Association of Music Personnel in Public Radio 
Fall 2001 

        “Oh, you’re looking for a quote, aren’t you?” blurted the lady when I called to discuss a topic for a magazine article. It was disconcerting, to say the least: in a matter of moments, the phone call had turned from conversation to word choice. I was on the spot and could feel the anxiety emanating from the other end of the line.
        An interview should be a discussion; and although that was a phone call, certain elements of interviewing should apply to any medium. Radio is no exception. By doing phone and in-person interviews for newspaper and magazine articles and other research projects, I’ve realized that a conversational style is gratifying for the interviewer, interviewee, and audience. Words flow freely. Both participants feel comfortable, and tension decreases. Perhaps the most important reason to be conversational in an interview is that follow-up questions seem natural because the focus is not on the next question on the list
          Most inquiries should be based on preparation: know your subject as well as possible. A noted interviewer demonstrated poor preparation by asking Seiji Ozawa if Serge Koussevitzky had ever conducted the Boston Symphony. Consequently, try to know as much about your interviewee as possible. Before you begin, have an understanding of the person’s relationship to the subject.
          For example, if interviewing a musician, you might explore his instrument’s role within the music; some composers are known for their orchestration, like Verdi’s cello solos and Wagner’s brass fanfares. If listening to a specialized ensemble, such as a wind symphony instead of a full orchestra, maybe you’d ask the conductor how the arrangement influences his interpretation or alters the music’s atmosphere.
         Briefly analyzing the world of television helps illustrate how an interview should flow. When approaching the art of asking questions, David Letterman and Jay Leno are like a baseball pitcher and fisherman, respectively. Letterman pitches his questions, very eager to ask the next one. He yearns for quick responses that will provide material for his next question or a humorous aside, whichever comes first. He is less interested in a discussion than rapid-fire material, so you see the pattern and want to connect the elements into a whole.
         Leno, on the other hand, drops the question and sits back and listens patiently. His questions are bait, set out to get a great answer. His interviews flow, with one topic leading to another, one question leading to another. What can be learned from most television personalities is to have the questions in the back of your mind, because you know what you’ll ask; and if you aren’t constantly looking at a sheet of paper, it is easier to maintain eye contact.
        It is important not to underestimate the importance of follow-up questions. Yes, they should come naturally, but they also can tell the interviewee and audience volumes about your interest level. If an interview were nothing more than question-answer, question-answer, boredom would set in. There would be no chemistry, no enthusiasm, no flow, no sense of learning, and no sense of “why are we talking about this?” The audience might guess, perhaps correctly, that you don’t care about the topic, so why should anyone else? Following up gives the dialogue juice.
        The quote with which I began probably was spoken by a lady who lacked trust in me as an interviewer. She didn’t trust that I would make her seem articulate and educated, probably didn’t trust herself to speak properly and coherently, and probably didn’t trust my judgment about how to quote her. Trust is huge in interviewing—once the interviewee has faith, everyone relaxes. You’ll relax knowing the person does not feel like the subject of a science experiment, and you’ll relax knowing you’ve developed a rapport. The interviewee will relax knowing the world won’t end because of a mistake. If the person trusts that you will be forgiving, sensitive, and fair, he will talk.
        We’ve all heard “practice makes perfect,” and interviewing is just like learning to ride a bicycle or keeping a scorecard during a baseball game (which I learned thanks to interviews). It is a skill and should be practiced. The more you do it, the more confidence you will have about your abilities to prepare, ask questions and steer the conversation in the direction you want it to go. You’ll learn from each experience, such as how people react and how you can better formulate questions. Probably the most rewarding part of interviewing is that you’ll learn more about your subject. You might have a new contact for your next question-and-answer session.
        So, yes, I’m looking for a quote, but I hope you didn’t realize it.