James McBride Quotes

I don't talk a lot when I interview. My job is to get out of the way.

You've gotta understand - when you interview someone, it's not an interrogation. It's not the Nuremberg Trials.

It is harder to lie in an interview. A good interview - and it can be polite - is not a one way street like a candidate controlled ad. An interview is not programmed by the candidate and so the candidate can't be exactly sure what will be asked.

When I'm interviewing somebody I don't work from prepared questions.

I have interviewed face-to-face, sitting beside me, over 19,000 people.

My policy with interviewing is I'm not there to teach the people I'm across from a lesson.

I never do formal interviews. I don't use a tape recorder. I take notes but occasionally.

Once we get them in the studio, you interview a person the same way you would interview another. You ask them a question. You let them answer. You try to listen closely and then ask a follow-up.

I like doing interviews. I really do.

I think the long interview has an important life.

I do not believe that I have had an interview with anybody in twenty-five years in which the person to whom I was talking was not annoyed during the early part of the interview by my asking stupid questions.

I'm frightened of interviews.

If I interview somebody for an hour, I'm looking for four amazing minutes.

I think interviews are good when you are an actual fan of the person you are interviewing.

I'm not a good interviewer.

I have spent a long time being asked questions in interviews, so I've experienced it on the other side but I'm really not afraid to ask any question myself.

Interviewing is tough, especially if you don't know what you're looking for.

If you're doing an interview, you need conversational tension. After you talk to them, you're not going to have a relationship with them, they're not going to like you, they're not going to be your friend.

My advice to all interviewers is: Shut up and listen. It's harder than it sounds.

I never personalize anything because I think that can be dangerous. For me, the best way is - this may sound pretentious - but it's to breathe the character and get into the psychology of it.

I think the interview form works best on the radio. There are a lot of personality traits conveyed in a person's voice, the rhythm of their speech or how confident they sound.

I am really bad at actually interviewing people.

I think you've got be willing as an interviewer to ask the dumb question every now and then.

Job-interviewing is just a skill. Like any skill, some people have more of a predisposition for it than others.

I never think of access or good will. I just want a good interview. I want guests to be informative and entertaining. I've never been concerned about someone's liking me tomorrow.