Dougal Shaw of Business Leader writes about his preference for interviewing executives in person.
Shaw writes, “Location, location, location. That’s what I believe when it comes to interviews in business journalism. It’s never been easier to quickly set up a recorded video call. But the real magic happens when you actually make the effort to turn up in person at an interviewee’s place of work, for several reasons:
- You get to see with your own eyes the world they have built for themselves
- You witness how their colleagues behave around the CEO
- They are more relaxed on their home turf and therefore more likely to be open in the interview
“You can also keep your eyes peeled for significant details, which seem like nothing to them, but for you the journalist (and your audience) might be enlightening. For example, this past week I went to visit the start-up Phasecraft for an upcoming article about Quantum Computing in our Business Leader magazine.
“A tour of the company’s balcony on Charlotte Street in central London made me realise one of the reasons for its location (the district is more known for advertising and media than cutting edge tech). You could see UCL. Two of the company’s co-founders are professors there and they like to be physically close.
“Then there was this sight in the team breakout area.”
Read more here.
