The perfect interview? 5 essential tips for journalists.
The perfect interview — is there such a thing? Well, maybe not quite perfect, but you can get pretty close with help from these useful tips.
When writing a news article about a local charity respite centre being opened in my local area, I knew I had to ask the right people with the right information for my work to be successful. The way you carry out your interview and the sources you choose are key to unlocking the crucial information for your news story.
Tip 1: Who ya gonna call? Find useful sources
In some cases it is glaringly obvious who you should interview to find out key information about a particular event, however in others, it is not. Begin by asking yourself what information is fundamental to include in your news story — what will a reader simply need to know. For my news article I knew that information such as where the funding for the respite centre had come from and who in the community it was going to help were vital facts to include in my writing. From here I researched the staff members at the charity and contacted those members who I thought would be able to give me these facts.
Tip 2: You’re not a robot
…so don’t act like one. Sure, it is good however to have drafted a few questions before carrying out the interview to ensure it does not go completely off track. As both, Radio 4 presenter, Sarah Montague and HARDtalk presenter Stephen Sackur advise, be sure you achieve what you intended to with the interview by remaining disciplined, ask an initial question which immediately makes the tone and topic of the interview clear and follow on from that.
“I need to think about where I’m starting and where I want to end up before I get in the car” — Stephen Sackur, HARDtalk presenter.
However, forgetting to actually have a conversation with your interviewee and not listening to their answer before firing a completely different question at them isn’t going to make them want to tell you anything important. So, while you keep the interview steadily on course, don’t forget to converse naturally.
“Once the interview begins, it should flow. It should essentially be a conversation”- Steven Allen, BBC Radio 5 Presenter.
Tip 3: Be accurate
When you’re in a rush to jot down all of the information you are receiving, whilst maintaining the conversation and attempting some sort of eye contact, it can be tempting to write the words as you feel you remember them or in a more succinct way. It is very important that you do not do this. It may be a pain asking your interviewee to repeat what they had just said — but it is better than quoting them as saying something they did not when writing up. If possible, bring along a voice recorder or dictaphone (asking the permission of the interviewee, of course) to ensure you don’t miss a word.
Tip 4: Who? What? Where? When? (and how?)
Before rounding up the interview, be sure that you have answered the key questions — Who is involved? What is happening? Where have the events taken place? When did it occur? And, if necessary, how?
Tip 5: A picture speaks a thousand words
Show people, don’t just tell them. If possible, take pictures (with the consent of the interviewee!) to put a face to a name. In my own interviews I asked for a picture of everyone I had spoken to. I also asked if I would be able to take pictures of any other things relevant to my story, which turned out to be vital for me when writing my article. Always ask, you’ll be surprised how much people are willing to share.
I hope these tips help you with your future interviews. Just remember, know what you want to get out of the experience before it begins and aim to get there naturally.
