INTERVIEW STYLES

Testimonial

• Goal is to record a client or customer expressing satisfaction with your services or product.
• Often your interview subject is not used to being on camera.
• Help guest get comfortable
• Let them know what part of the value to your customers they should talk about
• MORE https://www.interviewlessons.com/interviewjournal/testimonials

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Conversational / Personality Driven

• Often podcasts or talk shows.  
• The audience is as interested in hearing the HOST as they are the guest. 
• OK to interrupt, express attitude or opinion
• Howard Stern, Oprah
• build rapport, to think on your feet, and keep a good sense of balance between remarks, questions, and follow-ups.
• MORE https://www.interviewlessons.com/interviewjournal/conversational-interview

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Curiosity Driven

• The goal is discovery.  
• You don't know where the interview will lead and are only interested in following the natural flow of discovery.  
• The most important skill is deep listening and curiosity.
• Larry King (no prep) OR Terry Gross (tons of prep!)
• MORE https://www.interviewlessons.com/interviewjournal/the-curiosity-driven-interview-style
  

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Journalistic 

• You don't already know the answers, but you do know exactly what you hope to learn.  you will want to have a solid outline and strategy in place before you begin.  
• check your notes to be sure you and your guest stay on track.  
• make sure you get the information you are looking for on tape
• Persist
• Could be antagonistic
• More about answers than rapport
• 60 minutes

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Story Focused

• Your guest has a story to tell 
• something they have achieved, endured or witnessed.   
• facilitate the telling of a rich full tale.  
• You are the guide 
• What happened next
• Then what
• Recap
• Sensory questions
• What did they say

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How To

• Process based
• You are proxy for audience
• Think about context (what audience doesn’t know)
• Tactics
• Most common question “how”

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MORE interviewing Resources

• What Makes Tim Ferris so Good at Interviewing? ​https://www.interviewlessons.com/interviewjournal/what-makes-tim-ferriss-so-good-at-interviewing
• The Turnaround - Interviews about interviewingmaximumfun.org/podcasts/the-turnaround-with-jesse-thorn/

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