Talk to Me audiobook

Honestly, I read this book because it was available from the library. I had no special interest in interview skills. But it was so compelling! It made me want to interview people. Almost just for the sake of interviewing them, to get stories and perspectives and maybe even information the public should have access to. This author has a wealth of illustrative stories, many of which are hilarious or fascinating. The farther I got into this book the more I felt like I need to change my life and become an investigative journalist! It seems absurd. And yet I think it's pretty likely I'm going to find myself someone to interview and write a story on. Just because of the challenge of doing it well. The book covers skills, styles, challenges, ethics, landmark interviews, and more. It stays interesting the whole way through.

“When the interviews are done well, they have the potential for a human connection that goes past the level of merely gathering information. They become an experience where you are fully present with that other person, and she is fully present with you, and you have a sense of everything aligning just so that this interchange can take place… It seems we all live for moments of shared humanity. Interviews can provide those moments.”The magic of interviews, as the author Dean Nelson presents it, seems as it shouldn’t be reserved for the official format of the interview only. These informative and insightful encounters happen all the time between people (non-reporters), we’re just not aware of our role in them. Follow-up questions, attentive listening, respecting the accuracy and privacy of the other, besides being touchstones for people who want to conduct good interviews, are also elements that people of all kinds of professions use in their everyday conversations. Consequently, the content of this book can be considered an enjoyable non-fiction read just as much as it is a journalism textbook. Moreover, the stories and the interview transcripts that the author uses from his own career as a professional in journalism clearly illustrate the points made in each chapter, providing the feeling of actually experiencing the interviewing process. At times though, the same advice is repeated way too often. Fine! I get it that the interview isn’t about me! (Nelson says the interview is never about the reporter or how they feel about the story.) But can we move on to the next page already?! He suggests that the interviewer should remain impartial about what the source narrates during their encounter so that the audience is given the space to create their own opinion on the story. Similarly, I think that stating the advice once in the introduction and restating it in the conclusion is more than enough for the reader who is interested in receiving that advice.

This is a fantastic read for anyone who deals with other humans at work. (Most everyone) Armed with case studies and interview critiques, Dan lays out best practices and watch-outs for interviewing. I picked this up to learn more about how to effectively run user interviews for UX design. It is full of actionable takeaways.

Informative and engaging, Nelson shares wisdom from his years of experience as a journalist. For someone not in the field, I found it especially enlightening. And while I may never find myself interviewing someone for a news story, I can relate to the idea that by listening to others, we bear witness to their life, their story. We validate their humanity. Talk to Me is sprinkled with profound truths and laugh-out-loud wit. Already, I have found myself taking Nelson's suggestions into my own life. Ideas such as to get better answers, we must ask better questions. And, the value of preparation and doing one's homework. I highly recommend!

Excellent book for those wanting better understanding. Something I appreciate is his focus on the ego in conducting a well crafted interview. I also enjoyed his push to ask hard questions and how one should think hard about the fruits of such questions before asking them. Will this question create chaos for views or will it bring about a shared humanity and understanding we never saw coming. A quote I loved from this book is "heat for heats sake or heat for lights sake". Would read again and again

Even though the primary audience for this book seems best suited for professionals in journalism, I found it to be quite interesting and educational from a salespersons perspective. Application of the techniques, questions, settings, timing, etc will most certainly result in increased competence leading to greater production and or clarity in communication.This book was quite refreshing, and the stories and examples furthered the importance of preparation and understanding the person you intend to interview, or pitch, as a salesperson, or any professional who regularly interacts with others. The author's transparency and humor made this an enjoyable, and an easy read.I would highly recommend this book to any person looking to hone their communication skills, or for the obvious, any person actively involved with interviewing, or who is interviewed on a regular basis.

I listened to the unabridged audio version of this title (on 8 CDs, read by Michael David Axtell, HarperCollins, 2019). This book is very useful to journalism students and aspiring reporters. However, in this age of connectivity and primacy of knowledge, everyone can benefit from it. We all ask questions in the course of performing our jobs and pursuing personal hobbies. A social worker or a psychiatrist is as much in need of questioning skills as a journalist. So is a professor, when a student stops by to discuss a personal challenge or (ethical) dilemma. Choice of who to interview and what questions to ask are of course the most important elements of a successful interview. Nelson offers many practical suggestions, both on the details of interviewing techniques and on big-picture issues. For instance, as an interviewer, you should check your ego at the door. The interview isn’t about you but about the subject. You should neither try to be super-friendly nor overtly hostile. Don’t ask questions whose answers are already available in your subject’s writings or prior interviews. Good interviews are the results of hard work and preparation, not rapport or luck.From this book, I learned the exact definitions of terms such as “background interview,” “off the record,” “not for attribution,” and many more. I also realized the importance of detailed note-taking (while not being so immersed in your note pad that you do not make eye contact with your subject) and recording the interview whenever possible (if agreed to by the subject). Nelson also offers useful tips on tools of the trade, such as always having enough pens or pencils and carrying a pre-tested recording device loaded with fresh batteries.Several actual interviews, including Barbara Walters’ now-classic interview with Mike Wallace, are used as case studies, with detailed discussion of what was right or wrong at each step.A journalist’s main asset is his/her reputation and trustworthiness. Unlike most other professions, no formal training or exam is needed to become a journalist. So, when a story appears inappropriate or iffy, it is better to lose the story than the reputation.

Talk to Me... by Dean NelsonI came across this book in a Tattered Cover which is a bookstore chain in Denver, Colorado. It is one of the largest independent bookstores in the United States. I have gone to Denver every year for a while and the Tattered Cover is on the itinerary every time. It may be my favorite bookstores, partly because of interesting finds like this. I was looking for some good books on the writing/journalism craft and they had a large section to browse. This one is a gem.This book by Dean Nelson is thorough. It gives a comprehensive overview of the does and don'ts of interviewing. It is very readable and offers several examples to the principles. He tells many entertaining stories related to the subject. He suggest several famous interviews found on the internet and offers commentary about what goes right and what goes wrong. Nelson even suggested watching the movie "Almost Famous" as an inspiring movie for writers and interviewers. (Great Movie BTW) He offered commentary about several of the events in the movie, and how it related to journalist and interviewers.I aspire to learn this material/skill so that I might at some point effectively do interviews to eventually craft a few feature stories for publication. I can't speak high enough for this book toward moving toward that goal, but I don't think the book should be limited to that audience. I could make a good argument that this would be good non-fiction book for a broad and general readership. Interviewing is far more pervasive than we might think. Our doctors and healthcare people interview us. Law enforcement and judicial participants conduct interviews. Employers interview employees and potential employees all the time. Heck, we all at one point or another may be required to conduct an interview in one form or the other. This book of 380 pages has good information, easily read. The Table of Contents gives a good glimpse of what you might expect:Intro: More Than Instinct: Asking better questions and getting better answers.Chapter 1: It Starts In Your Head: Deciding whom to interview and why. Case study: Where Clueless Meets Reckless: David Green of NPR Interviews Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders.Chapter 2: Then It Goes To Your Hands and Feet: Hunting and gathering your sources.Chapter 3: Then You Dig: What you don't know will hurt you.Chapter 4: Now You Make A Plan: Pick a structure, but be ready to abandon it.Chapter 5: Just Before You Start: A few more considerations before the questions begin.Chapter 6 : An Interview That Started Out Well, Went Off The Rails, And Got Better Again: Chris Wallace of FOX News interviews former President Bill Clinton.Chapter 7: Don't Avoid The Hard Part: What's most uncomfortable might also be the most important. Case Study: Still a clsssic, and better than Frost/Nixon: Barbara Walters interviews Mike Wallace.Chapter 8: Before And After The Interview Ends: How to wrap it up well and how to ensure accuracy.Chapter 9: Note-Taking And Recording: You probably won't get sued if you do this properly.Chapter 10: Terms You Should Know: WE use these phrases, but what do they mean?Chapter 11: Check Your Ego At The Door: Interviewing those you love and those you loathe. Case Study: An interview that started out badly and pretty much stayed that way: Terry Gross of Fresh Air talks to Gene Simmons of KISSConclusion and AcknowledgementsAfter reading this book I don't imagine that I will ever see any interview the naive way I had before. I now have a good grasp on what goes into a good interview. I now know what makes a bad interview. I know some of the common interview strategies that are regularly used.This may be one of the most readable how-to books I have read. Practical and engaging. I highly recommend this one.

Part textbook, part memoir, Talk to Me is an amazing work for writers, podcasters, doctors, lawyers, and anyone else who wants to become better at learning from others. As a writer, podcast host and introvert, I continue to seek to grow as an interviewer. No work has done more for me in this area than Dean Nelson's Talk to Me. Not only does he offer best practices from a lifetime of journalism, but he shares anecdotes about what worked for him, and why. He talks about some great questions, techniques for organizing an interview, and other "nuts and bolts" helps for those who want to improve. Additionally, Nelson highlights the connection that can be made between a subject and an interviewer. I loved reading about the respect he has for those he has the privilege to speak with--those who are trusting him to share their story with the world. This is a wonderful book that is informing my work on a weekly basis since reading it.

This book is meant to be for journalism / reporters students. However. The principles on how to interact with people can easily be applied to any communication strategy. Either you are asking questions to a customer, debating with friends, influencing decision-makers, selling something, etc. The ideas inside the book will hone your skills. How to deal when someone turn the roles and start questioning you ? How to talk to important and busy people? How to talk to silly idiot public people? One of the (embarrassing) examples is when he interviewed Vicente Fox that after he invited him to come to his ranch, he then told him he didn’t actually invited him to interview him. It was an interesting book bur keep in mind is focused on preparing journalists. You need to go through the weeds and find the gems that you can apply in other domains.

I've been doing interviews for 7 years but after reading Dean's wonderful book I realized there's still so much for me to learn. Namely, 1) You should know the answers to most questions before the interview. 2) You must ask hard questions so that people respect you. 3) You absolutely must take notes. I'm very grateful to Dean for writing this book because it provides a lot of tips, insights and helpful examples. His stories are also so interesting. One feels like journalism is the most interesting profession in the world. :-) After reading this book, I am motivated to become a better interviewer!

I found this to be extremely interesting and helpful for anyone who has a need to interview someone. I listened to it as an audiobook. I may listen again -- at least parts of it. And/or I may buy the print copy. Although, side note, I would not want to have this guy as a professor. Being a jerk to your students does not make you a good professor.

A practical book for everyone who's interested in having better conversations, job interviews, etc. — not only journalists. I particularly liked Dean's comments on some old interviews — what was said and how this could have been made better — even though I have no clue who the people are

Planned to skim through it, but stuck around for the free-flowing writing style and interesting case studies.