This article definitely hit home for me after this weekend. Personally I've always had a problem with focusing my story and interviewing in general. (My weaknesses are definitely reflected in my package that is due.) Anyway, any and every piece of advice and/or hint is invited. The sentence and word story descriptions used by the journalists in this story are helpful. I used them within the context of my story and it did help some with clarity. Surprisingly I find it a lot harder to interview someone that is extremely interesting compared to someone that just feeds you what you want to hear. For example, if I'm interviewing someone that is full of information, I tend to try to sneak extras into my story. Even though some side facts may be interesting, they can also act as a story disruptor.
The interview tips in the Poynter article were also useful. Nervousness in terms of interviewing is always one of my main concerns. I constantly find myself filling in silence with crazy laughter or "agreeing words" only to regret it later in the editing process. I think that the most important aspect of an interview, according to the article, is to develop a relationship with the source. By doing this you can "get close and invest emotionally" and "make eye contact and be interested". I need to do better at these things because gaining the trust of a source is key.
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