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Slacker · Oct 10, 2018

Doc Holliday said: ↑

One approach I've really embraced is not to ask direct questions so much as just having a conversation with a coach or player. Sure, in a sense you do ask a question but if you can just listen to what they're saying and add comments or reply to their comments as if you're in a conversation, you'll be amazed at the responses you'll get. It seems like so many reporters ask questions but fail to listen to the answer. I bet this drives coaches and players batshit crazy.

By steering the interview into a conversation, the feeling of reporter/coach or reporter/player kind of disappears into something along the lines of just two dudes talking. I hear this a lot on talk radio. What happens is it becomes casual and the person being interviewed becomes very comfortable and opens up much better than just by pounding them with direct questions. Think of David Letterman and how he handled guests. They usually just talked and some really good stuff seemed to always come out of it.

Now, I do think it takes some time to cultivate this type of interview. You kind of need a relationship with the person you're interviewing as in they need to believe you're trustworthy and responsible, and that usually takes time to develop. But I've found that taking an interview this direction can really have some great benefits.
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Good post, but Letterman was a horribly clumsy interviewer through most of his career. Always reading from his cards.

Johnny Carson was the master of conversation interviews. He could steer or follow his guests anywhere, anytime.

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