The art of interviewingDuring the interview:
*Look your subject in the eye
*Sit forward in your chair
*Respond to answers
with a nod
*Listen carefully
*Smile
The interviewer strives to learn the 'actual reality':
*Not just the 'reportable reality' the subject freely shares
*Or the 'private reality' that is shared but off-the-record
There are three ways to gather information for your story—research, observation and interviewing. Of these, interviewing is clearly the most important. It can be done in person, over the phone, and now even by e-mail. It can be extensive or just a few questions. In whatever form, it is the key to the stories you write. Your ability to talk to people is the difference between being a mediocre reporter and a good one.
1. An interviewer once asked Vivian Leigh what part she played in the movie, Gone With the Wind. Leigh ended the interview before it started. Contrast that with the interview A.J. Liebling had with jockey Eddie Arcaro. Liebling began the interview by asking Arcaro why his left stirrup was longer than his right. One got a good interview, the other didn't. One was prepared, the other wasn't.
2. Preparation allows you to ask good questions and signals your subject that you are not to be dismissed lightly. Read all that is available. Talk to those who know the subject. As writer Tom Rosenstiel said, "A common ingredient of the superb interview
is a knowledge of the subject so thorough that it creates a kind
of intimacy between the journalist and the interviewee."
3. What is the tentative theme for your story and how will this interview fit that theme? When you have answered those questions, prepare a list of questions. The best way to have a spontaneous conversation is to have questions ready. That way you can relax, knowing that you will not miss an important topic.
4. Phrase your questions in a neutral way. Not: Don't you agree that this speaker should be banned from campus? Mix open-ended questions, such as, "Tell me about your love for antique cars," with closed-ended ones, such as, "How old are you?" The closed-ended ones elicit basic information; the open-ended allow the interviewee to reveal information or feelings that you did not anticipate.
5. Decide how you will dress. You would dress differently for a hockey player than for the mayor. Ask yourself, how will my subject be dressed? Avoid anything in your dress or grooming that could be considered impertinent, flashy, sloppy or rebellious.
6. Think of your meeting with the subject as a structured but friendly conversation, not an interview. As writer Studs Terkel said, "I realized quite early in this adventure that interviews conventionally conducted were meaningless. The question-and-answer technique may be of value in determining favored detergent, but not in the discovery of men and women. It was simply a case of making conversation and listening."
7. Try to establish a rapport with the person early on. You may want to wait a bit before pulling your notebook out. This meeting stage may determine how the rest of the interview will go. Do you share a common interest or friend? If so, mention that.
8. Look the subject in the eye and listen carefully to his/her answers. Be sure to smile. A smile, they say, is lubrication for the words and collaborator of the eyes in contact. A smile helps both you and your subject relax.
9. When the source is speaking, nod or make some verbal remark to show you are listening and understand. Sit on the edge of your chair and lean forward. This is a posture that projects an eager, positive attitude.
10. Observe and record the person's body language, mannerisms, dress, physical features, distinctive characteristics and interactions with others. These allow you to paint a word picture for your reader and may reveal something that is not being said. Observe and record the sights and sounds of the surroundings. Take good notes during the interview in a handwriting you will be able to read later. Take too many notes rather than too few.
1. An interviewer once asked Vivian Leigh what part she played in the movie, Gone With the Wind. Leigh ended the interview before it started. Contrast that with the interview A.J. Liebling had with jockey Eddie Arcaro. Liebling began the interview by asking Arcaro why his left stirrup was longer than his right. One got a good interview, the other didn't. One was prepared, the other wasn't.
2. Preparation allows you to ask good questions and signals your subject that you are not to be dismissed lightly. Read all that is available. Talk to those who know the subject. As writer Tom Rosenstiel said, "A common ingredient of the superb interview
is a knowledge of the subject so thorough that it creates a kind
of intimacy between the journalist and the interviewee."
3. What is the tentative theme for your story and how will this interview fit that theme? When you have answered those questions, prepare a list of questions. The best way to have a spontaneous conversation is to have questions ready. That way you can relax, knowing that you will not miss an important topic.
4. Phrase your questions in a neutral way. Not: Don't you agree that this speaker should be banned from campus? Mix open-ended questions, such as, "Tell me about your love for antique cars," with closed-ended ones, such as, "How old are you?" The closed-ended ones elicit basic information; the open-ended allow the interviewee to reveal information or feelings that you did not anticipate.
5. Decide how you will dress. You would dress differently for a hockey player than for the mayor. Ask yourself, how will my subject be dressed? Avoid anything in your dress or grooming that could be considered impertinent, flashy, sloppy or rebellious.
6. Think of your meeting with the subject as a structured but friendly conversation, not an interview. As writer Studs Terkel said, "I realized quite early in this adventure that interviews conventionally conducted were meaningless. The question-and-answer technique may be of value in determining favored detergent, but not in the discovery of men and women. It was simply a case of making conversation and listening."
7. Try to establish a rapport with the person early on. You may want to wait a bit before pulling your notebook out. This meeting stage may determine how the rest of the interview will go. Do you share a common interest or friend? If so, mention that.
8. Look the subject in the eye and listen carefully to his/her answers. Be sure to smile. A smile, they say, is lubrication for the words and collaborator of the eyes in contact. A smile helps both you and your subject relax.
9. When the source is speaking, nod or make some verbal remark to show you are listening and understand. Sit on the edge of your chair and lean forward. This is a posture that projects an eager, positive attitude.
10. Observe and record the person's body language, mannerisms, dress, physical features, distinctive characteristics and interactions with others. These allow you to paint a word picture for your reader and may reveal something that is not being said. Observe and record the sights and sounds of the surroundings. Take good notes during the interview in a handwriting you will be able to read later. Take too many notes rather than too few.
11. Focus on what the source is saying, not on what you will ask next. Your next question will be better if you heard the answer to the last one. Listen critically. Do you understand what the source is saying. If not, ask the source to repeat or explain. Listen for what isn't said. Is the source avoiding a topic?
12. Don't interrupt, don't ask long questions, don't talk too much, don't challenge too early in the conversation. You're there to hear opinions, not offer them. Nevertheless, it can help to build rapport if you reveal something of yourself. Offer your own thoughts or observations, but sprinkle lightly.
13.Control your physical actions and mental attitude. If the subject senses that you disapprove of him or his opinions, the interview is doomed. If the subject wants to take you on a tour of her home, office, factory, garden, etc., accept the offer and record what you see.
14. Begin with easy questions, perhaps biographical ones. Ask
for examples or anecdotes. Use the list of questions you have prepared and return to it frequently. As Anthony deCurtis,
former editor of Rolling Stone, said, "Interviewing is a lot like talking, but you have to guide the conversation. You have to
know what you want and go about getting it."
15. If the subject takes the interview in an unexpected direction, go with her/him. But remember, you are in charge of the interview. Make sure you accomplish your goals and be assertive if necessary. Stop after one hour. Be alert to the fact that the best material sometimes comes when you have reached the end and thanked the subject for their cooperation. Be sure to ask what the future holds.
16. Make accuracy your goal. Be sure your quotes are accurate. If not, paraphrase. Ask for correct spellings. Don't pretend to know something that you don't. Summarize for the subject in your own words some of his main points. For example, you might say, "Let's see if I understand you. You mean..."
17. Tell the subject you will be calling back later to check facts (not quotes) and do so. Make the call when you are almost finished with the story. Use it as a second interview. Ask about areas you did not understand, or about areas that will be a part of the story but were not covered well during the original interview.
18. Tape record the conversation if time permits and the story demands. Is this a profile? Does your subject have a distinctive way of speaking? Is this a controversial topic? Will the presence of a recorder put a chill on the conversation? If you decide to use a recorder, ask permission of the subject. Place it off to the side, but where it can be seen. Make sure it is in good working order with good batteries. Use it as a backup to your regular note taking.
19. Assume that the conversation is "on the record." If the subject asks for parts of it to be "off the record," try to convince him/her otherwise. If unsuccessful, make sure you and the subject understand the ground rules. Does "off the record" mean you can use the material, but not with her name attached to it? Can you go to someone else and get the information on the record? Or does "off the record" mean you cannot use the information, even without his name attached, and you can't go to someone else to get the information?
20. Direct quotes from your subject are essential for your story. They allow your reader to "hear" the person you are writing about. They also create the impression of objectivity, that you, the reporter, are simply telling the world about something that happened. But quotes must be 100 percent accurate. If you are not certain of every word of the quote, remove the quote marks and paraphrase. However, it is permissible to "clean up" bad grammar within a quote.
21. Make sure the quote is revealing of your subject. Avoid direct quotes if the material is boring, if the information is factual and indisputable or if the quote is unclear. Make sure the quote advances the story and does not repeat the material above it.
22. Often the advice given for interviewing makes it sound like a game of wits with your subject. They've got something you want, and they won't give it to you. You are advised to "flatter them," "make them feel comfortable," "lead up to the tough questions with easy ones," "don't take no for an answer." What's implicit here is that there are several realities that you can report. A good reporter reports at one level. A great reporter reports at another level, closer to what I call "actual reality." Strive to discover during the interview the "actual reality."
23. Figure that there is material that your subject knows, will tell you and will let you report. That is the "reportable reality." There is another reality that the subject knows, will tell you, but will not let you report. This is the "private reality." There is a third reality that the subject knows but will not tell you, much less let you report. Strive to discover through every legal and ethical means this "actual reality" and report it. Remember, journalism is what somebody doesn't want you to print. Everything else is publicity.
12. Don't interrupt, don't ask long questions, don't talk too much, don't challenge too early in the conversation. You're there to hear opinions, not offer them. Nevertheless, it can help to build rapport if you reveal something of yourself. Offer your own thoughts or observations, but sprinkle lightly.
13.Control your physical actions and mental attitude. If the subject senses that you disapprove of him or his opinions, the interview is doomed. If the subject wants to take you on a tour of her home, office, factory, garden, etc., accept the offer and record what you see.
14. Begin with easy questions, perhaps biographical ones. Ask
for examples or anecdotes. Use the list of questions you have prepared and return to it frequently. As Anthony deCurtis,
former editor of Rolling Stone, said, "Interviewing is a lot like talking, but you have to guide the conversation. You have to
know what you want and go about getting it."
15. If the subject takes the interview in an unexpected direction, go with her/him. But remember, you are in charge of the interview. Make sure you accomplish your goals and be assertive if necessary. Stop after one hour. Be alert to the fact that the best material sometimes comes when you have reached the end and thanked the subject for their cooperation. Be sure to ask what the future holds.
16. Make accuracy your goal. Be sure your quotes are accurate. If not, paraphrase. Ask for correct spellings. Don't pretend to know something that you don't. Summarize for the subject in your own words some of his main points. For example, you might say, "Let's see if I understand you. You mean..."
17. Tell the subject you will be calling back later to check facts (not quotes) and do so. Make the call when you are almost finished with the story. Use it as a second interview. Ask about areas you did not understand, or about areas that will be a part of the story but were not covered well during the original interview.
18. Tape record the conversation if time permits and the story demands. Is this a profile? Does your subject have a distinctive way of speaking? Is this a controversial topic? Will the presence of a recorder put a chill on the conversation? If you decide to use a recorder, ask permission of the subject. Place it off to the side, but where it can be seen. Make sure it is in good working order with good batteries. Use it as a backup to your regular note taking.
19. Assume that the conversation is "on the record." If the subject asks for parts of it to be "off the record," try to convince him/her otherwise. If unsuccessful, make sure you and the subject understand the ground rules. Does "off the record" mean you can use the material, but not with her name attached to it? Can you go to someone else and get the information on the record? Or does "off the record" mean you cannot use the information, even without his name attached, and you can't go to someone else to get the information?
20. Direct quotes from your subject are essential for your story. They allow your reader to "hear" the person you are writing about. They also create the impression of objectivity, that you, the reporter, are simply telling the world about something that happened. But quotes must be 100 percent accurate. If you are not certain of every word of the quote, remove the quote marks and paraphrase. However, it is permissible to "clean up" bad grammar within a quote.
21. Make sure the quote is revealing of your subject. Avoid direct quotes if the material is boring, if the information is factual and indisputable or if the quote is unclear. Make sure the quote advances the story and does not repeat the material above it.
22. Often the advice given for interviewing makes it sound like a game of wits with your subject. They've got something you want, and they won't give it to you. You are advised to "flatter them," "make them feel comfortable," "lead up to the tough questions with easy ones," "don't take no for an answer." What's implicit here is that there are several realities that you can report. A good reporter reports at one level. A great reporter reports at another level, closer to what I call "actual reality." Strive to discover during the interview the "actual reality."
23. Figure that there is material that your subject knows, will tell you and will let you report. That is the "reportable reality." There is another reality that the subject knows, will tell you, but will not let you report. This is the "private reality." There is a third reality that the subject knows but will not tell you, much less let you report. Strive to discover through every legal and ethical means this "actual reality" and report it. Remember, journalism is what somebody doesn't want you to print. Everything else is publicity.
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