From respected journalist, professor, and founder of the Writer’s Symposium by the ocean, a reserve that demystifies the art and science of interviewing, in the vein of On Writing Well or How to Read Literature Just like a Professor.

“Dean Nelson is among the best interviewers around.”-Anne Lamott

Interviewing may be the single most significant way journalists (and doctors, lawyers, social workers, teachers, human resources personnel, and, really, most of us) get information. Yet to numerous, the perfect interview about Speak to Me: How to Question Better Questions, Get Better Answers, and Interview Anyone Such as a Pro feels similar to good fortune than skill-a uncommon confluence of rapport, topic, and timing. But the thing is, great interviews aren’t the consequence of serendipity and intuition, but instead the result of cautious planning and great journalistic practices. And Dean Nelson is here now showing you how to nail the perfect interview every time.

Drawing on forty-years of award-winning journalism and his experience as the founder and sponsor of the Writer’s Symposium by the Sea, Nelson strolls readers through each stage of the journey from deciding whom to interview and structuring concerns, to the nitty gritty of how to use a documenting device and effective note-taking strategies, towards the ethical dilemmas of interviewing people you love (and loathe). He also includes case research of famous interviews showing readers how these concepts play out instantly.

Chalk full of in depth, time-tested, gold-standard tips, Talk to Me can be an indispensable guide to the subtle art from the interview guaranteed to afford readers with the skills and confidence they need the next time they say, “talk to me.”