Talk to Me

Of course as a writer I'd read a book about "how to ask better questions, get better answers, and interview anyone like a pro". In his Talk to Me Dean Nelson shares a wealth of journalistic wisdom. But Nelson uses interview in a much broader sense: getting accurate information to inform decisions from sources that are sometimes reluctant and not always truth telling. If you've brought more than one child into the world or you're a member of a global peace keeping organization you use this skill on the regs. If you're a doctor the kind of questions you ask can be a matter of life or death. If you're hiring for your company and asking piss poor questions you could be hiring duds and missing gems.
Dean shatters one very harmful myth: great interviewers are born that way and great interviews come about through the luck of the draw. There is a whole skill set that can be learned, studied, and diligently practiced. One pretty obvious example is that before you go for an interview learn as much as you can about the person you're interviewing and the audience you're intending to enlighten. Like if I was interviewing Dr. Elizabeth Allan for the Maine Campus I would ask why she chose hazing as her research field and whether she's seen any change in the years she's conducted research. Because most readers are UMaine students who experienced the pandemic as students I'd ask her what was most challenging in teaching during a pandemic. He breaks the process into steps with plenty of advice for each one. He shares experiences from his 40+ years in the field and gives snippets of productive and anything but interviews. He touches on ethical dilemmas that may arise.And he does all this in a highly readable conversational tone.
I found a lot of useful information in the book. If you have to deal with other people in your work or life I bet you will too.
On a purrrsonal note I almost lost my life to a doctor who didn't know know enough to ask a question. It was two days after I had my first baby by emergency c section. I knew that I had an infection. The doctor on duty said it was my imagination. Fortunately I was savvy enough to ring a nurse for a second opinion because I had a HOSPITAL ACQUIRED infection that would have killed me if I'd believed him.
A great big shout out goes out to the few doctors who actually practice listening and asking good questions skills.
Jules Hathaway