[MUSIC] Welcome to Be a Journalist. I'm Dave Poulson, and, in this lesson, we will discuss how to prepare for an interview. Now, good interviewing skills are important for any reporter. Reporters interview bureaucrats, politicians, scientists, other experts, athletes, entertainers and the public. And many of those people may need to be interviewed because they're not necessarily skilled at communicating with the public. Even in prehistoric times, the leaders of communities weren't necessarily the best speakers. [MUSIC] Here we have an expert hunter trying to describe to his community how best to hunt for wooly mammoth. He's not very good at it. The community soon gets bored, and because they didn't pay attention, our expert got angry. That wasn't the only consequence. The community that didn't pay attention got dead. This guy needed a journalist to interview him and explain the technical details of the hunt he had planned. Because of the diversity of people we interview, each interview requires different skills and approaches. But the best tip that encompasses all interviews, never leave one confused. Ask questions until you understand, even if your subject becomes anxious or belligerent. Of course, it's better if they're relaxed and helpful. How interviews are conducted varies by reporter's story, circumstance, and source. All reporters have problems getting information from spinning politicians, belligerent bureaucrats, stonewalling executives, and media-shy citizens. They have to decipher jargon-prone scientists, evaluate sensational statements of activists, and stroke the egos of athletes and entertainers. So prepare. Research the subject that will be the focus of the interview, but also research the person you are interviewing. Examine records of action taken by government officials, politicians or corporate executives. Study websites, brochures, reports and previous articles about that person and subject. That will help guide your questions to make them more hard-hitting and productive. And good preparation frees you up to listen and gather description and context during that interview. Don't go into an interview having to ask dumb questions. Like, where is it that you work? Or, why are you important, again? You need to know those things. If you don't, you'll undermine any confidence the interviewee will have in you getting the story right. That said, find out their title and the correct way to spell their name, and then once you meet them, verify both. Sure you should know that before you get there, and you do, you're well-prepared, but asking for verification helps set the tone that you are a careful reporter. A good trick, if you have the time, is ask your subject's critics and their supporters for some advice on what to ask them. You want to be so prepared that you can follow up with fresh questions when the interview takes unusual turns. Be nimble, but for a lengthy investigative piece, it's okay to actually list the questions before the interview starts. Of course, you will and you should vary from that script. Follow the unexpected, interesting routes where the interview takes you. But, before you leave, you can double-check your question list to see that you covered everything that you thought was important before you arrived. Perhaps the most important thing to do, to prepare for an interview, is to decide where to have it. You could do it at your news organization. That certainly is convenient. For you. But you want the source to be comfortable, and most news organizations are loud, they're messy, and they're unfamiliar to everybody else who's never been in a news organization. So maybe select a neutral site, say at a coffee shop or a restaurant. Make sure it's quiet enough that you can hear each other. Neutral sites can be more relaxing and comfortable for the subject you are interviewing, and their public nature has another benefit. When I was an editor, I once had a reporter interview a convicted felon at a coffee shop. Because she feared for her safety and figured he wouldn't do anything where he could be watched. And, if you have to ask a really uncomfortable question, you're less likely to get slugged in public. The place where the news is happening is a great venue for an interview. The police officer can much more easily discuss with you how an accident happened, right at the scene. Or the environmentalist can show you the polluted stream, while discussing how it got that way. But in general, it's good to get your subject in familiar surroundings. Go to their home or office, and you'll be rewarded with more than just an interview. Such a visit will give you important color. Is their office messy or neat? What's on their walls and bookshelves? Maybe you'll get a glimpse of a hobby that you can ask them about. And if you're at their workplace, you can ask for documents that they may have on hand, and that corroborate what they say. Be prepared for suspicion. Sometimes an interview subject will have had a bad experience with another reporter. You're lucky you got this interview. So listen sympathetically, emphasize how careful you are in your willingness to double-check things. Some reporters like to feed their subjects, thinking that it makes them comfortable. That's okay, but be careful what you order. Remember that you want to keep your hands free to take notes. You can't write and juggle chopsticks at the same time. Maybe a cup of coffee is plenty. And of course, almost every reporter nowadays prepares by bringing a recorder. That's okay, but make sure it works and that you have fresh batteries. That said, I hate recorders. Transcribing interviews might work, if you're working on a lengthy deadline. But most journalists are churning out copy fast. Heck, we're lucky if we don't have to do an interview over the phone. And when that happens, typing works best. My advice, as far as technology in a face-to-face interview, bring a notebook, two pens, and a pencil. Two pens make sense, if one goes dry. But how come the pencil? Well, mostly it's a habit. When I was a journalist, often my interviews were outside in the cold rain or snow. Pens don't work so great in those conditions. Even recorders can get funky when exposed to the elements, but that pencil always came through. [MUSIC]
