John Oliver originally included interview segments on Last Week Tonight, but he quickly dropped them. He realized that while he is brilliant at building a monologue argument, he disliked the energy of interviewing. His show succeeded because he stopped forcing a format that didn’t fit his strengths.
In improv, we distinguish between “Initiators” (those who establish the world) and “Responders” (those who build upon others’ ideas). Knowing which one you gravitate to mentally can help you excel in improv, and this is the same thing can apply when choosing which format for your content.
In this micro-episode:
- Lessons from John Oliver’s pivot away from interviews
- The difference between “Initiator” and “Responder” and how it applies to business content
- Why listeners can tell when you are just going through the motions
Resources mentioned:
Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnxiB39lJlo
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Transcript
WEBVTT
::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
::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.
::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.
::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?
::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
::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
::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.
::as well.
::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.
::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.
::So know how to pick your format.
::What's best for you?
::Do you really get excited when other people talk? Or are you more excited when you have the
::permission to speak and you can really deep dive into a topic? When you're in conversation, do you really
::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.
::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.