A good interview is built before the microphone is switched on. Preparation is what lets you listen properly during the conversation.
Research with a purpose
Read or watch enough that your guest does not have to explain the basics, then look for the gap: the thing they have never been asked, the claim that needs detail, the moment their story changed. Note three specific facts you can reference; nothing builds trust faster than evidence you did the work.
Design questions that produce stories
- Ask open questions: how, what happened, what did that feel like.
- Ask for a specific moment rather than a general view.
- Avoid double questions; people answer the second and forget the first.
- Keep questions short. Long preambles produce short answers.
- Prepare a few follow ups for the answers you expect.
Write ten questions and accept that you may use four. The list is a safety net, not a script.
The first five minutes
Record from the moment you start talking. Explain the format, the length, that mistakes are edited, and that they can restart any answer. Begin with something easy and factual so their voice settles and your levels can be checked with real speech.
During the conversation
Listen to the answer rather than reading the next question. The best material almost always comes from a follow up. Allow silence; people fill it with the honest version. If an answer is unusable because of a noise or a stumble, say so kindly and ask for it again.
Make the edit easy
Ask the guest to include the question in their answer where you may cut your own voice. Note timecodes of strong moments as you go. Keep your own reactions quiet while they speak if you are recording on one microphone.
Difficult topics
Agree in advance what is off limits and what happens if they want something removed. Being clear about this makes people more open, not less.
Afterwards
Ask if there is anything they expected to be asked and were not. Confirm name spellings, titles and any figures cited. Thank them, and tell them when it publishes.