The perfect interview

And judging from what she says, it's easy to understand why her interviews grab everyone's attention.

She started off at Preaw and Preaw Sudsupda magazines as a mere writer before taking over as editor in chief. In her 16 years in the field, she has interviewed more than a 1,000 people and is now also in charge of the Cream magazine.

Rookie got a chance to meet her while she was sharing her experiences in a workshop at TK Park. Here are some of her suggestions for journalists.

Don't worry about the style

It might help if you plan how you are going to write the article before you start the interview, but don't worry too much about it. Just prepare your questions. After the interview, the information you gather will dictate your style.

You could write your article in the Q&A style or write it as a story with quotes and conclusions.

Ask yourself how good your interview was. Did it run smoothly? Did you get in-depth answers? Did you ask good questions? If your answers to these questions are 'yes', then you can write it in the Q&A format.

However, if you've had problems at the interview or didn't get enough information, you should write the article as a story using quotes. It doesn't have to show the questions you've asked, just a summary of the interview.

Also, the style of the article depends greatly on the space available. Articles written in the Q&A format use a lot of space.

Listen carefully, follow up and be polite

A good interview doesn't just depend on the interviewee - it depends on the interviewer too.

Always conduct an interview as if you're talking to a friend - be enthusiastic and conversational. Don't snoop and always be polite. Also don't read out questions from a list - you won't be able to catch your subject's feelings.

By all means, bring a list along in case you're afraid of forgetting your questions, but it's better if know what you're going to ask. You must also concentrate on the interviewee when he or she is talking, because a lot of things happen during a conversation. Also ask follow-up questions.

I normally spend an hour or two conducting an interview for an eight-page article, but that's not an exact amount of time. Sometimes, it might take you longer than two hours to conduct a good interview. If you've been interviewing your subject for the allotted time and feel you didn't get enough information, don't stop the interview. If the interviewee doesn't have enough time, make a new appointment. Don't expect to write an informative article if you feel your interview isn't complete.

Dress properly

Many women prefer wearing trousers, and that's fine when they're working in a newspaper or magazine. However, wearing jeans may not always be proper. There was one lesson I learned that I've never forgotten. Once, I was assigned to interview a businessman, so I wore a shirt and trousers. But when I arrived at the man's office I found that everyone was in a suit or a long dress. I was a little taken aback, and decided to call the interviewee and tell him I was going to be late. I went home and changed into suitable attire.

Pick the best

When you've finished the interview, it's time to choose what information is worth publishing. You can get a lot of stuff in a one- or two-hour-long interview, but your space will be limited so you have to make a choice. Some writers have problems making choices. Sometimes they hold back good information and write about things that are less important.

Plus you have to present your information according to what your target reader wants to know. If you put everything in your article, it will only confuse the reader.