I do not like journalists that see an interview as a fight, a wrestle where we want to see a winner.
For me every interview is about your guest in the first place, make them shine, show the beauty and be open to also talk about the difficult moments they went through.
You need to be willing to give your guest a hand and walk a little while with them, holding them and keeping them on the track that feels inspiring to you and the audience.
Never aim to push them off the track and loosen the hand you hold.
If you are able to build that safe space we sometimes call “rapport”, do not disappoint them by becoming their competitor in the conversation.
This doesn’t mean you have to avoid difficult questions, this means you need to be willing to hear and listen to the answer, it is about the answers when you interview, it is not about the questions.
For me this means getting prepared, but also be prepared to give space to serendipity during the real interview. Maybe you come on grounds you did not think you were heading to, maybe the answer surprises you. Be willing to really listen, be willing to drop the plan you had. But never lose track of time, never lose track of the breath, the air, the things that are not said, feel the words in between the sentences. Feel the questions you want to ask, but decide not to ask.
You have the power to ask the questions, the right ones, at the right moment. To feel that energy you need to be there with all your emotions.
One of the things I find very important when I moderate or interview is to be present in the discussion or talk myself with my head but also with my heart and my emotions. Which very often means that I also think about helping people to feel more relaxed even with a lot of people listening when it is live or a camera on their faces. I also find it important to protect my guests from unforeseen things that happen. Those might be technical, but might also be emotional.
Depending on the topic, my own emotions might be more or less involved because of what I already experienced in life. But as a moderator and interviewer I find it important to be strong enough so the people can rely on me but I also want them to be comfortable to be vulnerable, because those are the moments that we really are able to go that mile further than a regular discussion about facts and figures.
You are in the driver’s seat as an interviewer, please get your license first!
