How does one prepare for an interview? What techniques should one use when interviewing for “entertainment,” compared with journalistic “news” interviews or interviewing for a memoir? Three very diverse and interesting interview styles will be presented by our panel of Jocelyn Ford, Kohata Atsuko, and Ann Sado on Thursday, 26 October. The panel will be moderated by Doreen Simmons.

Jocelyn Ford is Tokyo correspondent for Marketplace, U.S. public radio. Before entering broadcasting, she worked for Kyodo News, where she was the first foreigner assigned to the prime minister’s press corps. She has also contributed to a variety of publications, including the Bureau of National Affairs, Newsweek Japan, and the San Francisco Examiner. She will address issues in interviewing for news programs.

Ann Sado is a business partner in Legacy Memoirs and trained in interviewing for memoirs under the oral historian Ellen Epstein. Ann will discuss some of the Epstein techniques used for family history memoirs and the practical preparation required.

Kohata Atsuko, a TV and radio presenter and interviewer for over 10 years, is known for her interviews of musicians, actors (the likes of Kevin Costner and Tom Cruise), and directors in the entertainment arena. She will talk about how one prepares to interview a “star,” what makes or doesn’t make an interview entertaining, and the differences in interviewing American, European, and Japanese actors.

Doreen Simmons works at the Foreign Press Center.