How to Interview Someone for an Article
Do your homework., Contact the interviewee., Write down a list of questions beforehand., Bring a recording device to the interview., Be courteous and hospitable., Have a natural conversation., Start by asking your subject to introduce him/herself...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Do your homework.
Learn what you can about the interviewee before you ever pick up the phone.
If the person is a known author or speaker, take the time to read or listen to their work, or at least get familiar with their most recent or most important work.
If the person is an official or leader, familiarize yourself with that person's organization.
Look around the website.
If the interview will cover recent events, review whatever is known publicly about those events. -
Step 2: Contact the interviewee.
Introduce yourself, identify the organization, business, or school you are associated with.
Tell them what your article will be about, and why you would like to interview them.
Politely ask if you can interview them.
Schedule a time to meet in a quiet location, or schedule a time to interview the person by phone.
Be respectful of the person's time and schedule. , Work to make them relevant and concise, and consider how the conversation might flow from one point to the next., You can use your phone or an audio recorder.
This way you can focus all your attention on the interview and not scramble to write things down.
This will make it easier to include direct quotes when you start writing., Remember that being interviewed can be stressful, or at least unfamiliar.
Arrive on time or a little early.
Set up anything you need set up in advance.
Sound check your recording device.
Thank the person for agreeing to meet.
If you are meeting in person, show the interviewee in, offer a seat, and offer water, coffee or tea.
State any time limits out loud, right at the beginning of the visit. "Let's get started, so we can finish by 2pm and make sure you don't miss your next appointment." Ask the interviewee's permission to record their remarks. , Use your prepared questions as a guideline, reminder or cue; not simply a script or checklist.
Don't just read your questions to the interviewee. , Pay close attention to what they are saying and make eye contact.
Try to use what they are saying to think of more questions.
Make it more a conversation than a list of questions., Ask the questions you need to know for your topic, but also try to ask questions based on what they say to you in previous responses.
Experienced interviewers will ask their subjects about their personal thoughts and reactions to events and people they deal with.
Personal references tend to elicit interesting and meaningful responses that will bring substance to an article., Unless you need to use the recording of the interview for a multimedia project, feel free to say words that show you are listening and understanding, like "yeah" and "mmhmm." If you actually need to use the audio of the interview in your final presentation, be as quiet as possible while the subject is speaking.
Nodding your head or offering facial feedback can be an encouragement to the subject., Guide the interview to elicit information you need by asking pointed questions.
If the interviewee goes off on a tangent, steer them back to the area you're focusing on., Guide the interview but don't keep interrupting with question after question.
The subject could feel overwhelmed and put on the spot., The interviewee is probably more uncomfortable than you are.
Relax, smile and be confident.
They may not even guess that you are new to interviewing., Let them know the interview is done by saying "thank you so much.
That is everything I need for my article."
Don't cut your subject off in mid-thought., Get it spelled correctly!, If the topic is at all controversial or sensitive, the interviewee may appreciate the chance to review your work before it's made public. -
Step 3: Write down a list of questions beforehand.
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Step 4: Bring a recording device to the interview.
-
Step 5: Be courteous and hospitable.
-
Step 6: Have a natural conversation.
-
Step 7: Start by asking your subject to introduce him/herself
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Step 8: what they do that's relevant to the topic at hand
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Step 9: and how long they've done it.
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Step 10: Go into deeper discussion.
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Step 11: Treat it like a conversation.
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Step 12: Steer the interview where it needs to go.
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Step 13: Don't ask too many questions.
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Step 14: Don't be nervous.
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Step 15: Thank them when it's over.
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Step 16: End the interview when it seems appropriate.
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Step 17: Be sure to write down the subject's full name.
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Step 18: Offer to let the interviewee read an early draft of your writing
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Step 19: if appropriate.
Detailed Guide
Learn what you can about the interviewee before you ever pick up the phone.
If the person is a known author or speaker, take the time to read or listen to their work, or at least get familiar with their most recent or most important work.
If the person is an official or leader, familiarize yourself with that person's organization.
Look around the website.
If the interview will cover recent events, review whatever is known publicly about those events.
Introduce yourself, identify the organization, business, or school you are associated with.
Tell them what your article will be about, and why you would like to interview them.
Politely ask if you can interview them.
Schedule a time to meet in a quiet location, or schedule a time to interview the person by phone.
Be respectful of the person's time and schedule. , Work to make them relevant and concise, and consider how the conversation might flow from one point to the next., You can use your phone or an audio recorder.
This way you can focus all your attention on the interview and not scramble to write things down.
This will make it easier to include direct quotes when you start writing., Remember that being interviewed can be stressful, or at least unfamiliar.
Arrive on time or a little early.
Set up anything you need set up in advance.
Sound check your recording device.
Thank the person for agreeing to meet.
If you are meeting in person, show the interviewee in, offer a seat, and offer water, coffee or tea.
State any time limits out loud, right at the beginning of the visit. "Let's get started, so we can finish by 2pm and make sure you don't miss your next appointment." Ask the interviewee's permission to record their remarks. , Use your prepared questions as a guideline, reminder or cue; not simply a script or checklist.
Don't just read your questions to the interviewee. , Pay close attention to what they are saying and make eye contact.
Try to use what they are saying to think of more questions.
Make it more a conversation than a list of questions., Ask the questions you need to know for your topic, but also try to ask questions based on what they say to you in previous responses.
Experienced interviewers will ask their subjects about their personal thoughts and reactions to events and people they deal with.
Personal references tend to elicit interesting and meaningful responses that will bring substance to an article., Unless you need to use the recording of the interview for a multimedia project, feel free to say words that show you are listening and understanding, like "yeah" and "mmhmm." If you actually need to use the audio of the interview in your final presentation, be as quiet as possible while the subject is speaking.
Nodding your head or offering facial feedback can be an encouragement to the subject., Guide the interview to elicit information you need by asking pointed questions.
If the interviewee goes off on a tangent, steer them back to the area you're focusing on., Guide the interview but don't keep interrupting with question after question.
The subject could feel overwhelmed and put on the spot., The interviewee is probably more uncomfortable than you are.
Relax, smile and be confident.
They may not even guess that you are new to interviewing., Let them know the interview is done by saying "thank you so much.
That is everything I need for my article."
Don't cut your subject off in mid-thought., Get it spelled correctly!, If the topic is at all controversial or sensitive, the interviewee may appreciate the chance to review your work before it's made public.
About the Author
Charles Hughes
Specializes in breaking down complex practical skills topics into simple steps.
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