journalism: interviewing tips

Interviewing

Journalism Tips & Tricks

Interviewing

So much of what journalist do is about talking to the right people

Most stories will require you to interview at least one person

Interviewing

Other peoples stories help give a range of perspectives

A compelling story is often about other peoples experiences

Interviewing

Finding the right source can often be the hardest part of telling a story

You also need to be able to ask the right questions

Interviewing

If your goal is to get accurate and interesting information for your story

There are several strategies available to get your subject to talk

Before the Interview

You might need to do some preparation for the interview

What do you already know about the person or the subject you want to talk about

What else can you find out about the person or the subject before the interview

Before the Interview

You need to become a mini-expert Don't expect the person you are interviewing

to do all the work for you You need to know as much as possible

before you decide what questions to ask

During the Interview

Make the person you are interviewing feel comfortable

A source will give you better answers if they feel comfortable

Be relaxed and conversational about your questions

During the Interview

Ask open-ended questions Avoid questions with yes or no answers Be prepared to ask follow-up questions

Open – vs – Closed Questions

Closed– Do you get on with

your classmates?– What colour shirt are

you wearing?

Open– Will you tell me

about how you get on with your classmates

– Why are you wearing a red shirt?

During the Interview

Ask about experiences Ask about anecdotes Try and get some quotes you can use in

your story Remember to ask questions that your

readers might want to ask

During the Interview

Avoid giving your own opinions about a topic Direct your source towards the topics you

want to discuss Remember to use follow-up questions to

go deeper into the story

During the Interview

Take notes while you are doing the interview Try recording the interview as well You will find it easier to understand your

notes after the interview if you have already recorded it

Ending the Interview

End the interview by asking the source if there is anything they would like to add

This is not only polite but shows the source you care about what they have to say

After the Interview

Transfer your note to computer as soon as possible afterwards

Do some writing while the interview is still fresh in your mind

After the Interview

Think about your headline Think about your lead paragraph What will be the heart of your story

After the Interview

Remember the pyramid i.e. the most important information comes first

Try ranking the 5W's and 1H in order of importance

Interviewing Exercise

Brainstorm Your Questions

Make a list of open-ended questions to ask another classmate

What kind of questions might illicit a story from them that you can then write about

Interview a classmate

Now conduct an interview with a classmate

Write up your article

Now write up the interview including a headline and lead paragraph

Read out your article

Now read out your article headline and lead paragraph to the class

Thanks to...

The contents of this slide deck was adapted from http://www.schooljournalism.org/interviewing-tips/

Images taken from the interweb And some of my own ideas were utilised in the

making of this slide deck as well Feel free to adapt, edit and rewrite as you need