Talk to Me: How to Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers, and Interview Anyone Like a Pro - Softcover

Nelson, Dean

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062825208 ISBN 13: 9780062825209

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2019

Synopsis

From respected journalist, professor, and founder of the Writer's Symposium by the Sea, a book that demystifies the art and science of interviewing, in the vein of On Writing Well or How to Read Literature Like a Professor.

“Dean Nelson is one of the best interviewers around.”—Anne Lamott

Interviewing is the single most important way journalists (and doctors, lawyers, social workers, teachers, human resources staff, and, really, all of us) get information. Yet to many, the perfect interview feels more like luck than skill—a rare confluence of rapport, topic, and timing. But the thing is, great interviews aren’t the result of serendipity and intuition, but rather the result of careful planning and good journalistic habits. And Dean Nelson is here to show you how to nail the perfect interview every time.  

Drawing on forty-years of award-winning journalism and his experience as the founder and host of the Writer’s Symposium by the Sea, Nelson walks readers through each step of the journey from deciding whom to interview and structuring questions, to the nitty gritty of how to use a recording device and effective note-taking strategies, to the ethical dilemmas of interviewing people you love (and loathe). He also includes case studies of famous interviews to show readers how these principles play out in real time.

Chock full of comprehensive, time-tested, gold-standard advice, Talk to Me is an indispensable guide to the subtle art of the interview guaranteed to afford readers with the skills and confidence they need the next time they say, “talk to me.”

 

 

About this title

From the Back Cover

Interviewing is the single most important way journalists (and doctors, lawyers, social workers, teachers, human resources staff, and, really, all of us) get information. Yet to many, the perfect interview feels more like luck than skill—a rare confluence of rapport, topic, and timing. But the thing is, great interviews aren’t the result of serendipity and intuition, but rather the result of careful planning and good journalistic habits. Dean Nelson, director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University and founder of the Writer’s Symposium by the Sea, is here to show you how to nail the perfect interview every time.

Drawing on forty years of award-winning journalism, Nelson walks readers through each step of the journey, from deciding whom to interview and structuring questions to the nitty gritty of using a recording device and effective note-taking strategies, to the ethical dilemmas of interviewing people you love (and loathe). He also includes case studies of famous interviews to show readers how these principles play out in real time.

Chock-full of comprehensive, time-tested, gold-standard advice, Talk to Me is an indispensable guide to the subtle art of the interview guaranteed to provide readers with the skills and confidence they need the next time they say, “talk to me.”

About the Author

Dean Nelson is the founder and director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. He is also the founder and host of the annual Writer’s Symposium by the Sea. A forty-year veteran journalist, Nelson’s byline has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Boston Globe, USA Today, San Jose Mercury News, San Diego Union-Tribune, Minneapolis Star Tribune, San Diego magazine, Westways magazine, Mpls/St. Paul magazine, and more. He lives in San Diego with his wife.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0062825208
• ISBN 13: 9780062825209
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 400