Challenging Interviewees and Tossing the Question List

Many reporters subscribe to the Dragnet school of interviews: have a list of questions and ask for "just the facts, Ma'am." I can't fault doing homework or listening. But I've found that some of my best interviewing comes when I challenge the person on the other end of the conversation. I don't mean jumping in and getting verbally ugly for the sake of conflict, but more having a lot of background research done and questioning people's answers when they don't make sense. It may be that you're not really getting the point, or it could be that the person is saying something off-base - or a combination of the two. But in that case, don't simply take down what the person says. Leave stenography to PR representatives.

In the same vein, be ready to toss out your list of questions. Certainly get the who, what, when, where, why, how, and which out of the way, but also be ready to ask what whim suggests. If you lock yourself too tightly to a preconceived agenda, then, in your own way, you're approaching the interview no differently than a PR person might, knowing what you want to get out of it in advance. Give yourself and your subject a chance to be surprised, and you will be happy with the results.