You've finally tracked down the expert you need for the article you're working on. But bad news: they only have fifteen minutes for you. I wanted to see if there was a way to get the most out of a brief interview with somebody, so I spoke with journalist Greg Lindsay, who had a few thoughts.

First you want to hop on Lexis/Nexis or Factua: "Find out everything your contact has said on the topic," says Lindsay, "and find out what they know and what they're favorite thing to say on the topic is."

The point is to get your contact off-message if you want to get a good quote. "You need do do this as soon as possible," says Lindsay. "Ask rapid-fire question and don't be afraid to (politely) interrupt and show your knowledgeability." That way, you're not only showing that you know the subject matter, but your source is less likely to repeat himself. "You're hoping to cut out the blather," says Lindsay.

I asked one question that's on my mind when interviews go off-track: how do you politely interrupt, after all? "Refer to the source saying something similar in a previous interview, like 'Yes, I heard you say something similar in your interview in the Times.' Acknowledge what they have said. They may not know that you know the matter, so you may have to coax them into saying something different."