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You're there to interview them so give them the opportunity to speak. A bad habit to overcome -- especially when you're interviewing slow talkers -- is the urge to finish your interviewee's sentences when you're under the assumption (sometimes a false assumption) that you know what they're about the say. Simply put: Don't do it; just allow them to say it.

Use a recorder when possible

No amount of note taking will be able to capture the tone, nuances, and inflections of a person speaking. A digital recorder (with fresh batteries!) can be very handy during an interview, and will eliminate the possibility of misquoting. You can also upload the entire interview onto your computer for safekeeping after you're done. A recorder will allow you to concentrate more fully on what your interview subject is saying without having to worry about writing down everything he or she is saying.

But not everyone is comfortable with being recorded. When you take out your recorder, hit record and ask them if they mind you using a recorder. If they have no problem with it, just leave it running. The purpose of this is to get their permission on record. If they say they would prefer no to be recorded, stop the recorder and put it away.

Don't let your recorder be a monolith

Some interviewees might be self-conscious knowing that they're being recorded. If you use a recorder, put it off to the side. Don't allow the recorder to be the only thing interviewees see in front of them. If you're interviewing the subject behind a desk with a lot of other things scattered about, buddy the recorder up with something on the desk. If the interviewee is sitting behind an empty desk or a conference room table, put your recorder next to (or on top of) a notebook, an agenda, or your briefcase. I purposely use a black colored recorder -- as opposed those silver ones that seem to dominate the market -- because it's easier to camouflage. When I'm given the opportunity to use it, I place my recorder on top of my black-colored agenda which serves no other purpose than to make the recorder less conspicuous.

Be flexible

It's good to have all your questions, prepared, ordered and memorized, but an interview is unpredictable. Don't follow your prepared questions like a script. If your interviewee says something interesting that prompts follow-up questions, go with it. Follow a new line of questioning based on the discussion at hand. When you sense that the end of that discussion is coming, steer the interview back to your prepared questions. Keep in mind, however, that you might have to do away with some of your questions or you'll risk taking up too much of your interviewee's time. Re-order your questions in your head and knock off those you can live without or you'll run out of time and lose the chance to ask the more important questions.

Don't be overly confrontational

You should approach an interview professionally and in an impartial manner. This doesn't mean you should shy away from asking tough questions, it just means you shouldn't go into an interview looking for a fight even before the first question is asked. Going into an interview with your own agenda -- to put the interviewee on the spot or make them look bad because you think it will make a good story -- means you're going into the interview with a very narrow mind. You won't be open to what the interviewee has to say and are justing waiting for your opportunity to ask the knockout question.

Be confident

You need to exude confidence in an interview. You can't expect interviewees to answer your tougher questions if it looks like you're not comfortable asking them. You need to let the interviewee know that you're running the interview, not the other way around. If your interviewee sees that you can be easily intimidated, he or she will end up pushing you around and will eventually take control of the interview. When this happens, they will start telling you only what they want you to hear rather than you asking them what you what to know.

Closing Thoughts

The art of interviewing takes practice. You might be nervous your first couple of times but with experience you'll get the hang of it. Interviewing -- unlike the solitary act of writing the story itself -- is all about your ability to interact with another person, and your ability to draw information out of them. Interviewees are giving you their time; they're helping you write your story. Even if you completely disagree with your interviewee's opinions, you can still challenge them while remaining respectful and professional. Always remember that there's a difference between friendly sparring and trash-talking.

Paul Chin (www.paulchinonline.com) is an IT consultant and a freelance writer. Previously, Paul worked as an intranet and content management specialist in the aerospace and competitive intelligence industries.

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