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Tips for Conducting “In Person” (face-to-face) Interviews
If you are a writer or self-publisher that are times when aninterview will be required to add an extra dimension, insight ormore depth to a project you are working on. In offline interviewing there are generally three ways toconduct an interview:1) In person (face-to-face interview) 2) By telephone 3) By mailIn this article I will be focusing on the “In person” (face toface) interview.Many beginner writers find interviewing a daunting experienceand avoid doing interviews even when it would benefit what theyare working on and make the project more complete.Beginners Tip: To overcome your nervousness practice, and thenpractice some more, on your family and friends before everrequesting your first “live person” interview.Below you will find a few tips for when the day arrives and youneed to conduct THE INTERVIEW …Tools you will need:=> Cassette Recorder => Notebook and Pen=> Press Pass (I carry my press pass with me to interviews, however, this isnot a necessity for carrying out interviews. If you do have apress pass remember to take it along with you though as it is asign of your professionalism when you introduce yourself) => Background Research:Do your homework on the person before going to the interview.This could involve a search of the persons online press kitpage, through media press clippings, at the library, the who’swho directory etc.Having some background knowledge will give you greaterself-confidence and will help give a stronger line as to thequestions you may want to ask. Interviews can be 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour or over thecourse of a month or more e.g. if you are doing anautobiography. When you make a time for the interview propose to take at least30 minutes. Suggest you go to the persons, home, office or place of business- being in their own environment will put them at ease and mayprovide the right background to your interview.Dress appropriately for where you are going, and who you aremeeting. As a rule wear clothes that will not cause offence asmany people you meet will be very conservative.=> Preparing Questions: Rule #1 Don’t ask stupid questions… and don’t ask questionsyou can find out through research unless it’s to confirm a point.Prepare your list of questions in advance jotting down thequestions and points you want to ask in brief heading form (theyshould be used only as a point of reference during theinterview).Maintain eye contact with the person you are interviewing asmuch as possible.Listen carefully and establish a relaxed style of questioning. Allow the questions to flow according to the context, glancingat your list only to refresh your memory or fill a long pause inthe conversation.Be open to new questions and new points raised during theinterview. Flexibility in your interviewing will allow you topursue interesting or relevant sidelines as they come up. Thesemay be areas of activity that you are unaware of despite yourresearch.Don’t worry about ending up with more information than yourequire. Use what you need and put the rest in your files to beused at another time.=> Cassette recorder and notebook:Check the cassette recorder batteries, cassette tape and volumeBEFORE you arrive for the interview.Your cassette recorder should be compact, light and discreet inappearance. I find it best to use a recorder that uses standardsize cassettes as they are easier to obtain than micro cassettesif you find yourself in an out of the way place.After the introductory formalities always ask permission if youcan use a recorder BEFORE the interview starts, then produce itand get started on the interview. Few people object to acassette recorder but if they do, just use your notebook.Using a cassette recorder helps establish an easy-goingcommunication between you and the person you are interviewing asyou are not constantly looking down take write notes.Holding the recorder in your non-writing hand allows you tooperate the on/off button and to write any notations if neededwith your other hand.Never thrust the recorder in a persons face as they will feelself-conscious, causing them to become tongue-tied and awkward. Use your notebook for the accurate spelling of names(companies,locations etc), jotting down a few main points andperhaps some question reminders for later.Be careful when recording that you don’t loose concentration asthis will “deaden” an interview. Listen carefully to what is being said and be sure to understandthe answers otherwise it will be difficult to write clearlyenough for your readers.If you don’t understand something ask! “Can you put it intosimpler language?” or “Can you clarify that a little more”.If a person is evasive of a question or doesn’t give an answer,ask the question in a different way and at another point in yourinterview.If someone gives “off the record information” turn the recorderoff. Don’t do too many off the record interviews as they don’tcontribute to the information you require (your time isvaluable). Always Guide the interview process, but don’tdominate it. If the person strays too far from the subject athand,then quickly guide the person back. Don’t forget to turnthe recorder back on when the interview proceeds again.Tip: When you get home label your cassettes as you fill them sothere is no chance of accidentally tapeing over information youwant to keep. Always Keep the cassette on file in case someone should everclaim they have been misquoted.If the interview is likely to be in any way contentious thecassette should remain in your file for at least a year or two.=> Photographs with the interview:There are times when you may need to use a photograph of aperson for the project you are working on. TIP: If you take photographs, always get a signed agreementbefore taking them and as a safeguard for yourself have themsign a Model Release Consent form. There have been many caseswhen a person’s photo has been used without his/her priorconsent and the person has sued for modeling fees, invasion ofprivacy, or for various other reasons. Take any photos you require at the end of an interview when theperson is relaxed. If possible have the person do something that is relevant to theinterview rather than just standing or sitting. Alternatively photograph the person in surroundings that havemeaning to the theme of the interview.If this is not possible then just take a mug shot (a facialclose up) that you can use.Note: People will sometimes cross out the word electronic on aconsent form and only permit their photo to be used in a printpublication. For a variety of personal reasons they may not wanttheir picture to be used on the Internet. Always respect theirrequest if this is the case.=> Ask open-ended questions:Asking open-ended questions instead of ones that invite a yes orno answer will give more interesting responses.These questions usually begin with who, what, when, where andhow, and cannot be answered with a straight yes or not. Example: “When did you get into writing?” “what made you decideon this particular area of writing”? etc.This type of questioning sets the framework of the interview andis a useful tool when digging for significant information. (alsoyou will have plenty of useable material at the end of theinterview).Write up the information within hours of the interview ifpossible or at least within a day or so. As a courtesy, offer to send the person you have justinterviewed a copy of your article (send them a press clipping)or to send them a free copy of your finished ebook. NOTE: The person being interviewed does not get any payment fordoing an interview.
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