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[pmcd9]

Paul, if you can convince me your dad isn't scary, I'll interview him first and wait 'til Nabu gets home. I would like to interview him this week but honestly my schedule is so full the only times I have are in the evenings after the kids to go bed. So, like, 8 or 9 PM EST. During a normal week I have mornings available, but this week Pedro is having minor surgery on Wednesday so the only morning I can count on is tomorrow between 9 and 10:30 EST. Is that too soon? If so, I will figure out something else for this Friday and I can talk to him next week. You can call or text me (I think you have my number still? If not, PM me) and we can figure out scheduling

My dad is super friendly and easy to talk to. Just look at that sweet face.  I'll run it by him to make sure he is free, but I'm thinking that tomorrow morning would be just fine.  I'll get back to you shortly.

[jay-ell]

Paul did get back to me; we'll be doing an interview next week. He was willing to talk to me tonight, but between getting supper on the table and prepping for my other interview tonight (my cousin came through FTW) I didn't have time. But I a super-excited to get the underway.

I know that interviewing is very different from normal socializing, I think that's why I can do it. But the part I have trouble with is asking people to let me interview them. That feels very much like asking for a favor, and I have trouble asking anyone for anything, at all, ever.

I'm getting better at it, though. I've discovered that, indeed, people do love to talk about (and promote) themselves, given half a chance. The trick is pinning them down to a particular time and place -- that's the part that requires me to go slightly beyond the bounds of what I would consider "pushy" (but what I think most people would call "persistent").

[wombat]

That is something that you do have to be persistent about. Just remember that they have a lot of other pressures and deadlines in their lives and as much as they might like the free publicity, it doesn't matter to them if your article never gets written nearly as much as it matters to you. It's inevitably going to be lower on their list, so it is your job to follow up until you pin them down.

[Nabubrush]

I definitely don't get enough publicity, so any amount is much appreciated.

[AugustWest]

What I found was that interviewing people isn't that much like being social. It's not like being at a party. You're not trying to make small talk, having to come up with some topic out of nowhere that you might both be able to talk about. It's not that kind of improvisation without a net feeling that we introverts have in social situations.  Instead you have a defined subject, defined questions you need to get answers to (although don't forget to be open to answers that you didn't think to ask for). You don't have to worry you're boring the other person or whatever because you're not doing the talking. Most people love to talk about themselves and have someone hang on their every word.

So I recommend that you just think of this as something different. It's not socializing, it's a job extracting stuff from people. You'll learn how best to basically manipulate people to get their best stories out of them. Which might actually help you fake being social as a side benefit, but basically, you can do it by analyzing your experiences and discovering what works to get information out of people, even if you have no intuitive grasp of human socialization. This was my experience, anyway.

This is a good analysis.  Interviews are conversations with an objective.  However, the social skills side of it helps get people to take the time to talk to you, and to encourage them to open up.  As in most things, you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.  You're non-judgmental and just listening.  Also, the shutting up and letting them talk thing works, sometimes.

Listen to Terry Groce on Fresh Aire.  She's one of the best interviewers I've ever heard.

[jay-ell]

Yes, Terry Groce. She is such a great interviewer, you almost never hear her voice. I like that.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I did learn basic interview techniques, you know, in Journalism school, but they focused an awful lot on writing good questions.

Still, I think I am a fairly good interviewer, because I do write good questions, but I also am good about being flexible and not just sticking to the list when it's obvious there are much more interesting places to go. The hardest part is keeping my subjects on topic, but that's easy to do with careers because talking about what you do or have done for a living is a great way to talk about yourself without getting too intensely personal.

So I interviewed my cousin last night, I'm scheduled to do the photographer tonight (keep your fingers crossed), Paul's dad is next Monday and -- when it rains, it pours -- the professional video game competitor emailed me this morning and promised her replies "today or tomorrow."

So I guess I won't throw in the towel just yet.

[Nabubrush]

Yes, Terry Groce. She is such a great interviewer, you almost never hear her voice. I like that.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I did learn basic interview techniques, you know, in Journalism school, but they focused an awful lot on writing good questions.

Still, I think I am a fairly good interviewer, because I do write good questions, but I also am good about being flexible and not just sticking to the list when it's obvious there are much more interesting places to go. The hardest part is keeping my subjects on topic, but that's easy to do with careers because talking about what you do or have done for a living is a great way to talk about yourself without getting too intensely personal.

So I interviewed my cousin last night, I'm scheduled to do the photographer tonight (keep your fingers crossed), Paul's dad is next Monday and -- when it rains, it pours -- the professional video game competitor emailed me this morning and promised her replies "today or tomorrow."

So I guess I won't throw in the towel just yet.

Do let me know what time/date would work best for you - I've got some, ah, projects lined up for this time home.

[jay-ell]

I'll let you know. Looks like I might not need you until May, if the people I've got signed up come through this time.

[Nabubrush]

I'll let you know. Looks like I might not need you until May, if the people I've got signed up come through this time.

Ok. I'm doing some schedule-swapping around there somewhere, so we'll need to work out a time.

[jay-ell]

So, looks like I need someone for next week. Could one of youse guys who volunteered earlier do an interview either by email (I can send out the list of questions today) or by phone tomorrow morning between 9 and 10:30 EST, or any evening except Friday (including tonight) between 8 and 10 EST? I could also do basically any time on Saturday or after noon on Sunday. I like to allow an hour but it normally doesn't take that long.

I am posting on Mondays now so I would like to have the interview done by suppertime (6ish EST) on Sunday. If nobody's free, don't sweat it -- I'll figure out something with somebody local.

Thanks!

[Nabubrush]

So, looks like I need someone for next week. Could one of youse guys who volunteered earlier do an interview either by email (I can send out the list of questions today) or by phone tomorrow morning between 9 and 10:30 EST, or any evening except Friday (including tonight) between 8 and 10 EST? I could also do basically any time on Saturday or after noon on Sunday. I like to allow an hour but it normally doesn't take that long.

I am posting on Mondays now so I would like to have the interview done by suppertime (6ish EST) on Sunday. If nobody's free, don't sweat it -- I'll figure out something with somebody local.

Thanks!

I could do Thursday night or by email. Phone would probably work better - or at least I'm thinking I'll come off better. Let me know if nobody else bit.

[jay-ell]

Not yet.

Let's do this: PM me your preferred email address and I'll send you my list of questions, and you can send me the nuts and bolts type stuff via email. Then we can schedule a call if you want to have a chat as well.

Sound good?

[Nabubrush]

Not yet.

Let's do this: PM me your preferred email address and I'll send you my list of questions, and you can send me the nuts and bolts type stuff via email. Then we can schedule a call if you want to have a chat as well.

Sound good?

Okey-dokey. Actually, my schedule has tightened up, so this would maybe be better.

[Nabubrush]

I hope you can make something out of that.

[jay-ell]

I did! Let me know if you're not thrilled with it -- I sort of phoned it in due to lack of time & other pressures this weekend, but I'm happy to make adjustments if I skipped over anything important or got any of the details wrong.

Thanks, though. I think it's interesting, and especially with the Deepwater Horizon spill in recent memory, I think a lot of people will be curious about what goes on in an oilfield. (I took pains not to mention your company by name, BTW. Just in case.)