The first thing I noticed about this chapter and took something away from is the GOAL model of an interview. As someone who has had experience with interviewing, but not in the format of writing a profile, this was really interesting. In past, I have done research about a subject before meeting them but in most situations I had already known the interviewee personally. What I like about the GOAL model is that it is really understandable to whoever is reading it regardless of if they have interview experience. I would compare it to a blueprint model of the interview setting.
The acronym for GOAL stands for goals, obstacles, achievements, and logistics. I think this blueprint model is really effective for how one wants to go about interviewing. What is also interesting is that this model can be applied and arranged in a way that it pertains to the subject. There is such a variability in what type of interviewee you may have. One may be right off the bat open about their personal background and the “hard stuff”, while others may need to start with lighter sections such as achievements.
It is important to know what method of conversation you’ll have before going into the interview. Look at the Rickman example at the beginning of the chapter, we can see how the unpreparedness around a subjects personality or background can ruin an interview. Therefore, you must gather the you will approach an interview before going in. Some journalists have a standard interviewing style but it must be flexible and able to change based on the subject. There is no standard interviewee, every human being is different and talks about their life in different ways. A journalist has to be a chameleon in the world of interviewing; they can hide and blend into its required setting in order to get to the heart of a story. That may be through the way they approach the interview with questions and topics, their personality, or even things such as clothing choice.
