By Leslie Rubinkowski
Interviews not only provide a reporter with essential information, they also add life and voice to a story. In interviews you can gather information, pick up quotes, and set scenes -- the basics you need to write a story.
Here are some tips for more effective interviews:
1. Allow yourself extra time to get to your interview. Traffic, parking problems, getting lost -- anything can make you late. Better to be a few minutes early or have some time to kill than showing up an hour late.
2. Dress to fit the occasion. Try to blend in with your surroundings, because asking questions and taking notes will make you stand out more than enough. If you're going to interview a businessman or someone in their home, wear a suit or other suitable clothes. If you're interviewing someone who rustles cattle, wear jeans. Always wear comfortable shoes. You never know when you're going to need to run or spend a long time on your feet.
3. Treat an interview like a conversation, only with more structure. Prepare a list of questions in advance, but don't be wedded to it. If a source says something controversial, don't follow up by asking where she bought her car.
4. Plan an order to your questions. Don't lead off with: "Well, why DID you embezzle all that money?" Ask more innocuous questions before you go for the hard stuff.
5. Set ground rules before you start to talk. Tell people you're taping if you are -- and get a verbal OK on tape. That consent will help protect you if you're ever accuses of taping someone on the sly.
Pull out your notebook after you get in to the place you'll be interviewing; make some small talk. Make your subject comfortable. Show people you're interested in their stories, not just their juiciest quotes.
Take notes or, better still, tape record. If you do tape, take backup notes of key points to be safe. Always test your recorder -- does the tape work? are the batteries fresh? -- before you start. Going in prepared makes you look even more capable and competent.
While you're taking notes, if the person is talking too fast, say something like, "Could you repeat that, please? I want to make sure I get all of that down."
An organizational tip: Label and date notes and tapes for easy reference. Nothing is more frustrating than playing eight unlabeled tapes or flipping through a stack of old notebooks on deadline, looking for an interview.
6. Ask some questions that can be only answered with a story. When you're an outsider to a place or situation, having people tell their stories is the quickest way to let them know you're interested in them and their lives. Telling stories is primal, and allowing someone to do it creates a feeling of trust.
7. Look for scenes. Whenever you can, interview a person in a place where something is going to happen, where they are doing things. You may witness scenes that will add life and drama to your story.
8. Know when to shut up. Listen carefully enough so that you know when to let your source pause to collect his or her thoughts. Don't feel the need to fill every empty space with conversation.
9. When it comes to person-on-the-street interviews, be brief and friendly, yet businesslike. Don't walk up to people with a "sorry to bother you" attitude. You're a professional so you should act the part. It goes like this:
-- Approach someone. Identify yourself and explain what you're doing.
-- Request permission to ask a few questions.
-- Ask for the person's name and where they're from.
-- Again, be brief and look for follow-up possibilities.
-- Save tougher questions for near the end of the interview.
-- Verify names -- especially spellings. Thank the person -- remember that anyone who consents to an interview is doing you a favor, whether they are getting anything out of it or not.
-- If they story is being published, let the person know where and what your name is again.
-- No matter how rude someone is to you, be polite. Be businesslike. Remind the person you've approached why you're there and, if you can, repeat your question. If the situation doesn't improve, walk away. And don't take it personally.
10. Act as if you know what you're doing, and people will generally give you the benefit of the doubt. This is not, however, the same thing as pretending you know everything. Don't be afraid to say you don't understand something or need more explanation. Ask people, "So what you're saying is ..." or "So let me get this straight."
11. Be willing at all times to be surprised. Don't head into an interview thinking you know what the story is about. Don't let your own feelings or biases shape the questions you ask or the story you write.
12. Show your subject respect. This is something reporters don't talk about very much, but it's crucial. Ask yourself: How would I want to be treated if the roles were reversed?
Leslie Rubinkowski is an assistant professor at West Virginia University's Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism. She presented these tips as a visiting faculty member during the "News Reporting and Writing Fellowship for College Graduates" this summer at The Poynter Institute.
