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. Arrive promptly for the interview appointment.2. Explain your purpose for the interview and test your recording

equipment (if applicable).3. Take notes (even if you are recording the interview).4. Ask your questions, one at a time, listening respectfully and giving

your interviewee plenty of time to answer fully.5. Confirm spelling of names and places if you are not familiar.6. 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.7. Thank your interviewee very much for their time and thought

given.8. 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 Non-verbal Communication Skills”

• Read the text more thoroughly and fill in the three-column response chart.

Find connectionsFocus 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:– 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:

• “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. meeting your respondent2. asking the first questions3. Establishing an easy rapport4. Asking particular questions like “the bomb”5. Reacting to the responses6. Concluding the interview

3. 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?

4. Finish your reflection with a comment on the entire interview process.