Ever felt like your interviews hit a stalemate with pre-scripted questions and awkward transitions? Fear not, because today we're peeling back the curtain on how to turn those rigid Q&A sessions into flowing, organic conversations. I'm Chris Anderson, and I've weathered the storm of cringeworthy interviews to emerge with a style that feels more like a chat with an old friend than an interrogation. Without a preset list of questions, I've mastered the art of active listening to draw out the unexpected, ensuring each episode of the Elevate Media Podcast is as unique as the guests who grace it.
In this episode, you'll walk away with a toolbox for conducting interviews that will keep your audience returning for more. I'll take you through the paces, from the importance of doing your homework to the subtleties of crafting questions on the fly, all based on the rich tapestry of your guest's insights. Whether you're a budding podcaster, a seasoned journalist, or a content creator on the rise, these actionable tips will refine your approach and breathe life into your conversations. So, gear up for a session filled with knowledge bombs and join me as we explore the dynamic dance of interviewing that will transform every dialogue into a treasure trove of discovery and connection.
Our mission here at Elevate Media is to help purpose-driven entrepreneurs elevate their brands and make an impact through the power of video podcasting.
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Speaker 1:
Welcome to the Elevate Media Podcast with your host, Chris Anderson. In this show, Chris and his guests will share their knowledge and experience on how to go from zero to successful entrepreneur. They have built their businesses from scratch and are now ready to give back to those who are just starting. Let's get ready to learn, grow and elevate our businesses. And now your host, Chris Anderson.
Speaker 2:
Welcome back to another episode of the Elevate Media Podcast. I am Chris Anderson, your host. Today we're diving into the world of interviewing. So if you have a podcast and you talk to people on your show, this will just right up your alley. So it doesn't matter if you're a seasoned podcaster, brand new into journalism, or just a video content creator. Mastering the art of interviewing is crucial for creating engaging conversations that captivate your audience, and so I've done over 200 something interviews, probably over 300 something interviews now with the podcast, and so I've grown tremendously in this field. I'm not perfect, but I've come a long way.
Speaker 2:
If you go back and listen to episode one or two or three or you know, probably up to like 100. Back when it was originally Pental Leadership, you're going to see how terrible that was. I think for the first hit episodes I was reading like I had lists of questions so I would have the guests come on. I had the whole process. That was fairly good, but my interviewing was hey, welcome to the show, Tell me about yourself. They would tell me I wouldn't even almost wouldn't even be hearing 100% of what they're saying because I already was going and ready to transition to the next question. I had written down and I say something like, oh, that's a great question, Okay, and then go to the next question that I had written out and that was such a big mistake, it was robotic, it didn't flow well, where now I don't have any pre questions, I don't do a pre call. I know enough about the individual that I can start the conversation based around that, and then I listen, and I truly listen to what they say. So then I can hear and ask a question off of that or dig into something they say better, something that I think you guys would want to listen to. So I don't have any questions ahead of time prepared. So they all come from up here as we're talking and discussing and as I'm listening to the guest and what they're saying, Because one, you know it's never going to be the same interview on the show and it has a more.
Speaker 2:
You know it's a better conversation. It's just like because you're not going to have a list of questions if you go hang out with your friends and talk to them about stuff, but okay, yeah, and you know what did you say? Go, yada, yada, like you're not going to do that. You should have a conversation, you should be listening to your friend so you could respond and have a conversation. And that's where really no, obviously, you know, you look at different shows, 60 minutes, things like that. They have a breakdown, they know what they want to talk about, but they do the same thing. They can shift and they can pivot on in the conversation based on what they hear the person says, what, excuse me, what they hear the person say. So that person could say something that could be really interesting and take a whole different turn for the conversation. That wouldn't have happened if they stuck to the script or to the questions or whatever. So you have to be able to listen and build a conversation off of that.
Speaker 2:
Now, obviously, our episodes we have an idea of where we want to go with the conversation. We know what we want to kind of cover for the most part, but how we get there in the depth and the information that comes out, it's based on me listening and asking questions based on what I'm actually hearing the person say. So that's just kind of how I did it and how I've done it and how I've grown and learned to do it. But what else does it take, you know, to conduct a better interview, to be a better interviewer. We're going to break down, give you some actionable tips that'll help you elevate your interviewing skills. So stay tuned. They're all important.
Speaker 2:
Let's get into tip number one, which is doing your homework. You got to do a little preparation right. Preparation is key to a successful interview and I can do this better. 100% transparent. I'm always transparent. I'll always be open.
Speaker 2:
This part I could do better. I can have you know, maybe our team prepare a little bit more about the individual coming on. Because when you know more about the background of your guests, their achievements, their area of expertise, you can, you can build that conversation and you have more quote unquote ammunition to pull from. So if you know something happened in their past or if you know they did something great like you can weave that into the conversation. Now, Graven, our intake process gives us a lot of this information. So I do know ahead of time a lot of their background, a lot of their achievements, things like that. So we do do preparation. I still think, obviously I could do better, always can do better, but if you have this information ahead of time, not only does it demonstrate you know your respect for that guest, but it always it also allows you to ask better questions, more insightful questions that will, you know, create better conversations and it will be just a cookie cutter questions and answers that they've done on every other show.
Speaker 2:
Now, tip number two this is, I kind of mentioned it on my progression, if I learned is to listen actively, so to be a better interviewer. It's not just about asking questions, it's about listening, truly listening to what your guest is saying and then building a question from that, pulling out something they said and telling more about it. You said that to me, more about that, what it was that like, or you know, you just said this, responding to letting you know you actually heard what they said and building the question off of that. So make sure you're keeping eye contact. I've seen man, I've seen some episodes where people, their guests, are talking and they're just like looking down at their phone, even virtually, like they're looking on their phone. They're looking down at paper constantly, like it's okay to take notes or to glance and maybe a note you have, but don't like be always looking down, Be looking at the camera so it looks. So your guests knows you're actively listening by watching them. You know give responses with your body language, you know, nodding like, oh, like, gestures, things like that, and of course, your questions, that follow up based on what they say will show if you're listening, it's great because it shows your genuinely interested. But if you do that, your guest is going to be more willing to open up and share because they're like, oh, this person actually listening and cares what I'm saying and is like into it. So that's, that's another tip to really think on, is just active listening.
Speaker 2:
And then the next tip, tip number three you got to be flexible. Again, like I said, I don't do any pre-prepared questions. I just I don't do them. Well, I have an idea of what I want to talk about with the guests, but I am open to being flexible. If the conversation goes a whole nother route and that's important you can prepare, you can maybe have some outline, some topic ideas that you would like to hit on, but don't, like I said, don't be afraid to deviate from that outline based on how your guest is responding, how they're communicating.
Speaker 2:
Some of the most engaging moments in an interview happen spontaneously. So you gotta be open to exploring new avenues, new rarals, and let the conversation lead you to that next question and point. Let it flow naturally. Tip number four try to keep the environment comfortable for the guests, for yourself, whether it's in person or remotely. Just be yourself, Be comfortable, Lay back, like calm down, take a breath and welcome your guests. Make it welcoming for them when they first get in the green room, or virtually green room or in person room. Just have small talk. Find out what they like doing their hobbies. If you've done a little background, you can say hey, I saw you ran that marathon. You know I'm a marathon runner. How did you go? Like how was it for you have some refreshments? If you're in person, Make sure your equipment's ready in advance so you're not having distractions, All these things. Just having a good natural conversation when they get there will help to relax and feel at ease and that helps also for them to give better thoughtful, candid responses, because you've already had a good warm up session.
Speaker 2:
Basically is what I say of conversation, and so you've built that connection already pretty quickly. So get better at doing that. Build a quick connection with your guests somehow. Find out something they did recently by looking at their social media, Look to see if they want any of this, or wrote a book Like oh my gosh, I just saw you did that blah blah blah Like build a conversation, build a connection to you two together and it just it makes it so much easier to have the conversation going forward. And then, finally, the last tip, and it's probably no surprise to you practice, practice, practice. We talk about practice, practice. Yeah, practice, we got to practice. Like any skill, interviewing takes practice to get better and master.
Speaker 2:
Like I said, I've done over 300 interviews, probably 200, 300 interviews, I don't even know. I've lost count where an episode like 370 something, and some of those are solo, so that's why I don't know the number right. Whatever, a lot of interviews for me. I always see people have done a lot more. But again, going back to when I first started, if you look at those interviews they are awful. I am terrible. It's my guests. It's not my guest for it, it's my fault, but I just hope if I could start there and get to where I am now, there's so much hope for you because you can do the same thing. Just take every opportunity to improve, to hone your skills, whether that's through pretend mock interviews, Listening to other people who are great interviewers, see how they do it.
Speaker 2:
My goodness, that's what I love listening to. Like Lewis Howe's interview people Amazing. You know, listen to different TV. Chris Van Preet, like he does great with the WWE stuff. So to look and learn from other people as well, see how they do it, See these little things that set them apart and, of course, always seek feedback from your audience.
Speaker 2:
You know, one of my early guests was actually a friend of mine in college and he started Stock Dads, DJ Brown. So if you're a dad, if you're in the stocks you want to invest, go check out Stock Dads, get a part of that community. Dj is doing amazing stuff with his team. So many of them got crypto, crypto dad, Stock Dads they're growing is fantastic. I love it. So shout out to DJ Brown and his crew at Stock Dads and everything they're doing to help support men to invest and create a better future financially. So check him out. Shameless plug, he's not a sponsor of the show, Just giving him, you know, tip of the hat because he's doing amazing stuff out there. So well done, DJ. And he's helped me. He helped me early on.
Speaker 2:
Like I said, he was a guest and he started kind of watching some of the episode and he said, dude, hey, you know, kind of sailed a little robotic when you're talking and you're looking down quite a bit, because I was looking at my notes, I was looking at the next question and so, like being able to take that feedback and not be like, oh, forget you, DJ, you know, instead of doing that, because I knew him, even if I didn't know him, like taking that feedback and be like, oh, dude, okay, thank you, Like you're right. Like going back and looking at your own videos and get viewed and look at yourself. I was like, dude, you're so right. And that was the moment I started shifting and taking away the outline, taking away the notes. If I write notes, I try to like glance and write it without looking, so sometimes I can't read it later, but I want to stay engaged and so it was because I took feedback from DJ that helped me start to really improve and notice those things more.
Speaker 2:
So don't be afraid to feedback. You know, welcome it and it's going to help you. Take on so into the worry fractures. Obviously you're going to get better, you're going to get more confident, you're going to get more proficient at it and you'll just become a better interviewer. So get out there and just do it. So that's all I have for you five tips to master the art of interviewing better. I hope you could learn something. I hope you can implement something and actually take this and get better. So don't just listen go, implement, take action and start improving what you're doing. But that's all for this episode. Until next time, continue to go out there, elevate your life, elevate your brand, and we'll talk to you again soon.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to the Elevate Media podcast. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. See you in the next episode.