Spy vs spy…
Interviewer: You’ve been an interviewer for 40 years. Particularly in Japan. What’s the most important thing to keep in mind while interviewing?
Stephen: You, the interviewer, are the medium. The interviewee is the message. Your job as interviewer is to help the interviewee tell their story.
Interviewer: And as the interview progresses?
Stephen: Keep a balance of planned questions and spontaneous questions. Questions should be short. Allow the interviewee to tell a story. Keep the tone light, don’t beat a topic to death.
Interviewer: Do you prepare?
Stephen: Usually. Times I haven’t it’s gone less well. You may not use your research but it’s there to be drawn on. Plans are useless but planning is essential.
Interviewer: As an interviewer do you ever find yourself interrogating friends?
Stephen: Oh yes. They sometimes say, you aren’t conversing, you’re interrogating me. And you have to learn to the difference between interrupting and interjecting. Takes practice.
Voice-over
The interviewee tells stories of his successes and sketches of when things went wrong. An admirable synopsis of interviewing.
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