Interviewing Tips and Tricks
- Elizabeth Clemons
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 10
Tip Sheet
with Laurie Cohen (Pulitzer Prize-winning Investigative Journalist)
This Interviewing Tips and Tricks tip sheet was created using the insights from Pulitzer Prize-winning Investigative Journalist, Laurie Cohen, who is sharing her wealth of knowledge and experience in identifying and interviewing sources.
Check out the tip sheet from Trade Secrets: Unlocking the Vault of Business Insights for more information on source identification and interviewing, basic business backgrounding, and investigating businesses.
To learn about Laurie's experience, check out the recording of the workshop session, Trade Secrets: Unlocking the Vault of Business Insights.
Avoid yes or no questions.
Begin questions with “How?” or “Why?” Never begin questions with “Do you?” or “Have you?”
Learn a little personal information about the interviewee before you start an interview.
I generally start with a minute or two asking about something that’s personal before launching into business-related questions.
People like you more when you’ve taken time to learn something about them. They're more likely to be open with you. It immediately differentiates you from other reporters, too.
Shorter questions yield longer answers. If you only have 45 minutes, don’t waste half that time asking long-winded questions.
I also don’t ask 3-part questions. No one remembers that many questions. One at a time is best, even if they’re related.
Don’t think out loud.
When there are silence gaps, avoid the temptation to fill them. Very often, the best information is obtained following periods of silence, when the interviewee feels compelled to speak or elaborate on something they said.
Don’t stick to the script.
Answers often lead to questions you hadn’t previously thought of. It’s important to listen rather than focus on the question list.
Stick to your guns. If an interview subject doesn’t want to answer your questions, or becomes argumentative, don’t apologize and back down.
It can be uncomfortable, but it will likely yield better results than saying you’re sorry and moving onto the next topic. People eventually get frustrated and answer questions, if for no other reason than to be done with the interview.
While counter-intuitive, I don’t save my toughest questions for the end.
I generally worry that I will run out of time, or that the person will cut off the interview before I’ve lobbed a hard ball.
At the end of each interview, it’s a good idea to ask, “What else should I have asked you?” and “Who else should I talk to?”
It’s also a good idea to ask which conferences the person thinks are most useful to attend, and which publications cover this company or industry or issue best.
It’s good to follow up with a brief thank you email if the interview was especially helpful and you might want to go back to that person for more questions.
I always put emails and phone numbers at the top of my interview notes so that I can contact that person again.
🚨 These Tip Sheets are incredible resources, best used in conjunction with their live workshop session component. Watch the recording here.
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