How frustrated do you get when interviewers talk so much that the interviewee has a hard time answering? How often do you turn off the TV or radio because the interviewer thinks his insights matter more than his guest’s?
One interviewer who has never put himself above his subjects is Brian Lamb, the founder of C-SPAN and the host of Book Notes.
In his interviews, Lamb asks a series of simple questions and lets the subject answer. Lamb does his homework on his subjects. And he does not hesitate to repeat questions or ask followup questions. But he lets people talk.
To see how simply Lamb approaches his subjects, look at this compilation of questions from an interview of the late Christopher Hitchens.
Notice how almost every question is a W question – who, what, when, where, or why.
Now, for the full intellectual delight of this conversation, watch the whole interview.
