Journalism: The Impact of Interviewing Others.

My experience as a journalist interviewing others has been eye-opening, teaching me to talk to anyone, ask questions, and actively listen. However, as someone who considers herself a great conversationalist, I've found that interviewing others has revealed things about myself I didn't realize. Things like maintaining a flow in an interview, meeting the interviewee at their pace, reading body language, and following the rules of ethical journalism, even when the story is messy.

But beyond those technical skills, here's how interviewing others has impacted me:

1. Interviewing Taught Me to Tell the  Stories of Others 

Interviewing others has taught me that everyone has a story worth telling well and that telling it with respect is a skill.As a journalist, my job is to make sure someone else's story can be heard. That meant learning to ask open-ended questions rather than "yes or no" questions. Questions that open doors because that's usually where the truth lives. This changed me outside of work, too. I stopped waiting for my turn to talk and started getting curious about other people's why. 

2. Interviewing Made Me a Better Professional Communicator

When you're interviewing, you have a few minutes to build trust with someone you've never met. That forced me to get clear about the purpose of my interview, really fast. I learned to lead with purpose and adapt to my interviewee's persona because I found that some people need warmth, while some need directness. Meeting the interviewee at their pace made me more flexible in every conversation. I can read the room better, their body language, tone, as well as what they avoid. It taught me that communication is not what is on a page. I'm more intentional about my questions: I ask more, assume less, and structure my points so people actually hear them. 

3. Interviewing Built Resilience I Didn't Know I Needed

Not every interview goes well because some people shut down mid-interview. Some stories may also fall apart, and some sources say "no comment" after you've started asking questions; ethically, you can't really force an interview. However, I now know that I have to be accurate and fair while still writing my story, and that's what taught me resilience. I learned how to handle rejection without taking it personally and how to sit with uncomfortable answers. Knowing how to keep digging when the first couple of questions get you nowhere was also part of interviewing that impacted me because it taught me about integrity. Knowing that just because I can publish a story doesn't mean I should. Following the rules of ethical journalism has kept me verifying, providing context, and protecting people. It has set a standard for me that I now bring to every professional decision as a professional writer. 

I came into journalism thinking I'd learn how to get quotes from others for my articles, and I came out learning to actively listen and ask follow-up questions to get the story I want. However, interviewing others compelled me to slow down, to be curious, and to be responsible with someone else's truth. It made me a better storyteller, a better communicator, and a tougher, more ethical media professional. I know now that a microphone is truly just a tool, and the real impact was what happened to me while I was holding it.

What has impacted you from interviewing others? Leave it in a comment below.