Bill Ryan Interviews Kerry About Her Interviewing Style

TraineeHuman · 08-13-2009, 04:20 AM

It seems to me that Kerry’s interviewing “style” or “method” involves making lateral jumps to whatever seems (to her) the most important. I say that’s using true logic, as distinct from the “textbook logic” of being systematic and very “rational”. By “true logic” I mean putting what’s important first – putting first things first. Usually, Kerry manages to get disclosure of some of the most important details by doing this. And we greatly appreciate her for that, when it works. I’m not sure if she did that much with Greer, though. Certainly, it looks like she could have gotten more by being considerably more detached from her personality and ego in this case. Also, surely it's obvious that the overall "frame" of an interview/etc should be rationally and coolly defined beforehand. It shouldn't be a frame of "I know I'm right". Any interview/etc only brings useful info from the interviewee to the extent to which the interviewer truly listens to whatever they are saying.

It would be great to have a long video of Kerry and Greer with a truly “neutral” moderator (referee?), and with the agreement that that moderator has the power at any point to interrupt and insist that K or G has to rephrase a comment or a point or a question in what the moderator considers a “fairer” way.

08-13-2009, 04:20 AM	#11
TraineeHuman Avalon Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 174	Re: Bill Ryan Interviews Kerry About Her Interviewing Style It seems to me that Kerry’s interviewing “style” or “method” involves making lateral jumps to whatever seems (to her) the most important. I say that’s using true logic, as distinct from the “textbook logic” of being systematic and very “rational”. By “true logic” I mean putting what’s important first – putting first things first. Usually, Kerry manages to get disclosure of some of the most important details by doing this. And we greatly appreciate her for that, when it works. I’m not sure if she did that much with Greer, though. Certainly, it looks like she could have gotten more by being considerably more detached from her personality and ego in this case. Also, surely it's obvious that the overall "frame" of an interview/etc should be rationally and coolly defined beforehand. It shouldn't be a frame of "I know I'm right". Any interview/etc only brings useful info from the interviewee to the extent to which the interviewer truly listens to whatever they are saying. It would be great to have a long video of Kerry and Greer with a truly “neutral” moderator (referee?), and with the agreement that that moderator has the power at any point to interrupt and insist that K or G has to rephrase a comment or a point or a question in what the moderator considers a “fairer” way.