Interviews with interesting people. Useful tips and questions for interviewing a successful person that will guarantee an interesting report Interesting text interviews with successful people
Dear visitors!
Sorry for asking you!
The site is supported by modest donations from readers and we will be very grateful to you
, if you provide all possible assistance.
OLEG SHEIN IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS
— At one of your meetings with voters, you said that your ancestors have lived in Astrakhan since the mid-19th century. Where does this awareness come from? After all, many do not even know their fourth generation.
— I have always been interested in what happened before, before us. That's why I entered history department. In fact, this is so - my family has lived in Astrakhan since at least the mid-19th century. They came here from Central Russia, from the Penza region. They worked here as employees for the famous fishing merchant Gubin. Moreover, the family was not rich; six of the eight children died.
Later, my relatives participated in the establishment of Soviet power in the city in 18-19. Photos of my ancestors in leather jackets and sword belts - two girls and one boy - are exhibited in the local history museum. At the same time, my family has never been a party member. The dictatorship of one party in conditions where the party card gave various kinds of privileges and at the same time a hypocritical attitude towards people was formed, never suited my family. Therefore, no one was a member of the CPSU.
— From 1989 to 1994 you devoted your studies to the Astrakhan State Pedagogical Institute (now ASU). What memories do you have associated with this?
— I think that I received an excellent education - first at a school where there was a wonderful director, Eduard Faridovich Zinnurov. An ordinary school on Tatishcheva Street. But the knowledge given was fundamental. Largely thanks to Rinat Rashidovich Khasanov, a history teacher, I was instilled with a love for historical science. I hesitated. As a child, I was interested in astronomy - there is still a telescope on the balcony, and there is a rich library on this subject. I am replenishing it now, it’s interesting to me. Between physics and history, I still chose history. We had a strong contingent of teachers at the history department. At that time, the Pedagogical Institute was one of the strongest universities in the city, and the history department was perhaps the most elite faculty. “History Faculty is a champion!” - that was our slogan. This is the merit of such teachers as Ushakov, Shnaidshtein, Kurbatov, Kulbatsky, Kazakov. Two of my classmates are leading Astrakhan archaeologists - Zhenya Pigarev, who now leads a scientific expedition in Selitrennoye (Sarai-Batu) and Dima Vasiliev - near Samosdelka (Itil).
— After university, did your passion for history continue?
— After university, I was interested in the events of the Great Patriotic War– battles in the Astrakhan direction in 1942. The archives were declassified in 2003, and I became their first researcher. He worked in Podolsk, in the archives of the Ministry of Defense. He also wrote a book about events in South Ossetia in August 2008. True, this is a completely different story. I am preparing a guide to the Astrakhan region. The first in 30 years. The result should be a well-published book for both tourists and citizens. About what you can see, where to have fun, where to stay, where to eat, how and what to get there.
— After university, you didn’t immediately go into politics, did you?
— It was with great pleasure that I worked for a year at the school in the village of Tri Protoki. A month after starting work there, he was elected as a deputy of the regional representative assembly. At first I combined. The team was good. Lessons were also conducted in Tatar. I really regret that he was not at school No. 15, where I studied. Nowadays, knowledge of Tatar would be very useful to me; I have to deal with it much more often than, for example, with English. Tatar is a language with thousands of years of tradition, the language of a culturally rich nation, dynamic, rhythmic, built on very expressive speech.
— Why did you choose literature as an additional specialty?
“We had a rich library of fiction,” my mother collected. There is, for example, a complete collection published in Soviet times"Libraries of World Literature". Who did you read the most? Gogol, Lermontov, all three Tolstoys, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Averchenko, Fazil Iskander, early work Mayakovsky, Severyanin, Ilf and Petrov, Kir Bulychev, Yuliy Kim, Strugatsky. Many works are like tracing paper on our reality. Take, for example, Saltykov-Shchedrin. In our city, every Astrakhan resident can find Ugryum-Burcheev, non-commissioned officer Prishibeev and others. I have always loved English-language authors - Mark Twain, Robert Burns, Milton, Sheckley. I read with pleasure Voltaire, Hoffmann, and Goethe's Faust. It is worth mentioning the Astrakhan residents - Selensky, Shadrin.
— Do you read modern popular literature?
— I wouldn’t say that any of the modern authors would be really interesting to me. Of the modern literature, I buy only scientific literature - on history, economics and astronomy. And in Astrakhan - there is not a single book that passes me by. Markov - of course, but this is not fiction.
- And the music? The language of music is even more international than the language of literature.
— I was brought up on what happened in the 70s, 80s, early 90s. “Time Machine”, “The Secret”, Zhanna Aguzarova, “Alice”, “The Beatles”, George Harrison, Enio Moricone. There are wonderful pieces by the Royal London Symphony Orchestra that are interpretations of classical works. Vanessa Mae – she also had strong interpretations.
— Do you like anything from painting?
- Vrubel. One of the most powerful artists with an absolutely exceptional school. His paintings are of a deep philosophical nature. Roerich. Especially his Tibetan paintings with deep colors, landscapes - very strong. Mysticism in the good sense of the word. Kustodiev. But what interests me about him is not what he is famous for. I have a different ideal type of woman than Rubens or Kustodiev. Kustodiev is strong because he was the first to show local life and laid the foundation for the Astrakhan art school. You can rightfully be proud of your fellow countryman. By the way, I would also like to mention modern Astrakhan authors.
— There is an opinion that you are indifferent to sports.
— My sport is politics. But as a spectator and fan I love football and boxing (my father was a master of sports in boxing). Jumped with a parachute. The last time in tandem from a height of 3 kilometers. Long jump, about 40 seconds in free fall. I always liked chess. Strongly develops strategic thinking. Focuses on seeing the situation from the enemy's point of view.
— As for rest, how do you spend it? Where do you spend your holidays?
– Change of type of activity – best form recreation. And my work suggests just such a possibility. I go fishing, although not as often as I would like. And so, in general, I am a supporter active rest. You can also shoot from a carbine. Several times I went to Bogdo, to the caves. Near Khulkhuta, together with search engines, he dug up our and German trenches. Last year I enjoyed a week’s vacation in Abkhazia. Amazingly beautiful country.
— What do you like from the kitchen?
- I am a vegetarian. Not absolute, that is, I can try an interesting one national cuisine, but, as a rule, I don’t eat meat. Fish, vegetables. I don't drink strong alcohol.
- Movies?
— Golden Soviet cinema. Among the Russian ones, one of the most successful was “We are from the future,” about how young people from modern St. Petersburg found themselves during the Great Patriotic War.
"Resident", September 2009
Interviewed by Damir Shamardanov
Many people still associate the most popular video hosting site in the world with low-quality content. We have put together a selection of 25 channels, debunking the myth that there is nothing to watch on YouTube other than beauty bloggers, teenage slime channels and Yura Dudya.
Interview
A subsidiary project of the Dudya channel. The host of the show, Tatyana Mingilimova, is actually the editor of the VDud channel. True, the specific presentation - exaggeratedly feminine - often distracts and does not allow you to concentrate on the topic of the conversation. But if you are ready to close your eyes to flaws for the sake of an interesting guest, then “The Gentle Editor” can be safely added to your subscription list. Grechka, Irina Khakamada, Zhanna Badoeva, Katya Klap, and others have already visited Tatyana.
Journalist Anton Lyadov’s original project “The People” is about those you won’t meet on the street. On the channel you can find interviews with famous people - Danila Kozlovsky, Maryana Ro and Scrooge. In addition, Anton talks with representatives of atypical professions, for example, interviews with Nagiyev’s double, a porn actress and a former killer are already available.
“A scandalous and provocative show with low social responsibility,” reads the channel’s description. Initially, popular blogger Maria Viskunova and journalist Irina Shikhman acted as presenters. However, now only the latter is participating in the interview; according to commentators, Viskunova was only part of the show’s PR company. The channel has already released episodes from Tatiana Lazareva,Lyudmila Ulitskaya,Karen Shakhnazarov,Ilya Varlamov,Andrey Makarevich and other famous personalities. And also two special issues: about Roma the Beast, in connection with the release of the film, and about Varvara Vizbor and Monetochka.
“Introducing the viewer to famous heroes of our time from an unknown side is what interests me. Our format is not a monologue or an interview, it is an equivalent dialogue,” writes Oleg Menshikov about his new project. At the time of publication of this text, the OM channel only had an interview with Danila Kozlovsky. But in the near future, judging by the teaser, we will have a conversation between Menshikov and Alla Pugacheva.
Vasily Vakulenko better known as Basta, also decided to keep up with the trends and started his own show on YouTube - Gazlive. In addition to Dudya, Grigory Leps, Tina Kandelaki, and others have already visited Vasya. Sergey Bezrukov, Olga Buzova, Ivan Urgant and even Vitaly Milonov. Before each episode with a new hero, channel subscribers are invited to ask questions, the best of which Basta asks the interviewees.
Became popular thanks to comedy shows "Once Upon a Time in Russia" actress Irina Chesnokova started her entertainment show on YouTube. Her guests are Russian show business stars with a sense of humor, discussing current topics and tell stories from their lives. And all this is accompanied by live music and alcohol. We've already drunk our cocktails at the Bar Alexander Gudkov, Semyon Slepakov, Olga Medynich and many other public figures.
Definitely, the calling card of the channel is a section in which people of different professions answer 10 stupid questions. Already now you can see the answers of a surgeon, a porn actress, a stand-up comedian, an astrologer and a geodetic engineer. In addition, on “LIZE” there are quite funny videos where people try to guess what video they are talking about by reading the comments to it.
As in Irina Chesnokova’s show, guests of “Callout” communicate while sitting at the bar. Only having a sense of humor is not at all necessary to participate here, but belonging to the world of cinema is a necessary condition. Alexey Karpov has already talked to Andrey Zvyagintsev, Yuri Norshtein, Yulia Topolnitskaya, Yan Tsapnik and many others.
“About ideas and people who change lives. Here you will find inspiring interviews with people who managed to overcome circumstances and realize themselves,” reads the channel description. I've already met the author of the channel Natalia Sindeeva,Dmitry Portnyagin,Mariya Kozhevnikova and Anna Sedokova. In addition to conversations with successful individuals, the channel publishes original techniques for unlocking potential, harmoniously combining family and your favorite business.
Those who are interested in modern rap culture will like the channel of the music portal The Flow. Interviews with Legalize, Basta, Ptah, as well as a conversation with Yegor Creed about Russian rap can be found on the project’s channel.
Vasya Trunov and Kolya Redkin go to visit musicians, bloggers and simply cool contemporaries. If you like an informal atmosphere and an atmosphere close to life, you will like the guys’ channel. Episodes with Larin, Restaurateur, and Mnogoznaal have already been released.
People and about people
Leonid Parfenov needs no introduction. He decided to start his own YouTube channel after his interview with Yuri Dudu. Under the comments to the video, a huge number of users wrote that Leonid is exactly what the audience is missing. “Parthenon” is the author’s reflections on current events, stories about what happened to him during the week, what he thought about and what he remembered. And all this action takes place with a glass of wine, which Leonid also talks about.
Official YouTube channel of the director, journalist and publicist Alexandra Nevzorova. Lessons on Atheism, the archive of the “600 Seconds” program, answers to questions from subscribers, television interviews, commentary on events and news - the channel of the master of provocations is filled with all this.
Not only funny, but also educational videos with musicians, actors and other celebrities. In the “Find out in 60 seconds” section they check the musical erudition of guests, in “Face Control” foreign stars evaluate Russian stars by appearance, in “Playlist” famous musicians advise what to listen to. And also, “Explain the trend” videos were published on Afisha, but this year not a single new release was added to this section.
Vogue magazine also does not lag behind others and publishes a lot of varied content on its channel. In addition to videos related exclusively to fashion topics, here you can find mini-films shot in one frame, where Vogue characters answer questions, show what things they always carry with them in their bags; and also talk about their favorite items in their wardrobe and their style. The channel already has a video with Irina Starshenbaum,Olga Sviblova,Danila Polyakov and many others, as well as translations of foreign Vogue materials with Laetitia Casta, Cindy Crawford, Gigi Hadid and so on.
"KinoTest", developed and invented by director Sasha Frank, is individual approach to each actor, allowing him to reveal his personality in a multifaceted way, the versatile facets of his talent and creative potential. “The first and only exclusive opportunity in Russia to see an actor without makeup, without using previously played roles and images,” write the creators.
The channel already has more than 130 videos - each of which includes actors and musicians known to a wide audience, as well as unknown personalities. Masha Minogarova, Vlad Topalov, Kristina Orbakaite,,Andrey Merzlikin, Alika Smekhova, Nikolay Fomenko, Pasha Artemyev, Victoria Tolstoganova and many others have already been in the lens of the KinoTest camera.
Actors, models, photographers, musicians, athletes and writers share their experiences and tell what rules they follow in life. There are no big names or mega-popular personalities here, but there is sincerity, brevity and a pleasant presentation.
Education
Museum contemporary art Garage is a place where people, ideas and art come together to create history. For those who cannot imagine their life without art and development, but cannot personally attend Garage’s lectures and Public Talk, the museum’s channel will be a real salvation. Discussions about cinema, famous lectures by Irina Kulik, artist master classes and much more are already waiting for you.
The official channel of one of the best educational projects Arzamas.Academy. Many lectures from leading teachers of Russian universities on a variety of topics: from the history of Russian poetry and art to analyzes of Soviet cinema, cultural studies and educational programs on economics. We strongly recommend that you also go to the Arzamas website and download their application to your phone.
Conversations about loneliness, freedom and death; discussions and lectures; master classes and conferences can be found on the channel of the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center. Special attention We recommend watching a video discussing cult films, such as "The Lobster" by Yorgas Lanthimos,"The Great Beauty" by Paolo Sorrentino, “Birds” and many others.
A brief history of video games, the battle for sweatpants, the paths of Arabic music, the transformation of counterculture, a scientific approach to the aroma of coffee - just a little of what can be found on the Nekrasovka channel. In addition to lecture courses, the creators publish videos from writers' meetings, for example with and Alexey Salnikov; recordings from book presentations, discussions of actionism and patriotism - everyone will find something for themselves.
The most visited lecture hall in the country considers its mission to be the popularization of science and culture among young people, the creation of a culture of intellectual leisure and the support of young scientists. With the channel on YouTube, “Smoking Room” supports the development of educational activities - anyone with Internet access can receive information from the best representatives of their profession. Why people don't understand each other, illusions in art, butterflies Vladimir Nabokov and other amazing lectures await you in the “Smoking Room”.
Just like Arzamas, everyone who is interested in self-education most likely knows about PostNauka. If you are still not familiar with the project, then correct it quickly. How multitasking affects learning, what indirect data is, how group creativity is useful - Postnauka will find answers to these and other questions. More lectures, interviews and articles about fundamental science and the scientists who create it at project website.
Anton Dolin, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Oliver Stone, Andrey Bartenev,Mikhail Zhvanetsky and many other of our contemporaries have already been guests of the Moslektorium. Lectures by people who create trends in science, art, literature, culture, music and more - also for free.
Hello, dear readers!
Today I'm opening a new section Interesting people.
And within the framework of this emerging direction, I propose interview with interesting person .
You are already familiar with it. This is Natalia Khorobrikh. She is a sponsor and is on the jury of the competition, which recently launched on the site.
Why Natalia?
In my opinion, Natalia is a wonderful, thoughtful, mature person. I found out about her about a year ago. I don’t even remember which link I followed and ended up on her blog. Then I immediately felt that Natalia was a strong and deep person.
She writes interestingly about what she has figured out herself, applied in life, and what really works in practice. And now, when I visit her project, I know that I will find something useful, wise, and vital for myself.
Interview with an interesting person Natalia Khorobrikh about success about herself about life
So, let's take a closer look.
Snezhana: Hello, Natalia!
Snezhana: Okay, let's begin. Natalia, tell us briefly about yourself. How would you describe yourself in a few sentences? What are your main qualities?
Natalia: Snezhana, I, like any person, have both good and bad qualities. I think to strengths We can include learning ability, determination, efficiency, although sometimes there is an inflection towards workaholism. And from those that sometimes interfere with life: short temper, lack of communication, restlessness. I can’t do one thing for a long time, I always alternate between several things, otherwise I lose it.
Snezhana: Three events in life that changed you for the better.
Natalia: The first thing I remembered was a boycott at school. I moved to a new school in the 5th grade, my classmates seemed too smart, and a couple of times I answered something sarcastic. And they declared a boycott on me. Which lasted more than a year. This year I have matured by 10 years.
The second, perhaps, is ruin, going into the red, into huge debts, along the way this was accompanied by the betrayal of partners in the MLM business, this still resonates with me.
It’s strange, it turns out that mostly negative events changed me. Of course, there were many positive ones, but they rather strengthened self-confidence, but did not change. It was from crisis situations that I emerged more... stronger. They were the ones who benefited me.
The third event would probably be the theater. For me it is still a sacred place.
Snezhana: Thank you for your frankness, Natalia. Your story once again confirms the famous phrase “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”
What, in your opinion, is the most important thing in a person’s life?
Natalia: The ability to rise for the 101st time after falling the 100th.
Snezhana: Great! Action guide for everyone. Natalia, what is it for you?
Natalia: I have a whole blog dedicated to this! But I still couldn’t give a clear formulation. For me personally, this is probably internal harmony.
Snezhana: Do you consider yourself a successful person?
Natalia: No. And not from internal dissatisfaction, but because I understand how powerful the potential is, but it has not yet been sufficiently realized. It’s not about money and status. I had periods when I earned 10-20 times more than now, but at the same time the feeling of dissatisfaction was stronger. The main thing, it seems to me, is to never stop there, never consider that you have already achieved something, but constantly look for new ways, set new goals.
Snezhana: It is clear that you are very demanding of yourself. Three qualities of a successful person - what are they, in your opinion?
Natalia: Self-confidence, ability to get things done and great hard work! Success is a huge amount of work, like the invisible part of an iceberg.
Snezhana: Do you agree with the expression “success is a set of right habits”?
Natalia: Completely. There is a very good course from Og Mandino on working on habits. It lasts 45 weeks. I once passed it, and I had an incredible breakthrough in all areas of my life! Now I have made a motivating newsletter about it on the blog, because I am sure that everyone needs it. And you can change yourself at absolutely any age. The main thing is the desire to change.
Snezhana: I was interested in the course. I'll definitely check it out. Have you ever experienced periods of bad luck, a “dark streak”? How do you deal with this?
Natalia: There were dark streaks, of course. Without them there are no takeoffs. I was philosophical about this, because if there are no dark stripes, then you cannot fully appreciate the beauty of the light ones. I reassured myself with a simple phrase: “The darkest is always before the dawn.” It helps me.
Snezhana: What to do if you find yourself in a difficult life situation? How to get out of it faster?
Natalia: Take action. Even if it’s something distracting to do, or something completely new. But just load yourself up with activity so much that there is no time for worries and bad thoughts.
Snezhana: What advice would you give to people who are not confident in their abilities and do not believe in their success?
Natalia: Probably the advice will be quite banal: start increasing your self-esteem, learn to love yourself as much as possible. After all, if you don’t love yourself, who will love you? If you don’t believe in yourself, why should others suddenly believe in you?
Snezhana: Agree. Tell us briefly what your blog is about? What task did you set for yourself when creating it?
Snezhana: Do you believe in miracles? Are they in your life?
Natalia: No I do not believe. I'm a pragmatist. Although I believe that when you follow your path, the Universe helps you. Although he is experiencing it, of course.
Snezhana: Please tell us about your books? Which ones have been released? What's planned?
Natalia: Two have been released: “Dream Collage That Really Works” and “100 Diets That Helped Me.” I have been dealing with nutrition issues for more than 10 years.
Before the New Year, I also plan to release a book on vision (this is the topic of my second blog). In general, my dream collage contains the themes of 13 books that I want to write.
Snezhana: ?????
Natalia: Why exactly 13? This is a lucky number for me. I don't write quickly. Nowadays it is customary to recite books with a voice, and they are translated into text. It’s very uncomfortable for me; my thoughts form more clearly when I write. That is, I type the text myself. And then I proofread. I shorten, redo... This is exactly how they used to work on books. For me, the issue of quality is paramount.
Snezhana:“Dream Collage” - who needs the book first?
Natalia: First of all, for those who have already started making collages, but nothing worked out for them, or “did not come true.” I have my own technique that works. Although sometimes people come who are very far from planning, who have never set goals. They take it and simply do it step by step according to the method, and get the result. You can read at least 20 books, but if you don’t start doing it, then nothing will happen.
Snezhana: The book is valuable. By the way, the winners receive it for free as a gift.
One more question. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Natalia: Theatre, book, spiritual conversation - anything can serve as a source. But, if I worked only by inspiration... I really like the words of Jules Verne about the secret of his ability to work: “I get up very early and immediately sit down to write. And I write until lunch. And I have dinner late in the evening.”
Snezhana: A good example of efficiency! They say that in life you have to try everything. Are there things you will never try?
Natalia: Good question. I don’t know who benefits from telling people that they have to try everything. It seems to me that this is a destructive attitude. For example, I know something can have bad consequences, so why would I try it? For example, drugs. I have never smoked, never even tried. When I entered the theater school, everyone laughed: you’ll smoke like everyone else. No. I just didn’t need it, I didn’t understand the point of smoking. Of course, I tried to drink. But I haven’t been drinking for several years now, even on holidays. I don’t need this to become cheerful and relaxed when necessary.
Snezhana: Natalia, in this regard, I am your like-minded person and I also have fun without strong drinks. Let's please the readers - what's your favorite joke?
Natalia: And I’ll tell you my favorite joke with pleasure. By the way, it’s just about success.
“A chicken got caught under a tank. The tank passed. The chicken stood up and brushed itself off: Ha, we weren’t even trampled like that!”
Snezhana: The joke is spot on! Step over difficulties, be reborn after failures and success will come. Natalia, what would you wish for our readers?
Natalia: First of all, find yourself, your calling, follow it without changing, and believe in yourself. And then everything will happen: success, and harmony in life.
Snezhana: Great words! And let them come true for everyone. Thank you, Natalia! Good luck to you and all readers.
Hello, dear readers! Have you ever wondered why we read one interview like a fascinating story, while another resembles a standard questionnaire and makes us yawn with boring template questions? It turns out that it’s not enough - you also need to learn to ask questions!
The outcome of the interview depends on how well you prepare for the interview. Sometimes questions are communicated to the interlocutor in advance so that he has the opportunity to think about and prepare answers to them. But this is not at all necessary. If you skillfully conduct a conversation and direct it in the right direction with the help of additional questions, your interlocutor will cope quite well without homework.
What you need to know to do a successful interview
Undoubtedly, the right questions for an interview with a successful person are important, but they are not the only key to good reporting. There are many nuances that a professional journalist must consider before conducting an interview.
Topics you cover
Biographical information. You can do without it only in cases where you have an interview with a star whose main life milestones are already known to everyone. In all other cases, do not neglect this issue, but also do not get too carried away with the celebrity’s childhood years.
Professional activity. As a rule, this is what a significant part of the interview is devoted to. No matter who sits in front of you: a politician, a children's writer, a singer or a couturier, you will definitely raise issues related to their profession.
Do not limit yourself to the standard “Why did you choose this particular activity” and “Who was your mentor and helped you develop.” Prepare questions that involve exciting or funny stories as answers.
- What was your first day in your new position like?
- Do you remember the funniest incident related to your work?
- What would you like to achieve in your business in 5 years?
Questions of this kind will shake off the officialdom and make your interview lively and humane.
Worldview. Be careful here - so that your conversation does not take on a negative connotation, avoid provocative questions. At a minimum, do not ask your interlocutor about his attitude to religion and. An exception is possible if one of the sensitive topics lies at the heart of the interview and your opponent has been made aware of the upcoming “uncomfortable” questions.
Life Readers and listeners are always interested in how many rooms are in the apartment famous person, what car is in the garage, what is served for breakfast and who washes the star's socks. Don’t disappoint those who like to spy on the lives of celebrities - prepare a few questions about the life of their idol.
Personal life. Such issues require sensitivity. Before asking them, carefully test the ground. Some easily share details of their personal lives, while others, on the contrary, jealously guard it from prying eyes. If you see that the interlocutor is not in the mood for an intimate conversation about personal matters, it is better to switch to another topic.
Create a pleasant atmosphere
Often, novice journalists choose the wrong tactics of behavior, which is why the invited guest closes down and answers questions crumpled or refuses to talk at all.
Most common mistake- rude, undisguised flattery. Pompous praises will appeal only to those who are blinded. In people, such praise only causes bewilderment and irritation. Talk to the star as an equal, as with a friend - this way your dialogue will be the most organic.
Another common mistake is to exercise eloquence and wit. Sometimes a guest’s vocabulary and sense of humor are inferior to yours, and that’s okay. A good journalist will adapt to the way the guest speaks and make him feel comfortable. The desire to show off against the background of your interlocutor is a sign of unprofessionalism.
Away with cheat sheets
Of course, you need to prepare for the interview. But there is nothing sadder than a journalist reading questions from a piece of paper. Therefore, do not be lazy to study your notes in advance.
Don’t spread yourself thin and write down dozens of questions. It will be difficult for you to remember them and during the interview, instead of listening to your interlocutor, you will frantically remember your preparations. The best option- several key questions on each topic. Formulate additional questions based on the interlocutor’s answers.
Be original
Agree, it is difficult to create unique material if an interview with your interlocutor has already been published by all leading print and online publications. But difficult does not mean impossible.
First of all, study available materials and based on them, avoid trivial questions, the answers to which have long been known. Instead, use common knowledge to create unusual questions that will allow you to learn something new.
For example, do you know what educational institution and when your guest finished. Instead of asking him about it again, ask him what he remembered about his student years, whether the scholarship was enough and whether he had to work part-time at night. This approach will allow you to collect unknown facts and make a truly exclusive interview.
9 questions to make your interview more interesting
I warn you right away - these are not universal questions that can be asked to everyone and in any situation. Therefore, before voicing them, try to feel the interlocutor. If he is not in the mood for a heart-to-heart conversation, most likely you will receive routine, meaningless answers.
If your guest is frank, feel free to ask him questions from the list. Interesting, unexpected answers are guaranteed!
- If you were to be born again, what character trait would you definitely want to have again?
- What or who can you say “I hate that” about?
- Imagine that now you have the opportunity to gain any ability. Which one would you choose? Why?
- Would you continue to do what you are doing now if you suddenly found out that you only had a month to live?
- How often do you decide to experiment if your loved ones don’t believe in success and dissuade you?
- What would you do if you lost everything and had to start from scratch?
- Have you achieved what?
- Is there anything you're passionate about doing but have been putting off?
- Are you looking for opportunities to provide value to those in need?
And finally, a small but very valuable piece of advice. When your guest has answered a question and fallen silent, do not rush to immediately pick up the conversation and ask the next one. Pause for a few seconds. In most cases, this forces the interlocutor to return to the question again and add new details to his answer. This is one of the simplest and effective methods get detailed answers from a taciturn interlocutor.
You will find more working techniques that will help you get your opponent talking in Larry King’s book “ How to talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere”.
Do you have any tricks or secret tricks? If you have experience and can advise readers on how to conduct interviews, be sure to write about it in the comments.
During my journalistic career, I conducted more than 3,000 interviews with a variety of people: from Alla Pugacheva and Roman Viktyuk to Ivan Urgant and Keanu Reeves. Also, as part of our “TALK Business” section, I interview the best businessmen in Russia.
1. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare.
Many people think that interview questions can be sorted out as they go along. However, this is not the case. If you don't prepare for the interview, then most likely it will be a failure. I usually spend about 4 hours preparing. The first three hours I study the materials, and the next hour I prepare questions.
So, the preparation must be thorough. In addition to researching the interviewee's professional background, be sure to review the following materials:
Biography and official website, if available.
Latest news from the life of the interviewee. This is very important because something very serious may happen in his life, for example, the death of a spouse. If you don’t know about this, although it has been written about in many places, then the question “How is your husband doing?” could be the most awkward thing of your life.
Interviews he gave for Lately. This is necessary in order to understand what he was most often asked about, and not ask similar questions.
Video of his performances.
Evgeny Demin and I during an interview
2. An interview is not a conversation.
The second rule is short: remember that an interview is not a conversation. In a conversation, both people have equal rights, but in an interview, you ask, and your interlocutor answers.
3. Set a goal for the interview
In Alice in Wonderland there was a very interesting dialogue between Alice and the Cheshire Cat. Alice asked the Cheshire Cat:
Where should I go from here?
Where do you want to go?
I don’t care... I just want to get somewhere.
Then it doesn’t matter where you go. You will definitely end up somewhere.
It's the same with interviews. Without a goal, you can come somewhere, but it is unclear where.
What is the purpose of your interview? Tell your readers about this person, his life story? Find out the secrets of his success in his professional activities? Find out more about his new project?
The interview must have a purpose, otherwise it will not work.
Now let's move on to the rules for composing questions.
4. Start with a warm-up
An interview is also an acquaintance. Don't immediately ask very deep or provocative questions. It's better to approach this gradually.
Start with warm-up questions. This technique is otherwise called “ice breaking,” which means “melt the ice,” and is used, for example, in negotiations.
Your task is to get the person talking and defuse the tense situation. For example, you could ask, “What were you doing before we talked?” or “What do you plan to do after?” You can start with a compliment. Let’s say: “I see you have such interesting paintings in your office. Did you choose it yourself?”
That is, first you need to ask 1-2 fairly easy questions that will not make you think too much.
During an interview with one of the best entrepreneurs in Russia Andrey Krivenko
5. Down with trivial questions
The list of the most boring questions looks like this:
Tell us about yourself or your business. This question can be asked to a person who is not yet known to anyone and is just starting his career, but not famous person. Just imagine starting an interview with Donald Trump with the question, “Tell me about yourself.”
How did your company/your book/your project come about? Imagine you are interviewing IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad. The company is over 70 years old and you ask him the question: “How did your company appear?”
Most likely, your question will remain unanswered. Can you imagine how many times he has already heard this question? Millions. Here you need to reformulate the question so that it sounds interesting. Let’s say: “Invar, how does it feel that you created a company that survived the Soviet Union?”
What are your plans? Another question that is not very popular. Of course, the topic is interesting, but the question itself is boring. It can be reformulated as follows: “Which of the goals facing you in the near future inspire you most?” or like this: “What victories can we still expect from you in the coming year?”
My advice is not to ask questions that are too hard or too vague.
For example, “What is the meaning of life?” It is better to ask a simpler question that characterizes a person: “What is the most important thing in life for you?”
Or here’s another strange question: “What do you dream about?” In my experience as a journalist, this is a question that baffles almost everyone.
7. The interview should have integrity.
I used to make this mistake very often: I made a chaotic list of witty questions when preparing for an interview. The interview in this case turned out to be entertaining, but aimless. Each interview should have its own dramaturgy and its own integrity. First, you introduce readers to the interviewee, then you begin to ask questions related to the purpose of the interview.
Remember: 70% of the questions should be designed to achieve the purpose of the interview.
8. Ask questions that you are interested in hearing answers to.
When I prepare questions, I always proceed from what questions are of particular interest to me.
Of course, the questions should not be very narrow. For example, I don’t ask what color your kitchen towel is, even if I really want to.
My Teacher once said a great thing: “The right question is a question whose answer will give you something.”
I suggest starting from what you and I are doing. smart interviews. And so when you prepare questions, ask yourself: “How will the answer to this question change my life?”
9. Be sure to coordinate the interview
After you have completed the interview, you must send it to the interviewee for approval and warn you when it will be published. Don't forget to agree not only on the text, but also on the photographs you will use.
By the way, my favorite interview.
10. Organize a quick survey
This is not really a rule, just an addition to interviews that I often use myself. I conduct a quick survey at the end of the interview. Usually these are 5 questions in the style of “ Best book for a businessman?”, “What are you willing to spend your last money on?” and so on.
You can come up with your own questions for the blitz. The main thing is that it is interesting and useful.
That's all. I wish you good and interesting interviews!