- Make your talent comfortable, at home, or better yet go to their home or workplace
- Ask the participant to contextualise any answer, repeating or reiterating the prompt, even with open questions it is easy for an inexperienced interviewee to give a closed answer
- Be confident and ready to ask follow-up questions on the fly
- Give (non-verbal) encouragement in the way of nods and smiles
- Do not interrupt or override the participant, but continue to shape the interview in your direction if they get distracted
- Do not press the participant to answer anything they are uncomfortable about, alternatively ask them at the end why they did not wish to – their response may be more powerful than a a direct answer to the initial question