Interview Skills: The Interview Process

Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh Oct 26, 2009

The final installment of editor Mia Carter's "Interview Skills" blog series focuses on the interview process whether conducted face-to-face, over the phone, or via email.

This week's blog entry focuses on tips for conducting your interview. Understanding how to conduct the actual interview will help writers get the most out of an interview. I'll discuss the pros and cons of the various interview methods, along with tips for conducting your interview, like how to ask questions and how to handle off-the-record remarks.

There are three basic methods for conducting an interview: sit-down interviews, phone interviews and email interviews.

Conducting a Sit-Down Interview

The sit-down interview should always be your first choice. I've found that in the case of a sit-down interview, the subject tends to provide more detailed information. You'll also have the benefit of observing body language and behavior when you conduct a sit-down interview. And while body language isn't all that important for an interview that focuses on cold, hard facts (i.e. an interview about a disease process), the visual cues of a face-to-face interview can really enhance the interview in the case of a discussion about a person's experience or opinions.

Subjects are also more apt to be honest when they're face-to-face with the interviewer; deception is much easier on the phone or in an email.

Phone interviews are a good choice if distance or schedule make it impossible to conduct a sit-down interview. The novice interviewer may actually feel more comfortable conducting a phone interview since the subject won't see those nervous tics.

But phone interviews involve a serious obstacle for inexperienced interviewers, as one must focus on not only what is said, but also how it's said since those visual cues from body language are not available. This is a case where a tape recorder can come in handy, as the interviewer can focus on the information during the interview and after the fact, the recording can be reviewed for the vocal cues that reveal greater insight into the subject's emotion or personality.

Conducting an Email Interview

The email interview is an "easy" method in some ways, as writers can literally copy and paste the subject's words into their article. And while this does eliminate the risk of misquoting a subject, there is a very real danger that an interviewee's words could be misconstrued or used in the wrong context, as the interview is completely void of the physical or vocal cues that reveal meaning.

Email interviews should never be your first choice and rarely will you encounter a situation where a subject cannot take part in a sit-down or phone interview. In more than ten years as a journalist, I've encountered only one situation where an email interview was necessary: I interviewed a soldier while he was serving in Iraq.

The email interview can be a great tool when used in conjunction with the sit-down or phone interview. You might send a few follow-up questions via email, and the subject can provide answers at his/her convenience. This works especially well for the subject with a busy schedule. But I do not recommend conducting an email interview if it is at all possible to conduct a phone or sit-down interview. It may feel more comfortable to "hide" behind your computer monitor, but you'll never overcome interview jitters if you refuse to step up to the plate.

Setting the Interview Ground Rules

When you begin your interview, it's essential that you establish the interview ground rules, particularly if you're speaking with a subject who is not routinely interviewed.

After you introduce yourself, briefly summarize what you'd like to discuss – just a few sentences will suffice.

Then, you'll need to explain the "rules." You might say: "If, at any point, you'd like to discuss something that's off-limits for publication, please preface your remark by indicating that it's 'off the record'."

Off-the-record remarks can be immensely helpful in providing context or fostering greater understanding of a situation. But sometimes, these remarks are confidential, incriminating or just very personal. The experienced interviewer will generally know what remarks were intended to be off-the-record, but a novice interviewer may not have such keen discretion. So it's essential that the subject explicitly states, "This is off the record." Publishing off-the-record remarks can seriously damage a journalist's reputation.

When a subject goes off-the-record, you must stop writing and you should turn off your tape recorder, lest you betray the interviewee's trust. If you've already started writing, strike a line through your notes. This is also essential for your own protection. If you take notes during an off-the-record discussion, you risk forgetting that this information is off limits and you could accidentally publish off-the-record remarks.

Asking Questions During the Interview

When asking questions, you must ask open-ended questions in order to prompt discussion. "Yes" or "no" questions are of limited use.

Instead of asking: "You're the president of organization X, correct? And you joined the group after receiving a personal invite?"

You'll want to ask: "Tell me a little bit about your role at organization X and how you became involved with the group."

This example also illustrates another key point: Never put words in the interviewee's mouth and don't conduct the interview in a way that's presumptuous. You'll get more information (and more accurate information) when you let the subject tell the story in his or her own words.

The key is to prompt the interviewee to tell a story. One topic naturally flows into the other and ideally, the interviewee will give you all the information you need and more.

Above all, the most important element of interviewing is accuracy. Always ask for clarification. Never assume that a subject will be available for a follow-up interview; conduct your interview as though it's your one and only opportunity to speak with this person. And never publish a quote or information if you're doubting its accuracy. Ultimately, this means you may need to omit the questionable information from your article. In the end, omitting information is preferable over publishing inaccurate information. In the world of journalism, accuracy and credibility is everything.