G. Herbst 2009-10 Interviews

Writing the Interview Questions should always address the 3 Fs: Facts Figures Feelings Think before, during and after the event you are covering Questions should be specific enough that the interviewee can not answer with a simple “yes” or “no”

Are you paying attention?! What are the 3Fs? Facts Figures Feelings

The Follow Up A good interviewer’s best skill is: LISTENING Follow up questions generally get at the “meat” of what is interesting about the topic These questions literally follow-up on something specific that the interviewee said These questions are not prewritten, but thought up on the spot Asking follow ups will become natural with practice

You asked him/her what?! Not all interview questions can be asked of just anyone For example, most questions regarding figures should be addressed by a coach, administrator, teacher or adviser Questions must be well thought out, show that the interviewer did some research and be specific to the person being asked It is not appropriate to ask a coach how many athletes are on a roster when the same roster is IN the journalism room

Still awake? What is a follow up question? A follow up question gets at the “meat” of the interview (the most important, interesting information), is not pre-written, and literally follows-up on something the interviewee said. Questions asked during an interview should be _____________, ____________ and ___________. Well thought out, researched and specific

Getting better answers Feel free to use the following phrases to elicit answers other than “yes,” “no,” “good,” “bad” “Tell me about…” “Why…?” “How…?” “What was the most (funny, silly, scary…)…?” “What was the first thing to go through your mind when…?” Ask follow-ups to continue to elicit details

Pitfalls Make sure to avoid leading questions Sequencing Leading questions are written in a way that lead your interviewee to a specific answer Example: Leading: How excited were you when you beat South East? Not leading: How did you feel when you beat South East? Sequencing Questions should be asked in a logical manner They should flow in one of two ways: Chronologically By Subject Make sure to only ask one question at a time Let the interviewee speak When interviewing for written articles, it is OK to interrupt or provide an oral response When interviewing for video or voice over, it is VERY important that the interviewer does not talk

Check in! What are three pitfalls to avoid when writing interview questions? Leading questions Improper sequencing Asking more than one question at a time

Conducting the interview Step 1: Make an appointment Esp with faculty or staff members DO NOT do this via e-mail; always go in person Step 2: Do your research Step 3: Write your questions and review them with a staffer Step 4: Before the interview starts, explain that you may have to interrupt or ask them to repeat themselves This allows you to interrupt when you can not write fast enough to capture what they have said Alleviates any aggravation that may arise from interruptions (Recording: you may record as long as the interviewee grants permission. You MAY NOT turn on a recording device BEFORE permission is granted) Step 5: Interview notes are yours, but they must be accurate. Tips on following slide Step 6: Ask your interviewee to review your notes for precision, and ask them to sign the bottom of the interview Step 7: THANK YOU! Remember that you are representing journalism; say thank you. If you interviewed faculty or staff, you MUST write them a thank you note

Tips for note taking Do not rely solely on your recording device Always take notes as though it was not there Be thorough, not stenographic You don’t have to write down every single word said Write down the “good” quotes This requires good listening skills Gets better with practice Be accurate Don’t need to write down words such as “the,” “and,” “also,” “but,” etc Repeat that, please It is OK to ask the interviewee to repeat themselves It is OK to read a quote back to the interviewee to make sure you wrote it all down correctly Highlight the good stuff right after the interview

Tips for recorded interviews Interviews for video or voice over Ask the interviewee to repeat the question in the form of a sentence Example: What was your favorite aspect of the class? My favorite aspect of the class was… Listen silently You may nod or make facial expressions in reaction Don’t speak or say, “yes/no” Make sure to record somewhere that background noise and/or echoes are not heard

A few words… …about your “entitlement” We are not entitled to anything Interviews may ONLY be conducting before/after school, during period 5, or during lunch. We will not excuse you from any of your classes. Always be polite Always have a smile on your face Everything you do right (and wrong) comes back to me! Report any issues to me IMMEDIATELY

Assignment Conduct a mini-interview with your partner in order to gather basic information Write ten-15 interview questions that focus on one interesting topic you learned from your mini-interview This topic should be one you think you can write a feature story on

Our assignment DUE: At the end of the period Read the interview from Rolling Stone Label the three (for each) responses that address facts, figures and/or feelings with the appropriate label For example, if someone responds with an answer about money, this would be labeled “figure” Identify at least two responses that you feel were triggered due to a follow up question as “follow up” and explain why you believe this On the back of the interview, write a paragraph describing what made this a strong or weak interview. Give specific examples. DUE: At the end of the period

HOMEWORK Revisit your summer assignment With the information you now know, write at least ten interview questions for your feature story subject If you can no longer contact your summer interviewee, choose someone new. EVERYONE can always improve their questions; some questions may be reused, but the rest should be rewritten DUE: TOMORROW