An Interview?  Piece of Cake!

By Len Maxwell

I hear a certain magazine is looking for a particular human interest story.  Hey-- I know someone who used to do that.  I can interview him and knock that story out in no time.  After all, how hard could it be to interview someone?

I found out.  My first interview was a disaster.  Armed with a little common sense and the information that follows, I could have planned and conducted a professional interview.

There are three phases to an interview: planning, conduct, and follow-up.  Planning is the key.  It continues throughout the other phases.

First, know what kind of information you are after.  A personality interview is to get to know the person, how he thinks, and why he does whatever it is he does.  A career interview is to find out why a person went into a certain line of work, what training he had for it, and what he does during a typical day.  An accomplishment interview is to talk about a specific thing he did, i.e. won a gold medal in the Olympics or saved a person's life.

Make sure your subject agrees to the interview before you contact a publisher.  It's bad enough to conduct an interview and then not be able to find a market for it.  It is a disaster to have a publisher agree to view your manuscript and then find your subject doesn't want to talk to you.

When you first contact your subject and ask for the interview, ask for a specific length of time.  Say something like, "This will probably take about 45 minutes.  When can you spare that amount of time?"

Locale is important.  Conducting the interview in your office or home may be okay with you, but may be unsettling to your subject.  Doing it in your subject's office or home makes it more relaxing for the subject and is usually the best way.  If you have any concern about your own comfort, you may wish to suggest some neutral location such as a park or library.  Whatever you choose, do not conduct your interview in a bar or restaurant.  You risk interruptions by the waiter, the stares of fellow patrons, and if a bar, your subject (or you) drinking too much.  While this may be helpful in an exposé, it is usually not the right thing for a children's piece.

Make a list of questions.  Always use an open-ended style that forces your subject to answer with complete thoughts or sentences.  Your goal is to obtain information.  If you ask questions which can be answered with only one word, you won't get much out of them.

Don't concentrate on only the good or positive things.  Look for the negative as well.  Ask about both aspects of his personality or career.  What's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened on his job?  How scared was he when he saved the dog's life?

If time permits, you may wish to send your subject a copy of the questions so he can prepare answers ahead of time. Even if your subject sends back written responses, you still need to talk to him.  Nothing can replace the interaction of a face-to-face interview.

Make sure you have everything you will need.  Take a notepad and extra pens or pencils.  It is embarrassing and unprofessional to run out of ink or break a pencil point and have to borrow one.  If you're going to tape the interview, have plenty of tapes.  Have either extra batteries for the tape recorder or an extension cord, or both.  If you take a 3-wire extension cord, take an adapter.  Some older homes do not have grounded outlets.  Make sure your tapes are labeled.

Even if you tape the interview, make notes.  A tape recorder cannot capture your subject's expressions and mannerisms.

Make sure you know your publisher's policy on interviews.  Do you use your subject's name or not?  Do you use direct quotes or paraphrase the interview?  Do you need a signed release for quotes?  If you need a release, take one with you.

Know how to get there.  Plan your route ahead of time.  It is usually best to arrive a bit early.  Not too early, but don't be late.

When you arrive, use the first few minutes to introduce yourself; ask if it's okay to record the interview; set up your recording equipment; and, if necessary, get the release signed.

Recording the interview, with either audio or video equipment, is an excellent way to ensure you get all the information correct.  If you choose to do this, there are some important things to remember.

Ask first if it is okay.  Recording is common today, but some people are still put off by such devices and act differently.  You may not get their real thoughts or ideas and they may be playing to the recorder.  You will probably find that, if you place your recorder a bit out of the way, your subject will soon forget it is there.

Be careful in positioning your recording equipment.  Make sure there are no extraneous noises or light sources to interfere with proper recording.  I conducted one memorable interview at a man's home.  While I recorded the entire session, his daughter served us potato chips and dip.  I didn't notice the bag of chips was right beside the microphone.  When I replayed the tape, the rustling of the bag and crunching of chips obscured fully one-third of the conversation.

Regardless of the purpose of the interview, always get basic background data at all interviews. You want the date of the interview, the subject's full name (double-check the spelling with him), what name he prefers to use, an address and phone number to contact him, his age, and occupation.

Not only does this give you a taped record of who you interviewed, but also acts as a transition to the actual interview.  It tells him that setting up is over and now you're getting down to business.

Listen more than talk.  I am not an outgoing person and I have trouble making small talk.  If you're like that, you should do well as an interviewer.  If you are outgoing, try to suppress your instinct to dominate the conversation.  Remember that you are interviewing him; he is not interviewing you.

As you start asking questions you and your subject will probably relax.  The more relaxed you are, the more you will find yourself just having a conversation.  At that point, he will be doing more talking and you will not have to prompt him as often.  This aids you in collecting information, but it does cause one problem.

You may find that your conversation is taking you away from your list of questions.  When that happens, you have to decide whether to stick with your list or stray from it.  The answer is easy: if the information is pertinent you can let him go.  If you're getting too far astray, bring him back with another question from your list.

If it looks as if you will exceed your time limit, ask if it is okay to continue.  You might say something such as, "This has been so interesting I didn't really get to ask you everything I wanted to.  It's probably going to take another thirty minutes.  Do you have the time now or can we schedule another session?"

After the interview, you will normally find yourself chatting while you pack up and walk out. Some people relax when the notepad is put away and the recorder turned off. Keep in mind that this is still part of the interview.  Remember what was said and make notes as soon as you get in your car.

Make sure you follow up with your subject.  For children's pieces, you are, generally, trying to educate and inform, not crucify your subject.  After you have written your draft, go back and show it to him.  Ask whether that is what he meant. Occasionally, what a person says during an interview is not what he really meant.  Frequently, after reading your draft, the subject will think of a better way to explain something or have something else to add.

Be careful, some people may think you want them to edit your story.  Make sure they know you only want them to verify the information they gave you.

After your article is printed, send a copy to your subject as a courtesy.

Interviewing can really be a piece of cake if you prepare carefully and remember the key points.

Locale is important.  Take extra pens or pencils.  Have a list of open-ended questions.  Know your publisher's policy regarding interviews and quotes.  Ask permission before recording, either audio or video.  Be careful in positioning your recording equipment.  Set a time limit and stay with it.  Listen more than talk.  Follow up after the interview.

All of this is nothing more than common sense.  Don't fear an interview-- just plan… plan… plan…

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Len Maxwell is a freelance writer living in Cucamonga, California.  After a career in the U.S. Marine Corps and a second in the business world he finally decided what he wanted to do when he grew up:  write.  His writing experience spans the areas of parental advice (Electricity Into Mold, Valley Parent), family safety (Password Protected, Parent's Monthly), children's stories (The Prince and the Bowling Ball, Parents & Children Together) as well as the supernatural (Footprints in the House, Fate Magazine).