Good journalism is dependent on a total stranger’s cooperation and participation. Below are some techniques that you might find helpful.
1. Find a good location: avoid to interview at a busy location where you are easily to be interrupted.
2. Prepare Your Goals Ahead: know what you are going to ask and why you are going to ask them. Get an idea of the article you are going to write before going to the interview. Do enough research about the event/ person.
3. Write down your questions: Write down all your questions beforehand and divide them into categories, this will help you to visualize the article better.
4. Work on your flow: Have lists of questions prepared, but let the interview flow naturally instead of trying to "stick to the list." You need to make your interviewee comfortable and ask what you need to know.
5. Think about the medium: you react differently to different mediums (video, audio or print.) If it is for video, let your interview subject speak more and a longer block. Do not interrupt frequently. Smile and nod to acknowledge the topics. For print, you can break down the questions so it is easier for you to record and write, you can acknowledge the topic by replying “yeah”, “uh-huh” etc.
6. Be a little annoying: Don’t be afraid to relentlessly revisit a question or topic that you feel hasn't been properly addressed by the interviewee. Sometimes people need time to warm up to you or a topic, or will respond better if your question is worded differently. Keep trying.
7. Endure awkward silences: It is usually a journalist’s instinct is to keep chattering and asking questions to keep people feeling comfortable, but sometimes, especially when you’re dealing with sensitive subjects, you need to shut up and wait.
8. Ask for what you need: Sometimes you need to be straight forward to ask for what you want. If you missed to write down a quote, just ask them to repeat them. If you want your interviewee to describe a certain scene, just say “I really need you to walk me through the location when this happened.”
9. Don’t forget to ask for your interviewee’s full name, title, and age.
10. Last but not least, another one of the most important tips to remember when interviewing somebody is to ask interesting questions!
Try to not ask “yes” or “no” questions. Try to ask open questions (Who, What, Where, When, Why) that make the person you are interviewing to speak more. The more they speak the more information you will have to write
Example, if you ask an audience at the horse show, “do you like horses?” The answer is likely to be “yes.” Instead, if you ask “Why do you like horses?” You would get a more interesting answer.
General Questions to Ask at an Event
Event Organizer:
Who’s /Which company is the organizer of this event?
Can you tell me a little history about the organizing company or the event?
What makes this event different?
What are some of the excitements/difficulties organizing this event?
Audience:
How did you like the event?
Where are you from?
What was the most interesting thing about the event?
Which part do you think the event could improve?
Have you attended this event before?
What’s different about this year?
Performers:
How did you get involved with this event?
What do you enjoy the most about the event?
What are some of the challenges performing / preparing for the show?
1. Find a good location: avoid to interview at a busy location where you are easily to be interrupted.
2. Prepare Your Goals Ahead: know what you are going to ask and why you are going to ask them. Get an idea of the article you are going to write before going to the interview. Do enough research about the event/ person.
3. Write down your questions: Write down all your questions beforehand and divide them into categories, this will help you to visualize the article better.
4. Work on your flow: Have lists of questions prepared, but let the interview flow naturally instead of trying to "stick to the list." You need to make your interviewee comfortable and ask what you need to know.
5. Think about the medium: you react differently to different mediums (video, audio or print.) If it is for video, let your interview subject speak more and a longer block. Do not interrupt frequently. Smile and nod to acknowledge the topics. For print, you can break down the questions so it is easier for you to record and write, you can acknowledge the topic by replying “yeah”, “uh-huh” etc.
6. Be a little annoying: Don’t be afraid to relentlessly revisit a question or topic that you feel hasn't been properly addressed by the interviewee. Sometimes people need time to warm up to you or a topic, or will respond better if your question is worded differently. Keep trying.
7. Endure awkward silences: It is usually a journalist’s instinct is to keep chattering and asking questions to keep people feeling comfortable, but sometimes, especially when you’re dealing with sensitive subjects, you need to shut up and wait.
8. Ask for what you need: Sometimes you need to be straight forward to ask for what you want. If you missed to write down a quote, just ask them to repeat them. If you want your interviewee to describe a certain scene, just say “I really need you to walk me through the location when this happened.”
9. Don’t forget to ask for your interviewee’s full name, title, and age.
10. Last but not least, another one of the most important tips to remember when interviewing somebody is to ask interesting questions!
Try to not ask “yes” or “no” questions. Try to ask open questions (Who, What, Where, When, Why) that make the person you are interviewing to speak more. The more they speak the more information you will have to write
Example, if you ask an audience at the horse show, “do you like horses?” The answer is likely to be “yes.” Instead, if you ask “Why do you like horses?” You would get a more interesting answer.
General Questions to Ask at an Event
Event Organizer:
Who’s /Which company is the organizer of this event?
Can you tell me a little history about the organizing company or the event?
What makes this event different?
What are some of the excitements/difficulties organizing this event?
Audience:
How did you like the event?
Where are you from?
What was the most interesting thing about the event?
Which part do you think the event could improve?
Have you attended this event before?
What’s different about this year?
Performers:
How did you get involved with this event?
What do you enjoy the most about the event?
What are some of the challenges performing / preparing for the show?
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