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/

1. Interviewing
Journalism
Tips & Tricks

2. 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

3. Interviewing
 Other
peoples stories help give a range of
perspectives
 A compelling story is often about other
peoples experiences

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

9. 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

11. During the Interview
 Ask
open-ended questions
 Avoid questions with yes or no answers
 Be prepared to ask follow-up questions

13. 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?

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

19. 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

21. 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

23. After the Interview
 Think
about your headline
 Think about your lead paragraph
 What will be the heart of your story

24. 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

26. Interviewing Exercise

27. 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

29. Interview a classmate
 Now
conduct an interview with a classmate

30. Write up your article
 Now
write up the interview including a
headline and lead paragraph

31. Read out your article
 Now
read out your article headline and lead
paragraph to the class

32. Thanks to...
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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