Hi! Jan here continuing the conversation about interviewing. And yes, let’s make this a conversation. Join in!

In my last post, in sharing interview tips, I included the following two:

– Treat each person you interview as a person, with compassion and dignity.
– Be aware when some aspect of their story may be a struggle for them to tell.

What about those?

Important in these considerations is who you are as the interviewer–who you bring to that conversation.

Think about:

• Who you comfortably are as a representative of Christ first and an interviewer second

• Who you are as you allow Him to work through you in regards to your passions and concerns around issues and people

• Who you are when priorities are in conflict, such as getting all you need in the interview versus seeing the individual before you as a human being with their own passions, struggles and questions

• Who you are from the start of the process all the way to the end . . . A person of compassion? Of integrity? Of hope? Of . . . well, you fill in the blank.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a five-minute interview for a quick fact or a longer interview getting into the depths of a person’s story. It doesn’t matter if the interview is for fiction or nonfiction or how long the writing piece will be. What matters is who you are in the presence of another one of God’s created human beings.

If you have done interviews before, what have you done well?

What can you improve?

What would you do differently next time?

How do these answers impact who you are and who you bring as you prepare for your next interview?

Let’s be great interviewers!

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Jan writes nonfiction from her home in the foothills of the California Sierras. She is currently working on more material for the teen/ya audience and for those who deeply care about them. She also enjoys life coaching and mentoring writers. Visit her site at www.jankern.com.