2. Know What You Want
The effective interviewer knows what he or she wants
from an interview.
The interviewer is like a chess player, never moving a
piece or asking a question without a greater purpose.
TIP: In the front of your notebook, write a list of the
5-6 questions that readers would ask about your
story and number them in the order that they
would ask them.
3. When planning an interview…
Here’s what to ask yourself at the outset of
reporting:
What do I want to know?
What does my audience need to know?
Who is most likely to give me what I need?
Who is closest to the action or issue -- the city
councilwoman or the neighborhood resident, the
police spokeswoman or the crime victim’s spouse?
4. Who Do You Talk to?
Think about who will be the best source of
information for your story
This person is your primary source
Your secondary source is a person or document that
can give you supplemental information
5. Example 1
You are asked to do a story about Dr. Longenecker
implementing a recycling and conservation plan at
South.
Who would be your primary source?
Who would be a secondary source?
6. Example 2
You are asked to write a story about the construction at
the front entrance of the school during freshman
orientation.
Who would be your primary source?
Who would be a secondary source?
7. Example 3
You are assigned a story about the football team’s first
home game this Friday.
Who would be your primary source?
Who would be a secondary source?
8. A reporter is only as good as
his/her sources…
SELECT SOURCES for relevance, to focus
each story on what’s most important
CHECK SOURCES for accuracy, to ensure all
facts and statements are true
BALANCE SOURCES for fairness, to
represent all sides of every issue
CULTIVATE SOURCES for tips and story
ideas in the future
9. When You’ve Decided Who
You’re Going To Interview…
Do some research—research the topic and definitely
research the person you are interviewing (VIDEO)
Plan your questions! Try to put your easiest questions
first to ‘warm up’ your subject
Leave the hardest questions for last when you’ve
already established some trust or rapport
10. Start with…
Introducing yourself and your publication: This
establishes that the interview is “on the record”
Simple but important information like the subject’s
age, the spelling of their name and their job title
Questions you may already know the answer to. Feel
free to state the answer and ask “correct?” This shows
the interviewee you have done your research.
11. Remember To:
Budget your time. If you only have five minutes with
someone, don’t waste time with chit chat.
Keep it simple! Avoid long, rambling, two- or three-
part questions. It’s more efficient (and easier on the
interviewee) to ask one question at a time.
Look around. Write down what you see, smell, hear;
take note of hand gestures, physical descriptions and
other observations that add color or lead to questions.
12. More to Remember…
Focus your questions
Broad questions (What’s it like being on the soccer
team?”) are harder to answer than precise ones (“How
did it feel to score the winning goal?”)
You can ask someone to slow down…
If you’re falling behind in your notes, although silence is
also very effective in generating answers
YOU ARE IN CHARGE
You’ll ask the questions and you’ll keep asking until
you’re satisfied. Don’t let anyone intimidate you or try to
dominate the interview by taking it in another direction.
13. What to Avoid…
Be conversational but don’t make the interview all
about you (VIDEO)
Never coerce or argue with your subject
Stay away from ‘-est’ questions such as ‘what was your
proudest moment?’ as they are cliche and limit
conversation. Stick with ‘what was a proud moment?’
Stay away from yes/no questions which do not yield
quotable responses. (VIDEO)
14. Listen
The most important skill the interviewer has is not
asking questions—it is listening to the answers
Listen to the responses, them ask follow-up
questions to explain, expand and examine
The person you’re interviewing says, “It wasn’t the
first time I felt the way I did.” What would be
some follow-up questions to ask?
15. Listening Activity
Find someone in the room whose shoes most closely
resemble yours. Sit down together.
Close your eyes and picture a place that is very special
to you—for whatever reason.
A/B Talk/Listen
Discuss good listening characteristics
16. Concluding the Interview
Ask if there is anything that the interviewee wants
to add, any important areas that were missed in
the interview or anyone else you should contact
Double-check any statistics, confusing
information or possible direct quotes
Thank the source and tell them when the story will
probably run. Ask if you can contact them again, if
necessary, for additional information.
