I’ve watched Master Hoshino give hundreds of interviews over the years. Actually, I’ve interpreted them. So I have a pretty good idea of what his speaking style is like. One thing I’ve noticed, and I’m not entirely sure if this is true but it seems to be the case, is that he is very good at only answering what was asked.

What I mean to say is, he does of course go on tangents, it’s where all his good ideas come from. But once he’s finished, he sort of just stops. It’s like it’s the end of the conversation.

I’ve actually tried this technique myself, of only answering things you are asked and then just being quiet. It takes a bit of getting used to, I’m pretty good at adding my two cents to everything, but I’ve tried to stop doing that. And I think it works fine. The interviewer has their own ideas of what they want to hear, or what information they think will be useful, anything else is superfluous, so to speak.

Of course you can go on tangents, as long as its somewhat related to the question at hand, but there’s actually no need to go on if it’s not called for, especially if it’s an interview.