The Art of the Interview
In an online session, Alexandra Steinacker-Clark unpacked the art of conducting compelling interviews - one of the most transferable and often overlooked skills in the arts. From preparing questions that lead to more engaging conversations to learning how to shape raw dialogue into a story audiences actually want to read or listen to
Coinciding with the release of her book Working in Art: How To Build A Career In The Art World.
7 Takeaways
1. Preparation is the foundation of a great interview
Preparation was described as the first of the “THREE KEY PHASES” of interviewing. Before any conversation begins, it’s important to research your interviewee thoroughly — often by reading or listening to past interviews they’ve done.
“You don’t want your questions to be the same ones someone else has asked,” while also remembering that audiences may not already know the person’s story.
Whenever possible, scheduling a call with interviewees beforehand can help create deeper context and allow for more specific, leading questions during recording.
While sending guests broad themes or questions in advance can help them feel settled, over-preparing can make conversations feel stiff. Spontaneity is often what makes interviews feel natural and engaging.
2. Creating comfort and openness is essential
Strong interviews depend on making the interviewee feel comfortable from the start.
Before recording, it’s helpful to walk guests through small technical details - from microphone distance to removing jangly jewelry that could interfere with audio - so interruptions are minimized once the conversation begins.
As an ice breaker, starting with a simple question about someone’s background helps warm people up: “It gets people warmed up in talking about themselves which is always a good way to start off.”
Open body language, eye contact, nodding, and active listening also help people feel more relaxed and willing to open up.3. Listening is one of the most underrated interview skills
3. Listening is one of the most underrated interview skills
A good interviewer knows when to step in - and when to stay quiet. Listening attentively allows interviewers to catch opportunities for stronger follow-up questions, clarify points, or help guests reconnect their train of thought when needed.
This becomes especially important during live interviews, panel talks, or broadcasts where there’s no opportunity to edit mistakes afterward. In those situations, preparation and topic knowledge become critical because they allow interviewers to jump in and think on your feet.
4. Interviews should always consider the audience
One of the biggest frustrations as a listener is hearing interviews filled with niche references and insider language that exclude audiences from the conversation.
Instead, she encourages interviewers to define terms, explain references, and bring conversations “down to the basics” when necessary. Making interviews accessible helps audiences feel considered and included rather than left behind.
5. Editing is where the interview truly takes shape
Editing is as important as the interview itself.
For her book Working in Art, interviews often produced 30 pages of audio transcripts that then had to be edited down to 5 or 6 pages. This involved paraphrasing, summarizing, and combining stories while still preserving the speaker’s voice and meaning.
She also shared practical editing instincts she’s developed over time: “If I find myself getting bored or impatient while listening to the audio, I know that that section needs to be cut down.”
Cutting rambling sections, filler words like “ums” and “ahhs,” and anything that slows the pace unnecessarily can make a huge difference.
6. Fact-checking and review matter
Accuracy and post-interview review are especially important for writers and interviewers early in their careers.
She recalled being interviewed herself for a university magazine and noticing misspelled names and inaccuracies in the draft she reviewed before publication. Because of that experience, she strongly believes it’s often better to let interviewees review work before it goes public rather than risk publishing false information.
For her book interviews, extensive edits and paraphrasing also required legal sign-off and release forms from participants.
7. Technical preparation and energy matter more than people think
For podcasting especially you NEED to make sure all your stuff is working or else you may be in a pickle!
She also recommended having backup recordings whenever possible and remembering that energy is contagious:
Being “open, sunny, smiley”
Using welcoming body language
Creating a relaxed environment