As a contributing writer for several online entertainment sites, I’ve had the opportunity to interview actors, directors, producers, etc. The process of interviewing can be daunting but there are ways to make it less so.

Read below for my suggested tips for effective interviewing.

Don’t over think it

Interviewing is a privilege, don’t make it a task. You don’t need to over research. You’re not writing a paper for school. Briefly review any available information on your interviewee. If it is an actor you’re unfamiliar with, watch one or two of their projects. If the person you’re interviewing doesn’t have much internet information for your research, don’t panic.  There are standard questions you could ask for actors, writers, musicians etc.  Once you have basic questions, the rest will come during the interview as you’re talking. The goal of the interview is to learn about them so you can share this information with your readers not to know everything about them prior.

Ask some basic questions but have some original/unique ones too

I have a few questions that I save to ask towards the end of the interview once I get a feel for my interviewee. I’m proud to say that some of these interviewees have commented that ‘I’ve never been asked that question before.’

Be personable

When you normally have conversations are you stringent or stiff? If the answer is yes, there’s nothing else to say. If it’s no, think about how you talk with family, friends etc. Engage your interviewee and they’ll want to engage you back. Let them know you admire and respect them and what they do. My last interviews have extended over the originally scheduled times because my interviewees have said they were enjoying our talk. Again, remember whoever you’re interviewing is a regular person, look pass their name, status,celebrity etc.

These tips may not work for everyone.

Comments? Sound off below. Or tweet @thenerdygirlexp and @stacyamiller85 .