The Credibility Minute

29 - Why John Oliver ditched interview segments


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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:

  1. Lessons from John Oliver’s pivot away from interviews
  2. The difference between "Initiator" and "Responder" and how it applies to business content
  3. 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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The Credibility MinuteBy Jen deHaan