For a while I thought I was experiencing random occasions of annoying interviews, but they are becoming more and more frequent. When a guest is invited to talk about what is happening in their life, and/or introduce a product or event to a curious audience, I am under the impression that the host should ask questions and let the guest answer. Is it just me? Am I unjustifiably annoyed when a host interrupts their guest and begins to talk about themselves. And they go on and on like the "interview" is all about them? On the average, during a 30 minute segment, the guest gets to answer two or three interrupted questions, and we learn nothing more about them other than what was said in the host's introduction. I think hosts should take courses on effective interview techniques, maybe watch veterans do their thing as in the program "60 Minutes." It would be more than fair to scrub having guests on a show when they don't have the opportunity to speak until 5 seconds before the commercial break.
I guess I'll stop watching TV interviews for a while. In the meantime I'll stick to reading one of my favorite interviews like John 1:19 - 28 (New Living Translation):
This was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, "Who are you?" He came right out and said, "I am not the Messiah." "Well then, who are you?" they asked. "Are you Elijah?" "No," he replied. "Are you the Prophet we are expecting?" "No." "Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?" John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: "I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, 'Clear the way for the LORD's coming!'" Then the Pharisees who had been sent asked him, "If you aren't the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?" John told them, "I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. Though his ministry follows mine, I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal." This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
Wasn't that a wonderful, concise, informative interview? We get the introduction and purpose of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ in just a few minutes.
Then John 1:29 - 36 continues by giving us a magnificent testimony:
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, 'A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.' I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel." Then John testified, "I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn't know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, 'The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God." The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, "Look! There is the Lamb of God!"
So TV hosts, checkout examples of some great interviews. They are between God and Moses, Abraham, Elijah, Job, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel to name a few. You will learn how to effectively ask questions, get answers, and be blessed at the same time.
Christine Brooks Martin, author
"Pray What God Says"
"Talk to God with Affirmations of Faith"
'Christine's Short-Shorts"
(eBooks are FREE & Also available in Paperback)
Areli MediaWorks 2012
