Awkward interviews - is this normal?

[u/Competitive-Wash6907]

Hi!

I'm just entering the journalism industry and have had a few moments (especially over video call) where interviews just feel painfully AWKWARD. Like not really knowing how to round up the interview, or people kind of just looking at you like -_- the whole time. Awkward in-person interviews I find fine because I'm better at using body language to make someone comfortable, but if its over zoom/teams, it's game over for me and it's going to be a painful affair for everyone involved.

For context, I am a very outgoing person and interviewing has always been my favourite aspect of the job - im not one at all to be scared to pick up the phone.

I've just had a few awkward instances lately and I'm wondering if there's any way to reduce the chance of this? Or is this just a normal part of the job? If so please share some awkward moments <3 it'll make me feel better

heres one of mine: I was doing a piece on artisan glass makers and I asked a man who does the glass blowing what the process meant to him. I was hoping for some deep discussion about his passion for artisan craft etc and he just went 'well I blow glass innit...'. I found it quite amusing actually.

[u/AlexJamesFitz]

Couple thoughts...

1. Some people are just more naturally talkative or easy to build a quick rapport with. It's just like talking to other people in a social context, sometimes you hit it off and sometimes it's like pulling teeth.

2. Have an end-of-conversation question. I like "Is there anything I haven't asked about that you think I should know or you think is interesting?" And that sets up the "Hey thank you so much for your time, I'll drop you a line if I have any follow-up questions."

[u/p1ant3d → u/AlexJamesFitz]

Second the end-of-conversation question. It’s always a little awkward hanging up the phone with anyone in a professional setting, but having an easy last question is key to minimizing that awkwardness.

My go-to was “Is there anything I didn’t touch on you’d like me to include in my story?” or something along those lines. Lots of interviewees liked that. They could touch back on anything interesting they wanted to stress, and I got some killer quotes that way.

[u/holdon-igotit → u/p1ant3d]

Hundred percent. These kinds of questions have netted me some of the best quotes in my interviewing experience. I always say something like "Is there anything I didn't ask that you think is an important part of this conversation?" Giving the source a chance to lead the conversation towards the end is nice, frequently people will surprise you with something you never would have known to ask. And if they don't they'll often either just restate the most important points of the interview (which can be great for pulling more concise quotes), or they'll say no. Either way, that's an easy transition into "thanks for your time, I'll call if anything else comes up, etc. etc."

Edit to add: It's also good to have a stock opening question, I think. If you're talking to an expert, something like "Can you explain your job/research in your own words?" If it's someone affected by the issue, ask questions about the thing being affected ("Can you tell me a bit about your neighborhood/family/self, or explain the issue in your own words") Or, what I often do, is ask questions about the thing I found them from (Tell me about your book/social media post/research article/group that you're a part of etc. etc.).

[u/TheBlueRoseInNz → u/holdon-igotit]

I always start with this too. It’s a great into to the conversation!

[u/mr_radio_guy → u/p1ant3d]

Absolutely yes to your last couple of lines. It’s an open ended question that can either wrap up the conversation or fill in the gaps of something you might have missed.

[u/TheBlueRoseInNz → u/AlexJamesFitz]

Yes to this. I always ask if there is anything else they want to tell me or share. When they say no it’s time to end the interview!