Interviewing well is a dance

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Stay silent. Dig deeper. Be mindful. Also, learning from filmmaker Ava DuVernay.

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Hi storytellers –

Interviewing well is a dance.

In the four-week interviewing class I just finished teaching, we set shared intentions for the outcomes we wanted to achieve. One that came up over and over again was this:

How do we navigate the tension between asking our questions and following the conversation where it wants to go organically? 

Sometimes this feels impossible.

We come to an interview wanting to know something. We’re there as an informed guide for our readers, listeners, or viewers who want to know that thing. (Hopefully, we’re also there because our taste matches that of our audience, and we are genuinely curious.)

We also may be constructing a story, message, or a speech, and so we may need to learn some essential facts. 

How do we do both? 

Just as in a dance, everyone will have their own way. He…