Pre-Interview and Preparation for Interviewer Craft

Interview Pre-Interview and Preparation Notes

• Why the interviewer cares about the story before the interview

  • Knowing the shape of the story lets you craft the telling with control and minimize interruptions during the interview.
  • You can observe the story arc and guide the guest through it, enabling the listener to follow and trust the narrative.
  • Being familiar with the arc helps you identify where the story needs to breathe, where to raise the stakes, and where you should prompt for more detail.
  • Confidence with the material helps the guest feel at ease and helps the listener trust that this is a story worth hearing.

• The medium and the goal: voice as the key

  • The essential format is a phone call because you need to assess how the person comes across by voice alone.
  • The interviewer might be more comfortable on the phone than in front of people, but the voice is what carries the story.
  • Radio/podcasting thrives on intimate, voice-driven storytelling where the audience feels connected in real time.

• The pre-interview: purpose and basics

  • A pre-interview is primarily a professional courtesy and a preparation step to unlock the story.
  • Basics covered in every pre-interview:
  • Hospitality: express how pleased you are to help tell their story.
  • Housekeeping: producer-related details and practicalities.
  • Pronunciation: confirm how to pronounce their last name.
  • Comfort in your studio: ensure they’re at ease with the recording setup.
  • Early coverage of these basics prevents getting sidetracked later during the deep dive.
  • Story details: put on the journalist hat and cover the essentials: where, when, how. A detailed timeline can be created for the interview flow.
  • Guest boundaries: ask about any topics they don’t want to be asked about; respect these boundaries even if the guest or their publicist pushes back.
  • Questions for you: invite the guest to ask questions about the process.
  • Reassurance: recognize that even famous or clever guests can be nervous; reassurance is invaluable.

• The “full” pre-interview: entering the guest’s world with curiosity

  • Preparation should be enough to enter the guest’s world but still open enough to discover new angles in the moment.
  • Balance: avoid under-preparing (which yields a dull interview) and over-preparing (which can constrain spontaneous discovery).
  • Energy as a guide: listen for when the guest’s energy rises or shifts and dive deeper at those points (the tender points).
  • Seek the offbeat: push beyond rehearsed backstories to uncover the experiences behind offhand remarks and what the guest truly understands and believes.
  • Find odd or confusing aspects: uncover the parts of the story that still confuse or trouble the guest, as these can yield compelling conversation.
  • Don’t abandon simple questions: simple questions are not a weakness; they help you stay connected to the audience’s perspective as the interviewer-as-audience proxy.
  • Revisit old tales: note stories that have become dull and help the guest refresh them through sensory detail and new angles.
  • Time management: recognize and request the amount of time you need to do the job well; guests may resist, but most people appreciate a thorough, careful process.
  • Caution about pre-interview content: if you get deeply emotionally connected in pre-interview, you risk shaping or draining content before the actual recording; be mindful of not burning good content too early.
  • Delegation: if interviewing on behalf of someone else, there may be slightly less risk of over-perfuming the pre-interview with potential over-sharing.

• From the guest’s perspective: examples and reflections

  • A guest may be asked to move from TV into radio, reflecting on how radio feels more satisfying to many interviewers because it’s a more intimate, flexible medium.
  • Radio vs TV: tangible differences include audience engagement, pacing, and the absence of visual cues; radio allows deeper, more exploratory conversation.
  • The practical joy of radio: it can take listeners to strange and interesting places and often feels richer than visual media because it’s a more personal, conversational experience.

• The interview as a conversation, not a performance by the interviewer

  • A recurring theme is to avoid portraying the interviewer as a high priest who already knows everything; discovery, curiosity, and humility drive better interviews.
  • Ira Glass’s perspective: pretending you know everything blocks discovery, humor, and being in the moment; openness to being wrong enhances the interview.
  • The goal is a genuine encounter with the guest, not a stage for the interviewer’s showcase.

• The craft and discipline of interviewers discussed

  • Richard’s perspective (ABC Conversations): effective interviewing requires deep preparation, energy management, and the ability to let the guest lead while staying curious.
  • Andrew’s approach (a legendary figure in Australian interviewing): the art and discipline of preparation, balance, and presence.

• Andrew’s preparation and interview funnel (detailed methodology)

  • The interviewer’s mental model involves four parallel streams during an interview:
  • The joke train: staying ready to respond with humor or lightness if appropriate.
  • The research train: keeping a robust, broad understanding of the guest and their context.
  • The listening/truth-train: focusing on what the guest is actually saying, and judging whether the answer moves the interview forward.
  • The audience-train: monitoring whether the room (or the listener) is engaged and whether the conversation is compelling.
  • In practice, Andrew maintained these as overlapping streams to stay responsive in real time.
  • Preparation workflow to support this: build a broad set of sources and a deep set of questions, then distill into a focused script.
  • Start with a wide pool of questions (e.g., around $100$–$120$ questions) to cover multiple angles.
  • Refine into a target script of about $22$–$23$ questions, organized by thematic areas tailored to the guest.
  • Learn the final script thoroughly and go into the interview with no notes or auto-queue prompts.
  • Rationale for no notes: not looking down at notes keeps the guest engaged and signals genuine research and interest; it also encourages the guest to think on their feet rather than reading from a cue card.
  • Outcome: guests perceive the interviewer as well-prepared and highly informed, which in turn elevates the quality of the conversation.
  • The process emphasizes primary sources over secondary summaries (e.g., avoiding Wikipedia; seeking original clippings, books, and contemporaries) to unlock unexpected insights about the guest.

• Real-world implications and takeaways for exam prep

  • Effective pre-interview planning is not about collecting trivia; it’s about shaping a narrative arc and ensuring the guest feels safe, respected, and understood.
  • The interviewer must balance research depth with openness to discovery, always prioritizing genuine engagement over deliverable content.
  • Energy and emotional intelligence are as important as factual accuracy: identify moments to deepen the conversation and give space for the guest to reveal meaningful insights.
  • Medium matters: radio/podcast interviewing relies on voice and intimacy; dress rehearsals and on-camera dynamics can hinder or help the storytelling depending on context.
  • Ethical boundaries are essential: explicitly discuss boundaries, and honor them during both pre-interview and the actual interview to maintain trust.
  • The best interviewers treat preparation as a craft that evolves: they learn from each session, refine their scripts, and stay curious about new angles.

• Quick synthesis for exam-ready understanding

  • The pre-interview sets the stage for a compelling story, balancing charge (stakes) and nuance (breathing room).
  • A successful interview emerges from a disciplined blend of thorough preparation and live curiosity, not from a rigid script.
  • The craft rewards vulnerability, listening, and a willingness to be surprised by the guest's authentic responses.

• Key formulas, numbers, and concrete references

  • Focus areas and time management are qualitative but anchored by concrete preparation targets:
  • Script length target: roughly $22$–$23$ questions.
  • Initial question pool: roughly $100$–$120$ questions.
  • Time-related notes and dates mentioned in the discussion include the move to ABC Radio in $02/2005$ and the broader timeline of podcasting engagement (roughly a decade of practice).

• Final practical tips for aspiring interviewers

  • Always begin with hospitality and housekeeping to set a comfortable tone.
  • Confirm boundaries and allow guests to voice any constraints.
  • Do a thorough but not overbearing pre-interview to understand the guest’s world and to discover surprising angles.
  • Build your questions around a narrative funnel, but stay flexible to follow the guest’s leads.
  • Develop a robust, multi-layered preparation process using primary sources and a wide question bank.
  • Enter the interview with no notes to encourage presence and authenticity; be ready to improvise based on the guest’s responses.
  • Reflect on the medium’s strengths (radio vs TV) and leverage those strengths to tell a richer, more intimate story.

• Epilogue notes on interview philosophy

  • Great interviews hinge on allowing the moment to unfold rather than forcing a predetermined outcome.
  • The best interviewers are learners in the moment, balancing structure with discovery, and always centering the guest’s humanity and truth.