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John Oliver started last week tonight with interview segments. Did you know that? Apparently, he says

they didn't work because the energy was wrong and he really just dislikes doing interviews. So he thought

he had to do them and of course it turns out that he didn't. Now John Oliver is brilliant at building an

argument, a case for something, taking a position and carrying on like 20 minutes of a segment all by

himself. But doing an interview with someone and making them

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them shy. It really requires a different skill set. And his team figured that out, him and his team, because

somebody on his team suggested, hey, maybe let's not do these interviews. They ended up dropping the

interviews and had him do what we all know him for really well, those deep dive segments of building up a case

on a topic. And really, that show became great because they stopped forcing a format that just didn't fit

the host.

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In improv too, people have tendencies, like what they're good at in the scene. Let's just take the

beginning of a scene. And some people are natural initiators. That's whoever does the very first line in a

scene. They just go into that scene and they can immediately establish something, some kind of detail. And

other people are better at responding to that first line. They are absolutely brilliant at taking

whatever comes from that person.

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and listening to it and adding to it in a better way than maybe that initiator ever could. They're really

good at building out the world and they just do great at finishing thoughts and making those lines really

work. Both of those types of people are needed and neither of them are better, but it helps to know which one

you are. Everybody's different. What are my particular strengths?

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want to create for our businesses. It might be a limited series of videos or an audio only podcast, a podcast

with a co-host or a podcast with no one else solo on your own because you do not need to do another interview

show or series if that's not where you shine. Interviewing requires responder skills. It's like a whole

skill set that you need to learn and build up over time. Really deep listening. You need to follow the

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the thread of what people are saying and draw upon what they are saying. Build that out. Make things

interesting. You have to be good at pacing and reading the room and understanding subtle social cues from

your guest. Solo creators require different skills like generating ideas, building momentum, and

sustaining that energy while you have no one else to talk to or bounce off of. You need to formulate a really

cohesive learning plan because it's just you talking about

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and sharing. There's a lot of overlap between all of these options, but they are very different skill sets.

Now interviews can be quite safe because someone else really carries half the load or even more and guests

might bring their own audiences and it's good to network with all these people. Maybe the conversation

feels easier to you because you aren't alone. But if you aren't wired for those things or you don't enjoy

them, interviews will feel like a lot of work and that might translate to how you sound.

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as well.

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Like the listener can sometimes tell when a host is just going through the motions or doesn't like what

they're doing or whether they're genuinely curious and interested in the guest.

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And even though solo shows don't have that networking capability, they can help you build a lot of

authority because there's no one else to sort of hide behind.

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So know how to pick your format.

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What's best for you?

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Do you really get excited when other people talk? Or are you more excited when you have the

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permission to speak and you can really deep dive into a topic? When you're in conversation, do you really

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love it when you ask questions and sort of discover what other people think? Or are you happier when you're

able to build that case or argument on your own and see it land? And there's no wrong answer. There isn't one

that's better or worse. So just be really honest with who you are.

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and what you want to bring to the table. Because John Oliver tried a format, saw it wasn't working, and then

they pivoted to what he is actually the best at for his show, which was the best answer for his show. And I'll

link that conversation where I heard him talk about this in the show notes. I'm Jen DeHaan, and this is a

Credibility Minute. Find more episodes and get in touch with me at stereoforest.com slash minute.