For a young reporter, there’s nothing more discouraging than having an interview spin out of control and having a source run the show. Some sources won’t stop talking, while others don’t know what their point is. A few tantalize you with interesting, but off-topic, tangents, and still others deliberately try to derail your questions. The list of how sources hijack interviews is endless.
Here’s how to handle interview hijackers:
1. Follow tangents, but leave a trail of breadcrumbs. If your source offers a tidbit of something that could be a hotter story than the one you started with, follow his lead. Just be sure to put a note in your notebook, a highlighted sticky note on your computer screen, or whatever you need to eventually get yourself back on your original path. And yanking your sources back doesn’t have to be gentle — they were the ones who went careening off in the first place. Just say flat out: “Wow, that’s a fantastic news item, and I want to learn MUCH more about it. But this story is due to my editor by close-of-business today, and I want to make sure we cover all the material we need to.”
2. Don’t be afraid to say “Stop for a second.” This can help with any number of sources: The windbag who won’t shut up, the rambler who won’t stay on target, the complainer who only wants to focus on what she’s upset about. In most cases, the secret is to break their flow.
Nothing works better than “Hang on a second…I’m not sure I understood that.” Or, “Stop for just a moment, Jane. Can you repeat that last bit? I’m not sure I got all of it…” The actual information isn’t important. What’s important is you taking the reins back, and getting the source to take a breath, and get back to following your directions.
You may feel like it’s rude (and granted, it’s not something you normally do in conversation with someone you don’t know well), but it’s not. If you handle it tactfully, most sources are grateful for someone to take control of the conversation, to tell them which questions to answer, and how much information is needed. Most ramblers and windbags simply don’t know when to stop, or how much material you require to answer your question adequately.
3. Push for proof. Nothing gets an errant source back on task faster than being asked to prove something they’ve just been rambling on about. If your source has pontificated for five minutes about his latest project and won’t let you get a word in edgewise, just crowbar in a question about how he knows it’s working. “Wow, Tom, that new employee training program sounds great. So what are your metrics for success on this one? Should employee turnover fall by a certain number of points? Do you expect productivity to rise? By how much?”
Get a source talking about specifics, numbers, facts and figures, and suddenly it’s not as much fun to just talk and talk. For the source, the interview suddenly becomes a lot more like work.
4. Reward sources for responding to your cues. Rather like behavioral modification, you can train a source to pony up information quickly, with a minimum of extra baggage. The secret: Know what they’re after. For example, if they’re looking for a quid-pro-quo from you, for example, to find out what’s going on with a competitor, or to get the inside skinny on a hot news story, then be sure you use that leverage to get them back on track.
Here’s an example: “I appreciate your letting me know about the ‘Top Physician Golfer’ award you just won. That sounds like a big honor. But I want to quickly get through the rest of my questions on this story, so we can talk about your hospital’s new CEO. I learned some really interesting tidbits when I wrote an article about her last year.”
5. Be ready to stop the interview. The worst possible source is one who has a completely different agenda from yours, and who keeps trying to bring your interview around to his preferred topic. The worst for this are public relations and marketing reps. They usually have a specific message they want to impart, and they’re bulldogs about sticking to their talking points, regardless of the questions you ask.
If you find this kind of hijacker has gotten into the cockpit of your interview, it’s time to turn the plane around. And let him know it. Don’t be shy. These folks are professionals, and they know they shouldn’t be doing it. They just have an agenda, and they’ll do what’s needed to accomplish it. Here’s a common example: An IT company has just debuted a new product to replace an embattled existing software, one that’s been hammered by users and critics. You’re asking the PR rep about the existing product, but all the flack wants to talk about is the new product.
When she repeats this for the third time, you’re within your rights to say, “I think we’ve hit this information already. I really need to get some response to your users’ complaints today. I understand if you’d rather not address them right now, and I have other sources for that. But thank you SO much for your time today.” You can be guaranteed the flack not only will immediately answer your questions, but that he will find you at least one more source within the company , just to ensure you have someone else to offset the “other sources” you’re going to talk to.
Have you ever had source derail an interview? How did you handle it? Comment below!
