Asking questions—and receiving answers—are the most important parts of a journalistic interview, but they are not the only parts. Successful interviews involve a great deal of preparation and etiquette behind the scenes. Here are some things to consider as you prepare for and conduct your journalistic interview.
As a journalist, you are in charge of making sure your interview goes smoothly. This starts by ensuring you look the part—so dress for the occasion. Often, it also means making sure your technology is your friend. Before you begin (or leave for) an interview, make sure that you have everything you need—your notepad, pen, recording device, interview questions, and so on—and that everything is in good working order. Are your devices fully charged? Did you pack the charging cable for your phone or recorder? Is your recorder or phone app set up with your preferred settings? Do you have a back-up battery?
Don’t start an interview until you are ready. Many journalists have lost important details because they forgot to toggle a setting on their recorder, or had to fumble their way through an interview because they forgot their notes at home or in the office. Taking these extra steps to prepare and double-check your equipment will thus keep you from embarrassing yourself or losing access to information during an interview.
Recording an interview is a best practice, because it allows journalists to return to their interview, review the information, and transcribe full quotes at a later date. It also helps provide back-up data and corroborating evidence, especially for stories in which conflict is a key news value.
However, Massachusetts is a two-party consent state, which means that reporters must attain their interviewees' consent in order to record them. Before you begin an interview, ask your source for permission to record it—either through audio or video, depending on the medium through which you plan to tell your story. Sources will typically agree to that, especially if you explain to them that the purpose of the recording is to make sure you’re quoting them accurately.
If you can, try to take interview notes even if there is a recording. Recordings sometimes fail and the notes prove essential. Additionally, you often don’t have time to listen to an entire recording again before publishing a story. Notes help highlight the key points from an interview, and can be essential to keeping your head straight when you’re conducting multiple interviews in a short span of time.
Once an interview has begun, your source is speaking on the record unless you and they have agreed in advance that the interview is off the record. Put another way, the ‘default’ mode is on-the-record.
A good interview setting can make a huge difference to your source’s comfort level and the quality of your interview. If you are conducting an in-person interview, select a comfortable, quiet interview setting that is private enough that your interviewee feels comfortable talking openly. Avoid background noises, such as coffee machines brewing or cars honking, and steer clear high-foot-traffic places such as playgrounds or malls. Your setting should also be a place accessible to both you and your interviewee and in which you can use whatever equipment you need to conduct your interview. (For example, if you need to plug in a device to a power source during the interview, don’t meet at a public park.)
Consider asking your source to suggest an interview location where they feel comfortable. They may suggest their office because it is convenient for them, but they may also prefer to go elsewhere where they can speak more privately. And don’t be afraid to politely request small changes, such as turning off background music or moving a pet to another room. That will reduce distractions and increase the quality of your recording.
Sources may get nervous when they are being interviewed—especially when that interview is being recorded. (Many journalists don’t like being interviewed themselves.) Take a minute or two at the beginning of an interview to make your sources more comfortable with the interview process. Re-introduce yourself and the topic of the interview. Walk them through the trajectory of your interview questions. Explain how your recording equipment works. Start with the small stuff. If it’s helpful, consider starting with a creative practice question such as, “What did you eat for breakfast?” to set the interviewee at ease. Or, if you had a funny or interesting thing happen to you that morning, you can share that anecdote to help humanize yourself and make them feel more at ease.
Never leave an interview without asking your source to provide critical attribution information, such as the spelling and pronunciation of their name, their full professional title, and any contact information you need to get in touch with that person again. At the end of the interview, consider asking your source to recommend additional sources who might provide additional information for this story or topic, such as another knowledgeable person or a relevant document.
Strong interviews involve a great deal of preparation, and it can be tempting to look over your questions and interview notes during the interview itself. But don’t get distracted! Stay focused on your interview subject throughout the interview process, and engage with them and their answers. Make direct eye contact, and provide clear non-verbal cues to show your source that you are paying attention. For example, when they make a key point, you might nod or give a thumbs-up. If they share a humorous story, you might smile. If they’re describing a tough story, you might frown. By using your facial expressions and body language to indicate that you are following and understanding what your source is saying, you are showing them that you are engaged and encouraging them to keep going.
Avoid using verbal cues, such as, “Mmm-hmmm” or “Gotcha,” though. Speaking out loud might accidentally interrupt your interviewee’s train of thought or create an interference in your audio file that will make it harder for you to understand it later on. (This is especially true if you intend to publish a portion of that recording.) And remember: You are here to get this person’s expertise and perspective, not to share your own. Avoid interrupting your source unless it is absolutely necessary. And don’t interject your own opinions or editorialize with your own thoughts. Doing so uses time you could be dedicating to gathering new information, and it also may influence the source to agree with you or provide a response they believe you would like. Again, the interview should not be about you.
As the journalist, you should be in control of the focus, content, and direction of an interview. Don’t allow interviewees to take control of an interview, either accidentally on purpose, by changing the subject, going off topic, asking you questions or dedicating too much time to a particular topic. As needed, politely redirect the interview to the next key topic or return to a skipped-over topic. Although you want to avoid interrupting your sources, you may occasionally need to do so in order to regain control of an interview. Key phrases that might help you redirect an interview include, “I’d like to return to X” or “I want to make sure we fully discuss Y.” Use phrases like these to politely and diplomatically take back control from a source who might try to direct your interview. (Remember, sources often have their own agendas and reasons for speaking with you.)
One of the most valuable tools a journalistic interviewer has is silence. When a conversation lapses and the speakers are silent, people generally feel nervous and are compelled to start talking again in order to break the silence. Use that habit to your advantage. If an interviewee doesn’t answer your question, or if they answer a question too quickly, don’t immediately continue on to the next question. Stay silent for a bit to encourage your source to continue speaking or elaborate on an answer. (If silence makes you feel uncomfortable, start counting to eight in your head when the feeling of discomfort sets in.)
When you reach the end of your interview, double-check your questions and notes to make sure asked everything you needed to. It is okay to politely ask for a moment to do that. Before you leave the premises, check your recording itself. Did the recording capture the entire interview? Is the audio quality good?
It is important to do double-check everything because you may not be able to interview that source again before your deadline. Thus, you might be saving yourself a headache by just taking an extra couple of minutes to make sure everything is as you expect them to be.
Before starting an interview, make sure you are looking professional and that you are prepared. Check to make sure you have everything you need, such as notepad and back-up batteries, and verify that all of your equipment is working properly.
Pay attention to your interviewee throughout the entire interview process. To show that you are engaged and on the same page as your subject, use non-verbal cues such as body language and facial expressions.
Stay in control of the interview, and focus on the interviewee. Avoid editorializing or sharing your own perspective and opinions, which could influence an interview subject to share thoughts that simply mirror your own.
Select a quiet interview location that makes both you and your source comfortable. Avoid background noises and highly trafficked areas where other people and sounds could interrupt your interview and prove distracting.