Avoid missing the great interview questions.

(photo by miqul76)

When preparing for an interview, gather more information than you will ever need. Then, don’t worry about getting to it all.

When you have more content and questions than you will need, you will feel more relaxed and comfortable during the interview. You will be able to spend more time truly listening to the answers that your guest is giving and less time trying to think of the next question. You won’t have the nervous feeling that you’ll be stuck trying to come up with something on the fly.

Some of the best questions are missed during an interview because the interviewer wasn’t truly listening. When your guest gives you a little nugget of compelling information, it is up to you to ask the follow-up question to fully develop the answer.

Let’s say you score an interview with Taylor Swift. You get on the topic of movies. “Have you seen any good movies lately?” Taylor mentions she recently saw the latest box office smash while on a date.

If you are not truly listening, you’ll follow your notes into the next boring question. If you actually hear what she says, you’ll ask her who took her on a date. That is the question everyone will be asking in their head.

You need to be engaged with your guest to catch great follow-up questions. If you are too busy worrying about the next question, you’ll miss the diamonds in the rough.

— I’d love to coach you with your podcast. Post any questions or comments you might have, or e-mail me at Erik@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

Prepare for your interview. Know more than you’ll need about your guest. If you have information left over, you’ve prepared enough. That’s when you can feel confident that you will avoid missing the great interview questions.