Interviewing has had a very powerful impact on my work. As a reader, I love stories that involve people. They help illustrate information much more effectively than just facts and statistics. Stories create an elevated sense of drama, a personal connection, and can help the reader visualize otherwise abstract information. Utilizing known experts to supply information has the added benefit of providing an increased level of credibility to your work.

Almost any kind of writing can benefit from tapping into the knowledge, perceptions and experiences of others. In order for this to happen, you must conduct an effective interview. Here are some of the things I’ve learned about the process:

1. Selecting the Right Source

Direct Involvement

Look for individuals who have direct involvement in the event or subject about which you’re writing. They’ll be able to offer personal insight and perspective that can’t be gained simply from research.

Credibility

Seek out individuals who have exceptional qualifications and credentials in the subject-matter you’re writing about. Look for published authors and those who work IN the field. For example, I recently interviewed Bert Decker, Chairman and CEO of Decker Communications and author of five books on communication. Our topic was “Communicating with the Boss.” An undeniable expert in the field of communication, I wanted his guidance and his background.

Relevance

A good source should provide information that is helpful and meaningful to the piece. The interview should add something new and interesting that gives the piece more substance.

Quality over quantity

It’s better to speak with just a few high-quality sources instead of with many sources who don’t provide much of interest. Spend your time wisely and focus on quality.

Look for a story

A high-quality source is interesting. He or she provides a compelling story, perspective, opinion, insight or background.

WIIFM

Remember that everyone wants to know “What’s in it for me?” Some people just want to see their name in print. Others want to promote their business. Still others have a personal agenda - a desire to inform the public about something they feel strongly about.

2. Conducting the Interview

Research the source

Be sure to Google everyone with whom you decide to work. Check out their blog, previous interviews, and books. You want to have confidence in the reputation of the person on whom you’re relying. The more research you do the better questions you’ll ask. This also shows respect for the individual you’re interviewing.

Know what you’re after

Before you sit down for the interview, clarify exactly what information you need the source to provide. Write down your questions and be prepared to probe for real answers. However, be cautious - avoid creating “expectations.” You don’t want to inadvertently push your interviewee into giving you what you want rather than giving you the truth.

Follow up

Even though you should have a good idea of what the source is going to be capable of providing, you want to also keep your ears open for other possible leads. Perhaps your source will lead you in an unexpected direction. If so, go with the flow. You never know what you’ll learn.

Keep it conversational

No one wants to feel interrogated. Stay professional and remember that the more relaxed your source is, the more information he or she will be willing to share. Even if you’re probing for an in-depth investigative piece, it rarely helps to be pushy.

Record it

To make sure you catch everything and to avoid potential mistakes when quoting a source directly, ask if it’s okay to record the interview. A handheld recorder works well for in-person interviews. Over the phone, try using Skype to place the call and Pamela software to record it. Skype is free; Pamela allows a free 30-day trial and is then available for a small one-time fee.

3. Working With What You’ve Learned

Direct quotes

Used appropriately, a direct quote can be powerful. It can add emotion and personal reflection that would not otherwise be obtainable. It’s also a great way to include opinion, when you - as the writer - are looking to only provide facts. For editorial pieces, direct quotes can provide compelling counter-arguments.

Avoid clutter

It’s frustrating, but many interviewees will have little to say. Don’t clutter your writing by including source information that doesn’t add value. Be selective about the quotes you use.

Don’t shoehorn

Sometimes, a high-quality source isn’t the right source for your piece. Don’t force it. If the individual didn’t provide something useful, don’t try to squeeze them in simply because you like who they are or what they’ve said. Again, the interview should add value to the piece. Otherwise, it’s just a distraction.

However, today, I joined a group of “urban hikers” here in Atlanta and gained a brand new appreciation for the art of graffiti. The group was made up of about thirty people. Together we enjoyed a lovely Saturday morning touring our local area and actually looking at the graffiti many of us tune-out in the normal grind of our daily lives. When you’re really looking, you find that there’s something incredibly artistic happening in the colorful, cartoonish, often indecipherable words and images that are generally mistaken for mere signs of urban decay.

Now, I’m not talking about every profanity-laced tag you see on the side of the highway. As I learned today, there’s a kind of hierarchy in graffiti and yes, some of it amounts to little more than territorial pissings. However, some pieces are quite obviously much more. Many might easily be viewed as social commentaries - expressions of the modern condition or some kind of collective artistic rebellion.

Interestingly, there’s also a hierarchy within the artists’ community. In fact, the younger newbies will typically find their work quickly covered up by those who have “paid their dues.” Our tour guides today, two well-versed graffiti artists, had a keen eye for recognizing each artist’s individual write-style or signature script. They pointed out some particular pieces that were done by world-famous graffiti artists - those who have achieved nearly untouchable status in the hierarchy. Subsequently, our leaders also pointed out several works done by, presumably, overzealous neophytes which they predicted would be quickly covered by those who outrank them.

And while you may consider it an act of vandalism, there’s also a code of ethics respected by most graffiti artists. According to our tour guides: No churches, no banks, no schools and no homes. In the same breath, however, one of our leaders acknowledged that the last item on the list may again be in play. The spiraling economy has left many abandoned houses (no longer “homes”) which have become tempting blank canvases. Clearly, in art and social commentary, sometimes the medium is the message.

I thought I’d share some of the pictures I took along the way. Please keep in mind that I rarely pick up a camera (though I’m trying to get better about that) so I apologize for the completely unremarkable framing, lighting and whatever else stands out as glaringly amateur. I’ve also included a few notes about what’s what and where (I think) we are.

We started off in Reynoldstown on Memorial Drive by the old Depot and basically followed the BeltLine for a while.

I believe this HUGE stretch of graffiti is on Wylie Street. The pics don’t really show just how long this wall is. But it’s pretty amazing. It’s always been a hot-spot for taggers and for a long time, it was covered in profanity and the kind of stuff no one wants in their neighborhood. A few years ago, Wonder Root, a non-profit organization got a grant to improve this area. They invited some of the best graffiti artists in the world to help turn the community eye sore into this amazing stretch of modern art. This helped keep the neighborhood “flavor” but made the wall much nicer to look at.

At the entrance to Krog Tunnel in Cabbagetown…

Inside the tunnel…Okay, the graffiti is really cool but I’m still glad to have been with a big group of people walking through here. This tunnel has always kind of freaked me out, even in a car. On foot, I would NEVER venture alone!

Today, I’m starting to draft my presentation and before I really jump in, I thought I’d take some time to review my personal “Holy Trinity” of public speaking here.

1.    Make a Connection…Fast

It’s a cardinal rule of public speaking to “start off with a bang” and I certainly believe this is a necessity. You’ve got to grab the attention of your audience right away; otherwise, they’ll start drifting immediately. Though estimates of the average length of human attention span vary greatly, you basically have about two to five minutes to make an impact before the audience will start really zoning out (that’s a scientific term). Sure, you might be able to get them back, but for every minute they’re mentally wandering somewhere else, it’s just that much harder. Believe me, I know! And when you’re on stage giving a presentation, you know when you’ve lost your audience. It can cause serious panic as you try to get them back. Do yourself and your audience a favor: Grab their attention right away, and keep it.

How do you do that? Make a connection. I’m not a big fan of starting off with a joke or anything like that. To me, that’s pretty cliché. Instead, I prefer to share a personal, relevant story that will either surprise the audience, or inspire them to feel an immediate personal bond with me. At times I do make these stories funny because humor is a great way to create a light atmosphere. Sharing laughter is a bonding experience in itself.

2.    Be Substantive –  Provide Unique Information They HAVEN’T HEARD BEFORE

I can’t stand sitting through an informative presentation that just rehashes things I already know. It’s a complete waste of time. Consider a presentation about “Resume Magic” that just reviewed how to write an “objective” or how to create succinct bullet points. Anyone who’s written a resume has probably heard that stuff before. What’s new there? When you attend a session on a topic that most people have heard discussed a million times, you want to discover something NEW.

Admittedly, some speakers are really more “entertainers” so they aren’t quite as focused on the substance. While I like to entertain, I also like to teach people. Whenever I finish a speech, I love hearing how excited people are to utilize their newfound knowledge. I can usually tell when I’m hitting the nail on the head during a speech because audience members’ eyes will widen, they’ll lean forward and they’ll start furiously scribbling notes.

I make it my personal mission, when speaking, to provide quality information that is (hopefully) new to most of my audience. I want them to remember me because I was the person who taught them something incredibly valuable, something they never knew, and something they now can’t live without. In order to do that, I need to understand my audience and their background on the subject.

Because my presentations are more about “teaching” than just “entertaining,” it’s important to communicate clearly. I have to be informative but concise. I have to structure my presentation in an organized way to prevent any possible confusion. After all, the last thing I want is for the audience to leave feeling uncertain about what they just learned.

3.    Keep It Conversational

I’m not a big fan of stiff, formal speeches. In fact, I don’t know many people who are. I prefer to keep my presentations somewhat informal, so I don’t write them out word-for-word. Instead, I create a list of the key points I want to cover. In my opinion, it’s much easier to listen to someone who is speaking extemporaneously. Using bullet points gives me more ability to engage with the audience, as I’m not concerned with reciting each word perfectly. Instead, I’m thinking about really explaining the concepts, and I’m watching the audience, gauging their reactions as I go. This allows me more freedom to adapt to the audience without feeling that I’ve gotten “off track.”

If I’m explaining a particularly difficult concept, such as how to create a macro in Microsoft Excel, I’ll create a handout that outlines the steps. Then, I’ll ask the audience not to worry about taking notes and just to listen. This helps take pressure out of the room. The audience knows they’ll get a “cheat sheet” so they’re able to just relax and pay attention, rather than scribbling furiously.

I really enjoy public speaking, and I enjoy it even more when I’m providing quality information that people can use. I’ll report back on how the “Holy Trinity” works out in Norwich, CT. I’m feeling pretty pumped!

Well, that’s a relief. For a while there, it was touch and go.

Mr. Unknown sounds to me like he knew a thing or two about the life of a writer.

In my role as Editor-in-Chief, I proudly consider myself a professional nit-pick. Since I manage a team of writers that I work with on regular basis, I have a sincere commitment their professional growth. So, if I find myself correcting the same errors repeatedly, I pick up the phone and call them. This is a painful conversation (mostly for me) especially if the error we’re discussing is a particularly elementary one:

“You see…um…it’s just…this darn plural versus possessive thing…it just keeps popping up…you sure love those apostrophes!”

My writers are amazing though. They hold my hand through the process, soothing my nerves and offering me comfort. They listen to me stumble awkwardly through my Strunk and White justifications, and when I finally come up for air, they assure me that their feelings are not hurt; they’re professionals and I’m only doing my job. In fact, they even say, “Thank you.”

That’s the spirit of a professional writer: to calmly acknowledge honest criticism with gratitude and humility; to listen and not get defensive or demoralized. A true writer’s spirit is unbreakable, no matter what the criticism.

A writer must understand that everyone is a critic. While some criticism will be constructive, coming from people you respect whose opinions you value, that won’t always be the case. Let me repeat: everyone is a critic – even those who have no business critiquing your work. In fact, those folks will often be the loudest and most persistent.

A professional writer takes this in stride. They don’t feel the need to argue and they don’t let it get them down. They don’t let every persnickety comment shake their foundation. Instead, they listen for any nuggets of potential gold and simply discard the rest.

So, what do you say to those finicky folks, whose opinions you couldn’t care less about? A simple “thank you” will do. Take the criticism for what it’s worth, which sometimes isn’t much. But always keep your ears open. You never know when those golden nuggets of wisdom will appear.

But seriously, people. Anyone can call himself a writer. Judging by the resumes that flood my inbox every time I’m searching to hire a new one, there’s pretty much no requirement on who can use that title. Apparently, you don’t even have to have the most basic, elementary understanding of the English language.

What I’ve learned is this: There are writers and then, there are good writers; there are professional writers. There are writers who will get hired, make money, and build reputations for themselves. And then there are writers who will struggle and barely scrape out a living. It seems to me, that the vast majority of so-called “writers” do not take the necessary steps required to become “good.” Instead, they settle for just being. They proudly announce that they are writers, without a hint of irony, or sarcasm, or desperation, and they succumb to the old belief that a true artist will never fully be appreciated in his time.

Making a living from writing is different from being an artist. Let’s face it: an artist doesn’t have to be good at what they do – that’s why most of them have day jobs. Because language involves a very specific set of rules, writing is a delicate kind of art. It’s fascinating to me (in that sick, car wreck sort of way) how many writers disregard these rules entirely and still expect to make a living. If you’re making art, you can do that – occasionally, with purpose and understanding. But you’re always taking a risk.

Now, I’m not saying that risk is an intolerable part of being a “good” writer. Certainly, it has its place. But a writer looking for work should always display his abilities above his artistic vision.

Writers who are struggling should do one thing: get back to basics. Stop focusing on what you are saying, and look at how you’re saying it. Examine your sentence structure. Evaluate your punctuation. Work with an editor if you’re not comfortable with your own abilities. Slow down and think about what you’re putting out there. Take pride in your work.

Good writers don’t just happen. Writing well is a serious commitment of time, energy and education. Stop thinking of it as a talent and start acknowledging it for what it is: a skill you must constantly hone, a craft you must study intensely to understand.

Anyone can be a writer. But you don’t have to settle for being just any writer.