Ishmael's Corner ~ Storytelling Techniques For Business Communications

In Honor of Mother’s Day, Let’s Check My Mom’s Knowledge of the PR Biz

Today is Mother’s Day.

We pay tribute to all the moms do.

My mom taught me the basics of interviewing, specifically what I came to term the where-what-who method of questioning:

Where you were last night?

What did you do?

Who were you with?

Fast forwarding to today, I’ve conducted well over 500 interviews. I love the discovery process, one of my favorite parts of the job. The probing and cajoling of a source to surface the good stuff always delivers a sense of achievement.

In honor of the big day, I’m dusting off an interview that makes my top-five list. But this particular interview did not involve a client. Instead, it’s my Mom occupying the hot seat (minus the single light bulb dangling from above).

I decided to put my Mom’s understanding of PR to the test a few years ago when I parachuted into Tucson for a visit. With my trusty videographer, my brother Jerry, and an iPhone, I interviewed my Mom.

Ever the consummate professional, I put nepotism to the side and peppered her with tough questions. At times she tried to dodge them, but I was relentless in extracting the truth.

Our budget didn’t allow for a sound engineer, so you’ll likely need to dial up the volume on your device.

Take a look.

 

 

Since starting my blog I’ve crafted over 1,000 posts. I think my Mom has read all of them. By her way of thinking, the blog is an extension of my youth: “You always liked telling stories.”

I’m thinking that’s not a compliment.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

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