From Magic Johnson to Joey Ramone to Barbara Bush, as a film and video director I've been lucky enough to interview some really interesting celebrities. But it's interviews with regular people, who happen to be living with some pretty tough diseases like MS that really seem to stick with me. I think about their honesty, sense of humor and courage long after the last shot is in the can.

It's no wonder that we often encourage our healthcare clients to invite patients to participate in their communication efforts. After all, these folks are the only ones who really know what it's like to have their lives improved or even saved by today's miracles of science. Here are some tips that may help your next patient interview be your best:

• Ask your clients if they've interviewed patients before. If they have, ask what they did and didn't like about those interviews and review the footage.

• Focus group testing has shown that patients react more favorably to people with whom they can identify. So work with your clients to develop a patient list that reflects the entire spectrum of people affected by the disease.

• Find out about the person, not just the disease. Secure permission to conduct a pre-interview phone call with a larger group of patients than you'll need. This will allow you to cull your list and focus on the most compelling stories.

• Ask patients if they have any home videos or still photos that they'd be willing to share. This will provide a source of candid elements that add visual impact to your story without affecting your budget.

• When your pre-interviews are complete, create a broad strokes outline that aligns content with the patients who will likely speak best to those specific topics. Highlight the points in your outline where you'll need transitions, and make sure you collect material that will help you build a "thought bridge" from one content point to the next.

• Of course you'll work with your clients to develop a great list of questions, but also collaborate ith them to define what the "perfect answer" would be. This really helps you guide patients where you need them to go without putting words in their mouths.