Media-Making Toolkit for Science Education kqed.org/education Interviewing Tips

These tips come from experienced radio reporters and video producers. Use them along with the “Interview Worksheet ” to plan and conduct your interviews. 1. Know the purpose of your interview. • What are you hoping to gain from talking to people? What do you want to find out? How do you see the information fitting into your piece? 2. Be prepared. • Research your interview subject and topic. Have questions prepared (see “Sample Questions ” sheet) and background information about the person you’re interviewing. Design your questions to get the ideal quotes you’d like your interviewee to say. 3. Introduce yourself. • Put your interview subject at ease and establish again who you are. 4. Ask for his or her name. • Get the correct spelling and pronunciation if you plan to use the name in your story. 5. Listen. • Interviews can go in a different direction than the one you planned. Go with the flow. Listen for cues to interesting questions and ask follow-up questions. If you hear something you want to know more about, ask the interviewee to tell you more. 6. Make eye contact. • Don’t stare at your questions. Glance down occasionally to keep things flowing, but also engage your interviewee. This makes him or her feel more comfortable, and usually results in better answers. 7. Take notes. • Make a note of items you’d like to use in your piece so you remember where they are later. 8. Leave personal biases at the door. • Your job is to be objective and capture the interviewee’s point of view. If you ask inappropriate questions or make the person feel uncomfortable, your subject won’t be as open with you as they could be. 9. Record interesting background noise. • Make sure the sounds fit with the story. If you’re interviewing someone about the health effects of working in an office, record some office sounds, such as the person checking e-mail, rifling through papers or answering the phone. 10. Say thank you. • Send your interviewee a note thanking him or her for the interview. Be courteous. Think of everyone you talk to as a contact you may need in the future