Questioning Skills

Don't let them bullshit you

Always ask for jargon to be explained. Beware of euphemisms, as all companies and institutions evolve phrases to alter and disguise reality to make situations sound better
In America, a nuclear power industry said that there was an "abnormal evolution" and an "energetic dis-assembly", when they really meant that there was an explosion at the plant.
Always remember to ask what certain euphemisms mean.

Listen to the answers

It is easy to be so concerned with rattling off the next question, or taking down the next answer, that you don't even notice what is being said.
You must always note the importance of what is being said.
A good example is when a French writer stated, "I have made love to 10 000 women", and the quote was published unquestionably. However, figures show that he would have to make new advances every single day for 65 years, no mean feat for a man of 73, who managed to write hundreds of books in his spare time.

Dare to ask the cheeky question

Providing you build up to it, there is much profit in asking a blunt and personal question. Take a risk, you may create an outburst.
Nellie Bly made a living out of asking these questions, and once found that a Philadelphian factory working woman found satisfaction from going out to bars at night and drinking with strangers, something which was unheard of at the time.

Stop people rambling

There is nothing more destructive than someone draining on and on and on about nonsense.
Try something that John Brady recommends; interrupt them with something trivial--the weather, for example.

Ask questions at the end

Go over your notes, facts and figures to clear things up with the subject.
The best method is to follow two steps:
1. Find holes, gaps and missing information you made need to define
2. See if you can squeeze some excess information out of the interviewee

Never make promises how stories will be treated

It is up to the editor to decide how the story will be treated. Tell the interview subject you are, "just a reporter", and give them your editors name and number.