1. G. Herbst
Interviews

2. 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”

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

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

10. Conducting the interview
Step 1: Make an appointment
Esp with faculty or staff members
DO NOT do this via ; 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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