I find it difficult to small talk to someone in a social setting (party, office) if I’m not asking them a bunch of questions where I’m genuinely interested. It’s much easier for me to establish a rappoire with an interviewee than it is to talk to family members about daily stuff.

As I always told the young interviewers I was asked to train, I always start interviews with fast and loose questions, ones that are designed to put the interviewee at ease immediately, ones that will set the tone of the whole time you get to talk to them. After they have laughed and relaxed a bit, I get down to the brass tax, and I found that as long as you pose questions intelligently or with genuine inquisitiveness, the person will always open up. And controlling how and what they open up about is where the true art of interviewing is paramount.

If you feel an interview for a social format show is uneasy with your line of questions or the tone you ask it it, you are allowed one chance to reask in a different way before you risk badgering them. If they open up a bit more after a bit of proding or reasking, then go for it.

If you are interviewing for facts and critical information to support your slant on a story, than doing your best Murphy Brown impersonation is what it will take to get the answers you want them to spill. Thankfully I’ve never had to go after an interviewee hard oncamera, but my cousin has and he’s great at it. He’s so beloved how could you not want to tell him all of your dirty secrets? In his case, his charm and easy going personality work in his favour to a great extent.

And finally, when you’re interviewing people with great life stories, I tend to ask stuff I would want the interviewer to ask if I were at home watching the interview. I like to put myself in the Burkalounger at home as I talk to the people and ask the stuff everyone else would if they were in my shoes.