Grammar Girl here.

Today's topic is interviewing.

Some of the best advice I got when starting out as a writer was to avoid the temptation

to show the person you're interviewing how smart you are.

For example, I used to write magazine articles about science, so I was interviewing researchers

who I really respected and thought were doing fascinating work.

I have a Master's degree in science, so it was hard to resist the temptation to show

these amazing scientists that I knew my staff, and it was also hard to avoid lapsing

into jargon when we were talking about a field I knew well.

But if you fall into either of those traps, you're not going to get the quotes you need

for your article.

You need the person you're interviewing to explain what they know in their own words.

If you start showing off, you're going to put words in their mouth.

Even worse, they'll realize you know your staff and they won't tell you the important

parts, leaving you to write about it without quotes.

A related quick and dirty tip is to avoid asking questions that will put the person on

the defensive.

Did you mutilate the cute snail after using it for your own purposes?

Is it not going to get you the same answer as what happens to the snails after the experiments

are finished?

Similarly, you don't want to ask leading questions.

A leading question leads the person to the answer you want.

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