The Art of the Interview.
Lean in and listen, your story may depend on it.
Most news and investigative journalism relies on interviews, for research or to use as a voice in a story. A news story will often include a couple of interviews, usually near the end of the piece. They provide depth, credibility and a human connection.
Interviewing people is also useful for fictional storytelling, providing detailed background knowledge you may not find elsewhere.
Basically you have to think on your feet - but a few guiding techniques can be useful.
Securing an interview.
An actual in-person interview is the gold standard - but interviews by phone are still good -and far more frequent due to geography and time. Further down the scale emailed questions or dealing with PR come a poor third and fourth!
Persuading people to talk to you (and your news organisation), requires persistence and sincerity. The simplest approach is to be honest about what you want.
Be as relaxed as possible when making requests. There has to be a degree of persistence, but there’s a fine line between persistence and pestering someone.
If you already have the interviewee’s cell number it might still be a good idea to email before you call.
Research.
Before the interview do as much research as you have time for - some knowledge about the interviewee might help as it needs to be a real, authentic conversation.
Prepare a few questions, 10-15 so you don’t run out.
Preparing for the call.
Test your recording equipment to make sure it works. Whatever device you use, make sure you know how to use it, and charge it fully. A Notebook is also a good idea.
The Interview.
In the UK identify yourself as a journalist, (if you are), and state the purpose of the call, also explain it’s being recorded for potential publication.
Try to build rapport - be pleasant, professional, interested. Talk about your own insecurities. Chatting about football, music, or shared interests can be good ice-breakers.
Listen more than you talk.
Pay close attention to what is being said and focus on the interviewee rather than on your next question. Use the interviewee’s responses to ask specific follow-up questions. Be prepared to follow where the conversation is going.
Try not to ask a question to which the interviewee can say “yes” or “no” as there is nothing to quote them on. Use open-ended questions to encourage in-depth answers. “Why?” and “why not?” are handy.
Don’t be afraid of silence - it can lead to longer or more meaningful answers.
Don’t overload on hypotheticals. Keep it in the real world.
Keep controversial questions to the end of the interview in case the interviewee decides to slam the phone down.
If an interviewee is angry, matching their energy will only escalate the situation. Your job is to defuse and redirect.
Finally, for a news story remember to get details including the person’s name, age, job title, and so on. Ask the interviewee if you can phone back should you think of any follow-up questions.
Listening.
I’ve used print journalism as a jumping off point. In the world of fiction there is no better way of familiarising yourself with a location, a job, a world than interviewing a human being with experience.
