Ask a Writer
Q:
One of my duties is to profile an employee every month for our newsletter. The last one was disappointing - the employee talked on about her work but revealed little about herself, so the story ended up like a c.v. I plan to do another soon and would like some ideas on what questions to ask to make the story interesting and the writing less painful.
- C.L.
A:
Interviewing is really an art, not a science, so it's impossible to come up with an all-purpose set of questions from which you can generate a compelling profile. However, there are some tried and true techniques that can help you structure your interviews and ensure that your profiles come alive. For three tips, read on…
- Do your homework. Before you sit down with your subject, do as much background research as possible. If necessary, talk to his or her friends or co-workers. Ideally, you should have a pretty clear understanding of the direction of the story before you even commence the interview. That way, you can use your time with the subject to drill down deeper, rather than simply engaging in a fact-finding mission.
- Sharpen your storytelling abilities. Imagine yourself leaning over a backyard fence, telling a friend about someone you just met whom you find facinating. Yes, the facts are important, but without a strong narrative it won't be interesting to anyone. Good stories tend to have several things in common. They involve human emotions and drama - hope, fear, personal triumph, beating the odds, good vs. evil, etc. Remember, too, that a good story (like a good movie) has a single overriding theme or message. Make sure you stick to it. Don't be shy about leaving other material on the cutting room floor.
- Get personal. Most people are uncomfortable talking about themselves to a relative stranger, so you'll need to be creative here. For example, try to interview your subject at his or her desk rather than, say, in a cafeteria or some other public place. You want the opportunity to to glance around their workspace for clues to who they really are. Perhaps that diminutive software engineer has a picture pinned to the cubicle wall of herself piloting an 800-lb Harley - her favourite past-time when she needs to unwind after work. Or maybe that environmental scientist who's working to reduce pollution in our waterways sits next to a window that overlooks the Ottawa River. These personal touches can help your story come alive.
By the way, don't overdo it: I used to work with a writer who started every profile by describing the subject gazing longingly out the window at something that was related in some tenuous fashion to the theme of the story. He was a great writer but lazy, and after a while it became a running joke. The trick with any literary device is to use it sparingly.
Ross Laver is a freelance writer and marketing communications consultant, and the author of Random Excess: The Wild Ride of Michael Cowpland and Corel. He spent 21 years in the national media, writing for Maclean's and The Globe and Mail.
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