at least have an interview. If the controversial questions are at the heart of the interview, then ask those upfront, but in as polite a fashion as possible. Chelle E. Cohen: No, the interesting questions are the ones that are sometimes most uncomfortable to ask. But you have to ask. It's your job. Sometimes the most embarrassing, wrenching, or upsetting questions are the heart of the interview. Yes and no questions frequently lead nowhere, and create a kind of "lull" or silence in the interview that can get the conversation off-track. Flo Conner: Asking for work or anything that takes advantage of the relationship you've built with this person. Poof -- there goes your credibility. It's not the questions usually, but a subject that bores me that gets me into trouble. I also hate prigs -- people who are condescending and disrespectful to me (cause it means they're disrespectful of the readers as well). However, I love egomaniacs. If you're willing to listen to all the hot air, you can usually find some great gems. Lisa Collier Cool: Ask the awkward/embarrassing questions last. Otherwise, I think you should ask any question that would help people better understand this person. Kerry Dexter: Depends of the purpose of your interview, and how well you know the subject. Basically, I would say, treat everyone with respect, and that includes sensitivity in the questions you ask. Lea Leever Oldham: I'd say marital problems unless it's that kind of show, gender preferences, age, monetary worth. Any question that could embarrass the person. Sue Russell: Quite possibly, if one were to follow the rules of good taste. But we're journalists. I make those decisions as I go along but generally, everything is fair game, providing you use a gentle approach. Often I will preface a question by saying, "You don't have to answer this, but..." or, "You may not want to answer this, but...." or, "I quite understand if you don't want to answer this, but..." Sometimes the result is great intimate information. I won't/don't ask someone about their sexual proclivities if they are not "out of the closet." I would ask how they feel about rumors about them, does it hurt, do they care, don't they want to clear it up, etc. Arline Zatz: Hmmmm, I think that one is always, 'How much is your annual income,' or 'What's your net profit?' KEY ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL AND INTERESTING PROFILE? Susanne M. Alexander: I want the reader to wish that they had been present at the interview because it was so interesting. I think it's important to do more than portray what a person does and how they look. I want the reader to understand something about the person's concerns, goals, regrets, and choices--what makes them happy, sad, angry, or passionate. Jennifer Ansbach: I think the key is getting that person to relate to you as a person, not a business transaction. When I can get past the tough exterior and find out nuggets that shed light on someone's personality that no one else has bothered to ferret out, I consider that a success. Robert Bittner: Good, probing questions that follow wherever the conversation leads but are also able to pull the subject back on track if things go too far a field. I also think it's important to convey something of what it's like to meet this person face to face, so I think conveying the person's physicality is helpful -- clothing, gestures, is he wearing cologne? too much?, food/beverage choices. And, generally speaking, I am not interested in the interviewer's clothing, habits, and food/beverage choices; I think the most successful and interesting profiles are those that focus on the subject, not the interviewer. Salvatore Caputo: The same elements that make any story successful, conflict and resolution. If this person has made some dramatic achievement, what obstacles did he or she overcome? If the person was on the fast track all his or her life, it's going to be a pretty dull story, but everybody has setbacks or qualms or phobias. These points of weakness or stress (a businessman who decides he wants to be top dog but also wants to give his family plenty of time and so has to juggle even greater demands than the guy who just puts his family on the back burner) or contradiction and complexity (the producer of a risqué show that's on in prime time who doesn't let his children watch TV because it's too risqué) are what you want to illuminate. Chelle E. Cohen: Getting them to loosen up and forget I'm a reporter. It almost becomes a stream-of-consciousness conversation - like they are talking to themselves or a friend, and forgetting about the audience. The self-consciousness slips away. Shari Sweeney: Details!!! What was he wearing when you talked? Did he take his suit coat off? Was his shirt wrinkled? Maybe he wears cufflinks shaped like dollar signs. ... What does her office look like? Are there lots of family photos? Is the furniture leather? ... Also interesting quotes -- if it's a dull quote but necessary info, paraphrase it. Flo Conner: That you as the writer are interested and care about the person or subject. I write about coaching because I love personal development and I think this is an exciting industry to be around and write about. The interview subjects pick up on that interest and it helps them open up to me. I'm not a Pollyanna writer, but I'm able to discuss controversial or tough subjects in ways that put the other person at ease. Dustin S. Klein: You have to capture more than what a person tells you. You must be able to make observations about a profile subject that are more subtle than what "leaps out at you." Sue Russell: Peeling more layers of the onion. There must be, one hopes, some fresh and new information or insight. Otherwise, you're in workmanlike territory. Lisa Collier Cool: It's best to interview the subject in person, preferably in his home or office so you can see him in his native environment. If this is impossible for some reason, I'd ask the person for a photo so you can describe him in the article. The major key is selecting an interviewee who has had unusual or intriguing experiences and is willing to discuss them in a vivid way. It's also important to bring the person to life through vivid description. If you're in her office, you may want to mention interesting objects you see. In a profile I did of some survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing, I described how the husband of a woman who was injured in the blast showed me the clothing she was wearing when the bomb went off, including a blood stained satin pushup bra. In another house, everything was decorated with angels. Arline Zatz: Being polite and friendly from the beginning, asking the person to explain things I don't understand, and asking permission to call or return with further questions. I also ask when the most convenient time to set up the interview would be for the person, whether it's a phone or in-person interview. DISLIKE IN PROFILES YOU READ? Susanne M. Alexander: It really irritates me when the writer has so much in-depth knowledge of the person's industry or life, and displays it throughout the article, that the whole article seems like an inside conversation. If you don't have the same depth of knowledge they do, you are left feeling like an outsider to the story instead of connected to it. Jennifer Ansbach: I really can't stand profiles written that seem to have no respect for the subject. Even if you don't like the person, or what they stand for, I always respect that my subjects are people, busy people, who gave me their most valuable commodity--their time. I have no problem printing unflattering things if they are true, but I prefer to show those and let the reader draw the conclusion. I hate when writers tell me the subject was a pompous ass--let me see it, and I'll make my own decision. It's too easy to do a hatchet job -- it's much harder to actually try to find out who someone is and what motivates them. I read a profile of Pete Rose in which I was convinced the man was an ass, but the author never told me that he thought so. Salvatore Caputo: I don't like it when the writer essentially is obsequious [fawning]. It makes me squirm. This is a tendency I see in sports and other celebrity profiles, especially the kind of stuff where the writer talks about what they had for lunch when they got together to chat. This makes me want to throttle the interviewer, especially when the writing starts to get into isn't it nice to be chumming around with this person. On the other hand, I think some writers go too far the opposite way just to prove they aren't chums, and that usually turns out to lack credibility just as much as the kissy-kissy profile. These types of profiles lack the balance and perspective that's necessary for good reading. Flo Conner: No depth. Allowing people to get away with the quotes the PR people taught them. I blame the interviewer because most people really do want to communicate and share with others. No examples or stories that show what they're talking about instead of just telling. Those take time to uncover because people have to stop and think and remember and most interviewers just want to move things along to the next question. It also takes skill to help people remember specific examples. If they're stuck, I'll ask, "Was there a time when..." or "Is there a specific person who worked for you who...." Kerry Dexter: They are either too predictable or too self-conscious, or the presence/biases of the interviewer detract from the clarity of the piece. I would say that in the actual writing of a profile, structure is important. The kind of structure will of course be determined by a lot of variables, but the importance of whatever you want your audience to know about the person should inform your structure. And the piece should have structure -- I see a lot that don't. Lea Leever Oldham: I don't like the question and answer format and rarely read one. As soon as I see the format I turn the page unless it's about someone I really want to know about and then I simply skim it. I like an article that makes the subject interesting to me and gets the flavor of the person enough so I think I really know the person well. I also don't like the writer injecting his or her own feelings in a blatant way although every writer does by the things that are included and omitted. Sue Russell: The overt injection of the journalist into the story as practiced, sickeningly at times, by certain writers in Movieline. I don't care that the journalist's boyfriend has just dumped her and Meg Ryan was sympathetic or admired the writer's pink blouse as they sped down Pacific Coast Highway en route to a bean sprout lunch at Cafe Whatnot. Having done my share of such stories, I am entitled to criticize. However, I will say that while I would use the color, the speeding down PCH and bean sprouts, I never gave myself a starring role in the story. Shari Sweeney: There are mags like Vanity Fair and Esquire that publish lots of profiles, most well written, but 99% of the time they are TOO LONG and give me too much information I don't care about or that is not pertinent. I also detest profiles in which the author brings himself in -- this happens a lot in GQ and Esquire, where a profile of Russell Crowe by Joe Smith spends a lot of time describing all the things Joe Smith did during his day/week/hour with Russell Crowe but doesn't tell me a whole lot about what Russell Crowe is really like, you know? ... I also hate profiles that are missing basic information -- is she married? Where does she live? How old is he? Arline Zatz: Some go on and on - boast of the person's accomplishments more than how he/she got to the place they are now at. WORDS OF WISDOM? Susanne M. Alexander: Sometimes people are nervous about my tape recorder (I either carry one or run one off my phone line), but they hate to be misquoted even more. At the beginning of all interviews, I tell people that I prefer to tape the interview because I'm committed to getting their quotes right, and it's a gesture of my respect for them that I want to run it. No one ever refuses to let me turn it on. I listen to the tapes while I'm transcribing key quotes and evaluate my participation in the interview. Did I talk too much or too little? Sometimes if an interview is pedestrian and nothing interesting is coming up, though, it can help to share a personal perspective. This can jump start communication from the interviewee. At the end of interviews, I thank the person for their time, let them know the publication date (if known), and commit to reading any quotes back to them that I'm going to use if they request it and are very nervous about what is going into print. Jennifer Ansbach: I usually deal with men who don't want to talk to anyone, let alone a reporter. I know another writer on my beat used to screw subjects over, printing things said in confidence and taking things out of context. If you're working with someone who is interviewed regularly, they sometimes will feed you misinformation "off the record" deliberately to see if you'll print it so they know who they can trust. Break a subject's trust, and you'll be looking for a new subject. Do it more than once, you'll need a new line of work. Other than that, go with the flow. Smile if your subject is smiling. Don't smile if your subject is having a terrible day. And, if possible, ask if it's a good time to talk. I've had fantastic interviews because I extended the courtesy of coming back when they were up to it. Writing a profile is license to ask questions you otherwise have no business asking. Treat your subject with respect and it'll pay off. Robert Bittner: Profiles can be written without doing actual interviews (Biography magazine fills its pages every month with them), but most will involve sitting down on the phone or in person with a subject. And that can create a tricky dynamic. When interviewing non-celebrities, subjects may actually forget that you are a writer taking notes and begin to consider you an interested confidante or even a new friend. As a result, a subject may tell you things they didn't really expect to see in print. Or they may end up feeling hurt or offended that their conversation with a "new friend" didn't sound so friendly and positive once it appears in print. Writers should go into each interview fully prepared for this dynamic and able to navigate it successfully. Salvatore Caputo: The most important thing is that you cannot be too prepared for the interview. If the interviewee insists on you tape-recording the interview, you have to have a tape recorder ready, and if they feel inhibited by a recorder then you need to know how to take notes quickly. Try to have a conversation with the subject, do whatever you can to win confidence and make the person comfortable in answering your questions. Then, listen to the subject; don't think about your next question until the person finishes talking. I find it helpful to have a checklist with single keywords about the subjects I want to cover with the interviewee, and I find writing out questions in advance is just a hindrance to the kind of spontaneity that creates a comfortable atmosphere for the profile subject. Chelle E. Cohen: My most unusual setting for an interview was poolside at a subject's home. I was wearing my swimsuit (the subject was also), and I tried to write notes and tape record, while my husband and daughter frolicked with her family in the pool. While my notes got a little soggy, and the tape came out hard to hear because of the background splashing, shouting, and giggling, it was one of the best interviews I've done. The subject felt relaxed and at ease, and revealed emotional details that she might not have given in a more formal setting. I avoid interviewing people at restaurants - because the background noise level is high, and you get frequently interrupted by the waitress. It's not conducive to in-depth or candid interviews. Not only should you make note of what the subject says, but also their mannerisms. If you're interviewing in person, which is always nice - try to interview the subject in their own home, office or environment. It helps you see them in the "natural" setting, and get a better sense of who they really are. You can see what books they read, what music they listen to, and how they interact with their kids. Is Mr. Entrepreneur's den decorated with award plaques from his business, expensive art prints, or handmade drawings from his son's kindergarten class? Does Ms. Busy Career Woman have baby spit up on her white silk blouse? That's an important and telling detail to add. Flo Conner: I used to transcribe my notes right away and then use them to write my story from. I find when I do that, I'm basically organizing and rearranging quotes, instead of writing a real profile that involves my skills as an observer. Now, I send my tapes out to a transcriptionist (I bought a friend a dictation machine and pay her $15 an hour to transcribe...she's really fast) and in the time between, write down the main subjects and talk to all my friends about the interview. I take notes of what I talk about and what interests them in what the person said, and I write a rough draft before I ever get the transcribed file back. Then I use the transcription to check points, quotes, content and context and file it away in case I ever want to refer back to the interview. An added bonus is that I get to see how I conduct an interview and where I could improve my interviewing skills. My transcriptionist is also my interview coach -- when I see "blah, blah, blah" written on the transcript, I know I got too long-winded, or off the subject or boring to her. Follow up for clarification, questions, or more information about a vein you missed during the interview. I work best under screaming deadlines, so I don't leave myself enough time to follow up in depth. Lisa Collier Cool: It's often helpful to flatter the person or at least praise them so they feel they're doing a good job with the interview, which encourages them to open up even more. Also commiserate with them when they're relating something sad, and be appropriately indignant if they describe being mistreated in some way. Get some lively quotes that let the person's voice come through. I know one writer who always makes the people he interviews sound just like he does, no matter whether the person is a janitor with an 8th grade education or a Harvard researcher. That's a big mistake. Kerry Dexter: Ask, what is the one thing you want to tell the audience about this person? What do you want them to remember? You don't have to state that explicitly, but think about those perspectives when crafting your piece. Encouraging someone to speak openly with me is a function of trust. I feel that what goes on in an interview is between the subject and me, and telling funny stories about it later (though many of my subjects might not mind) doesn't seem right to me. Dustin S. Klein: Spend as much time with someone as you can. Eschew phone interviews and e-mail-based interviews until after you've had the opportunity to physically accompany your subject around. This will allow you to make visual -- and oratory -- observations of your subject that a simple interview will not. I once spent a day riding horses with a profile subject on his farm. It was an opportunity for him to let his guard down in such a way that we were able to converse without the veil that's put up during an interview. Another time, I spent two straight days in a manufacturing plant with the CEO, accompanying him in meetings (none of which were so private I was excluded) and in his dealings with staff members. It was a great opportunity to witness his management style first hand. Lea Leever Oldham: Look at the person when you're not writing and pretend you're interested even if you're not (and you'd better be). I always ask for a specific time, usually an hour, but sometimes I'm lucky to get half an hour. And when that time is up, I tell the person "I asked for an hour, and that time is up, so thank you very much." Often the person will ask me to stay, but then it has become his or her option, I lived up to mine. I never offer to show the interviewee the article and if pressed I'll provide the first draft and give the person a specific date to say something or lose by default; this is usually two days. I have shown drafts when the subject was technical and I wanted to make sure my facts were right. If an interviewee says something and then asks that it be off the record, I always agree and have never broken that promise. Sue Russell: When an interviewee is in a really lousy mood, something catastrophic has happened perhaps, and it is clear they will not be baring their soul but rather being monosyllabic, I've sometimes offered to do the interview at another time. It's a gamble, they might not show up for the second appointment, but more often, it has paid off in that the subject is grateful for your understanding and they are extra cooperative later. Kelly Boyer Sagert: · Prepare for the interview. Read the most recent or most well known book of the author's. Also, read already-published interviews of this person, to avoid stale and clichéd questions and peruse any press releases accompanying the book. · Determine what interests you most about the book and/or author and jot down these thoughts. Also, write down anything that confuses you, so that it can be cleared up. · Set a precise time for the interview and be on time. Often interviewees like to know how long the interview will take, so offer an estimate. · If a statement during the interview confuses you, paraphrase that statement, then say, "If I understand you . . ." If you were correct, your mind is at ease. If you misunderstood something, then you just prevented an embarrassing error. · Thank the person for his or her time and ask that you be allowed a short follow-up phone call for clarifications. · Clear your calendar for a short time after the interview because they often take longer than expected. Gauge the reaction of the interviewee, however, to see if this extended time is acceptable. (Or just ask!) · After the interview, review your notes while they're still fresh in your mind and organize information immediately. · Send a written thank-you note. In this hurried and harried world, old-fashioned etiquette sparkles and puts you a professional pedestal. When the article arrives in all its polished glory, send a copy to the person interviewed. Shari Sweeney: To be good at profiling, you've got to learn to make people feel comfortable, which happens over time. I almost always spend some time, sometimes a lot of time, just talking -- not asking questions or writing down answers, just gabbing to get a sense of who this person is, can I joke around with them, etc. For instance, I wrote about a portfolio manager for Inside Business, and during my meeting with him we talked for a good 15 minutes about a recent trip to France, where I'd been the year before. PROFILES VERSUS OTHER ARTICLES/SUBJECTS? Susanne M. Alexander: I think profiles require keener listening skills than many other articles do. You almost have to listen for what is behind their words, and you have to hear nuances of voice and read body language better than in many other circumstances. One of the challenges with profiles is getting enough information and perspectives that the person is "well-rounded." My draft of a profile I did of an umpire made him sound like a saint--no one was willing to risk saying anything bad about him! I had to persist to get more information. Kerry Dexter: I think they are more enjoyable. I love being able to ask creative people about their work. Profiles are not easy to write well, but they are exciting challenges, and each one is different, whether I'm writing about an artist new to me or my fifteenth story about someone I know well. Sue Russell: Varies. If you're writing for a publication where you need to interview all the subject's friends and family, they can be very difficult, especially since the subject, likely the person of power, can veto access. Profiles of "unknowns" are the easiest, they're generally keen, cooperative, forthcoming, and want the publicity. Jaded high-profile folk are a far greater challenge. Some speak as if wind-up dolls in pat set phrases, they've been interviewed so many times. You have to break through that at all costs. Difficult if time is limited. Sometimes you fail. Interviewing well requires so much fluidity in your approach. Thank God for tape recorders so you can work out the next best question while the tape captures the words. Often, after an interview, I have no recollection of what was said. I was slightly removed, strategizing, thinking ahead, absorbing the answer then quickly moving on to figuring out what then had to be asked, what might deliver good information. Some of that happens when the subject is still speaking. Shari Sweeney: I find them, well, not easier, but often more fun. I'm speaking personally -- some writers are great investigative reporters and others are good at spot-news. I love the challenge of really trying to get to know someone and then bring the person you met and talked with to readers. PROFILES YOU ADMIRE? Oprah's magazine "O"; The New Yorker; Atlantic Monthly; Vanity Fair; Harper's; Esquire; Smithsonian; Outside; American Way, Delta Sky, and Southwest Spirit; Women's magazines (from Family Circle to Essence); Sports Illustrated; A&E's Biography and Lifetime's Intimate Portrait; Business publications. BOOKS TO RECOMMEND? "The Craft of Interviewing" by John Brady "Creative Conversations" by Michael Schumacher "Intimate Journalism" by Walt Harrington "Writing Dramatic Nonfiction" by William Noble "Creative Nonfiction" by Philip Gerard END NOTE "...the essence of journalism...to me...is getting people to trust you to tell their stories. To me there's no more special gift that someone can give me as a journalist than the trust to tell their story. And I think everybody, everybody has an interesting story to tell. My job is always to find that story. At bottom, this is all about people. People love to read about people. They love to find out about other people. So even when there are big issues you're confronting, I think we always need to tell the story through people. Michael Dobie, Newsday, Best Newspaper Writing 2000 (Poynter), page 387 WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS Susanne M. Alexander is a Cleveland-based freelance journalist, a member of the American Society of Journalists & Authors, and a Cleveland board member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Jennifer Ansbach, freelance writer covering local news and professional sports, primarily pro ice hockey. Robert Bittner, freelance writer. Salvatore Caputo, freelance writer-editor, newspaper journalist for 22 years and since 1997, freelancer doing book, magazine, newspaper, Website and corporate writing, ghostwriting, and copyediting. Chelle E. Cohen, freelance writer, Kansas City, MO. Flo Conner, freelance writer. Lisa Collier Cool, award-winning journalist and author of How to Write Irresistible Query Letters and other books. Kerry Dexter, freelance journalist and producer specializing in roots music, music business, and law; contributing writer for SonicNet/MTVi; VH1.com; Barnes & Noble Online; folk and roots music magazine Dirty Linen; Bluegrass Unlimited; Tapestry; and others. Dustin S. Klein, editor of Small Business News Magazine. Lea Leever Oldham, freelance writer and former senior writer on a daily business newspaper as well as editor of two monthly publications; coordinator of regional writers conferences. Sue Russell, journalist/author. Kelly Boyer Sagert, teaches writing for Writer's Digest online; served as managing editor of Back Fence Publishing for nearly four years; author of Bout Boomerangs: America's Silent Sport published over 1,000 pieces of writing in magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias (by Macmillan) and online venues as a freelance writer. Shari Sweeney, freelance writer. Arline Zatz, award-winning author of Best Hikes With Children in New Jersey (The Mountaineers); 30 Bicycle Tours in New Jersey (Backcountry); New Jersey's Great Gardens (Countryman/Norton); and New Jersey's Special Places (Countryman); her features and photographs appear in magazines and newspapers nationwide. [an error occurred while processing this directive] |