Tài liệu Mastering the craft of science writing part 9 pptx

Whatever happens while you’re chatting will be fine so

long as it is cordial. However, do not get so relaxed that you

lose control of the set-up and find yourself talking across a

desk or from too far apart (too far meaning more than six to

eight feet).You need to be close enough that intimate con￾versation is possible. To a scientist, talking about her work

may indeed be intimate.

You’ll know that it’s time to start by a tiny, expectant si￾lence. Then—GO. Deliver that big fat pitch.

Follow the thread. As a culmination for all your carefully

prepared questions, you should now ... ignore them.Well,

not quite, but close to it. Once you’ve launched a topic that

intrigues both you and the interviewee, be prepared to fol￾low the other person’s lead. Metaphorically, you are dancing,

and if your partner dips, you should dip, too.Your questions

should now arise naturally out of what was just said, in a

process you can think of as following the thread.

The thread: Imagine you’re in a wood, this person’s mind,

and the topic you have opened up constitutes a thread. Pick

up the thread and follow it. Every once in a while the thread

will lead into a clearing, where you can see several other

threads coming in to join.You may want to pick one up, or

you may want to stay with your original thread, or you may

want to roam around the clearing. If in doubt, choose what￾ever seems to excite the scientist. Go for the juice.

Letting the interview flow can be scary at first. It can feel

like “Oh my God, I’ve lost control.” If you suffer that fear,

look to see whether you’re getting good stuff. If you are,

you’re doing fine. If you’re not, you can always return to

your prepared questions.

LISTEN. Do not be afraid of silence. It often means that the

interview is going very well indeed: you’ve got the person

thinking, not answering by rote. If she’s talking along, then

trails off and gazes into space ... keep your mouth shut. Let

the wheels whir. The next thing out of her mouth is likely to

be a nugget of gold.

Remember, too, that a person who is thinking may have

no idea that the silence has stretched for a minute or more. If

you come in with a new question while she is still process￾ing the old one, she may feel you are interrupting. If you

“interrupt” her twice, you’ve blown the interview.

Ideas

into

Words

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