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Interview basics
Creating Interview Questions
• An interview is only as good as the questions
asked during that interview. The purpose of
the interview is to gain information, and the
way in which to do so is to ask questions that
will elicit information.
• Refer to your preliminary notes.
Finishing your interview questions
• Read “The Ten Stages of the Interview”
• While reading, highlight any ideas from the text that you feel may be
useful to you during your interview.
• Finalize your list of questions in the order that you think will be the most
effective.
• List three or four interview techniques or strategies you will use.
• What will you do to make your subject feel relaxed during the interview?
Good luck! It is now time to conduct your interview!
Split-Page Notes
• “Ideally, note-taking should be
just words and phrases. You
should write the story as soon
as you’ve finished your
interview, and those words and
phrases should just be things
to job your memory” (Don
Radford)
• However direct quotations
need to be written exactly as
the person has spoken.
Who:
Where:
When:
Note any background details
that you may wish to include in
your story. Get any of the 5 W’s
and H information that you have
not already discovered in your
background research.
Left – 1/3
of the
page
Right – 2/3 of the page
Questions
and main
topics
Answers and details
To conduct your interview
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Arrive promptly for the interview appointment.
Explain your purpose for the interview and test your recording
equipment (if applicable).
Take notes (even if you are recording the interview).
Ask your questions, one at a time, listening respectfully and giving
your interviewee plenty of time to answer fully.
Confirm spelling of names and places if you are not familiar.
As a parting note, ask if there was anything you didn’t ask that he
or she thinks is important, or if he or she has anything to add.
Thank your interviewee very much for their time and thought
given.
Put your interview notes and/or audiotape in a safe place. These
will be handed in with the final product.
Interviews
Contacting your interviewee
• No one has an obligation to grant you an interview.
• Before requesting the interview, jot down some information that you want
to include in your request. Remember to relate the reason for the
interview. Don’t forget to note the following details, which you will need
to include when requesting an interview:
– Time of the interview
– Location of the interview
– Additional details – questions you plan to ask or the topics to be covered
(don’t list all your questions; just give a preview)
– Ask your interviewee if she or he has any questions about the interview.
Letter to interviewee
•
•
Draft a business letter to your interviewee, asking your candidate for an
interview.
Review your communication variables (handout).




•
Your topic ____________
Your audience is your potential interviewee
Your purpose is to inform your audience about __________ and persuade him or her
to be interviewed
Your form is a business letter of request.
In your letter



suggest a time and place for the interview, but also indicate that you are willing to
arrange the interview at the convenience of the interviewee.
Indicate that you will telephone the interviewee to follow up on your letter and make
final arrangements for the interview.
Ask permission if you are recording the interview. If your candidate declines
permission, be gracious and take notes.
Letter to interviewee cont.
• Read over and revise your draft, ensuring that you are including all the
relevant details and explanations, and that your language is appropriate
for your reader and your request.
• Edit and proofread your most recent draft very carefully for appropriate
punctuation, capitalization, spelling, grammar, and word choice. You want
to make a very good impression on your reader – he or she needs to trust
you to do a conscientious job on both the interview and the final article.
• Include the Audiotape Permission Form with your letter.
• Send your letter by mail or deliver it in person.
Interview Techniques – Non-verbal
communication
• Skim the article first to find those sections that
are most relevant or new to you and then read
those sections in detail - “Improving Nonverbal Communication Skills”
• Read the text more thoroughly and fill in the
three-column response chart.
Find connections
Focus on finding connections between the ideas you’ve just learned and how
they show up in these particular situations. For example, if one of the
aspects you noted was facial expression, pay attention when the article
interprets the facial expression of the sales clerk. Highlight any of these
direct applications that you find and label each by writing the particular
aspect or form of non-verbal communication in the margin beside it.
• Read “Watch What Your Body Says”
• Read “Decoding the Runner’s Wardrobe”
• Make a list of at least five aspects of non-verbal communication you
learned from the readings.
Homework - handout
•
View a television interview without the sound on so that you can focus on
the non-verbal communication. Make notes.
– Watch any talk show like those featuring Oprah Winfrey, Vicki Gabereau, Larry
King, or Jay Leno.
•
•
Write at least five factors of non-verbal communication you found in the
interview.
Write a reflection in which you make some interpretations you found in the
interview:
– Do the participants seem comfortable or uncomfortable? How can you tell?
– What does each person’s appearance and posture indicate about his or her
attitude toward the interaction? Is it being taken seriously or not very seriously?
Explain, using specific examples.
– Is each person listening attentively to the other(s)? How do you know?
•
•
Comment on the techniques you observed that were most useful. Explain
why you think they were useful and whether you will try to use them during
your interview.
Also explain how you will adapt the interview techniques you learned to suit
your personality.
Verbal Communication
• Good interviewers make the interviewee feel comfortable and respected.
Respectful non-verbal and verbal communication by the interviewer
allows this to happen.
• Verbal techniques:
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–
–
–
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Begin the interview with casual small talk
Ask gentle, empathetic questions.
Ask simply phrased questions.
Ask questions that are unbiased
Sequence questions carefully. Begin with questions that are easy to answer
and that demonstrate that you are prepared for the interview. Sequence
questions either from general to specific or from specific to general, so that
your interviewee can see where you are going.
Verbal Communication cont.
–
–
–
–
Sincerely compliment your interview subject.
Joke or tease gently, if appropriate.
Accept blame for miscommunication (“I didn’t make myself clear”)
Follow up answers with positive, probing responses:
•
•
•
•
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“Really? How interesting!”
Mirror or repeat key details
“Tell me more about…”
Ask for clarificatoin. “Does that mean that…?”
Ash “Why?” or even “Why do you say that?”
Reading
• Read “Brian Little” (interview)
• “The Morningside Years” (memoir)
• Answer the following questions:
– Give examples of langague (phrases) that show respect.
– Give examples of appropriate language, given that the interview ran
on the radio to a large audience.
– Give examples of how Gzowski’s choice of words show his attitude
toward the topic of introverts and extroverts.
– Give examples of language that show a particular relationship
between Gzowski and Brian Little. What kind of relationship do you
think they may have had?
Interview reflection
Write a one-page reflection on the entire process of preparing for the interview and then
describe how the interview went.
1.
Begin with the process of brainstorming for a topic and go through the various steps
in the process when thinking about what was useful and what you would do
differently next time.
2.
Reflect on your interview experience. For this part of the reflection, think about
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
3.
4.
meeting your respondent
asking the first questions
Establishing an easy rapport
Asking particular questions like “the bomb”
Reacting to the responses
Concluding the interview
Comment on what you learned about your subject. How was the perspective of
your interview different from your own – what did he or she know or see that you
didn’t? Did this new information and perspective surprise you? How does your
knowledge fit in with what you already knew or thought about the person? How
does it change or expand what you thought before?
Finish your reflection with a comment on the entire interview process.