Preparing to Interview Plan the interview The purpose of the interview is to get usable audio to tell the story involved What do you want to get from the interview  Facts - opinion - personal experience - a mix of these Why is the story of interest Can you find new / interesting angles Consider your audience and what is likely to interest them

Research Your Subject Know the subject If you are to ask sensible informed questions you must know something about the subject Do your background research Select the right interviewee Whom should I interview to get the angle I want on the story Does this person have the knowledge / information / experience needed to deliver the interview I want

Talking To The Interviewee The business of interviewing should be founded on trust and professionalism The initial contact / phone call may be very important in forming impressions How you come across to the person you want to talk to may determine whether they agree to be interviewed or not You should aim to be a combination of well informed / competent / polite / professional / interested in the story they have to tell

The Pre-Interview Chat When you have selected your interviewee it is vitally important that you talk through with them how the interview will be shaped You do not need to rehearse the interview What areas will be discussed / what key questions will be explored Consider how you will shape the interview to hold audience attention You should help your interviewee by advising them what stories, illustrations or anecdotes might add to the value of the interview

Agreeing The Topics To Be Covered Meeting your interviewee Think about what impression you would like to make - enjoy being curious / interested in people The pre-interview chat may allow you to use your interviewee as a research resource Discussing and agreeing what topics will be covered in the interview - Prepare a range of questions Never give a list of questions to the interviewee

What Is The Objective Of The Interview Consider what is the object of the interview? For you You may want answers to your questions - to make an office holder accountable for their actions In what context will the interview be used - stand alone or element of report or longer treatment For the interviewee The interviewee’s objectives may differ from yours They want to get their message across to inform or influence the audience They may simply want to explain or justify their position

Learn To Listen During The Interview Remember to - Relax And Listen Don’t worry about your delivery of questions Listen very carefully - exact words used and nuances can be very important Make eye contact - look don’t stare Display positive body language Be interested Encourage your interviewee Use silence - don’t jump in too quickly

Styles of Interview The Hard Exposure Interview The Informational Interview The Emotional Interview Many interviews require a mix of styles What is most relevant to your audience? Are there good examples and anecdotes that will enliven the story? Think of yourself as a Listener when you conduct interviews - you are his/her representative

Face To Face Interviews Face to face interviewing is usually easier than phone or remote studio links because you can see your interviewee and use normal body language to assist the flow of the conversation You can see how your interviewee is responding to your line of questioning You can also indicate when you want to get in a question

Question Scope Question scope - Not too narrow - Not too wide The requirement is to communicate so Short questions are better than long ones. Simple questions are better than complex or convoluted ones Clear questions are better than abstruse ones In general try to make your questions relevant to the story, your interviewee and the audience

Types Of Questions Open questions  Require more than a few words to answer  Often start with Who, What, When, Where, Why and How Closed Questions  Commonly defined as questions that can be answered very briefly sometimes with a simple Yes or No Leading Questions  Can be dangerous resulting in allegations of bias  If the assumption is correct they can work “You’re a Labour Party supporter, aren’t you”

Phone Interviews Without the benefits of eye contact and body language you have to work harder to lock into them and retain their attention What you have to work with is your voice how to sound interested and attentive You also need an ear to judge your interviewee’s reactions Preparation needs to be thorough for phone interviews

Phone Interviews Tell your interviewee what your first question will be in advance - this helps to get the interview off to a strong start Don’t sound like you are reading your questions Keep questions concise and clear - don’t ramble Try to time your interruptions - wait until they are finished making a point - this enables you to edit cleanly -to your next question (if you both talked across each other)

Phone Interviews One way of signaling you want to ask a question is to take a little breath - not massive but audible If they won’t stop you do have to interrupt and ask the next question If your interviewee knows in advance that there are a number of areas to be covered they should be expecting you to ask a number of questions during the interview Listeners often think an interview is more immediate if it is on the phone - particularly in a news context.Using the word LIVE can add to this sense

Structuring Interviews Develop a logical structure  One question leads to another Good questions produce good answers Questions should be carefully structured to get good quotes and clear information rather than single word comments Beware of questions that are time tied and may leave your interview sounding out of date  “What is your reaction to today’s events” Having a strong finish to the interview is important

Forms of Interview One to One  In studio, live or pre-recorded Studio Two Hander  Joint interview or debate with another speaker Element of a Report  On location interview, recorded by reporter Phone Interview Doorstep Vox Pop Panel Programme News Conference

Types of Interview Hard News Information Investigation Adversarial Interpretative Vox pop and Multiple Personal Emotional Entertainment Actuality only Telephone or remote Grabbed