journalism: interviewing tips
DESCRIPTION
A slide deck covering basic interviewing techniques for journalists presented to level 2 students at Zhekiang University of Media and Communications. The content of the slide deck was adapted from: http://www.schooljournalism.org/interviewing-tips/TRANSCRIPT
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