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Interviewing

Interviewing is an important component of of local publishing. Here are a few tips:

1. Be Prepared: Have a series of questions in mind to get things rolling.
2. Confirm the Appointment: people forget; call ahead.
3. Bring the Proper Equipment: camera and note-taking gear at a minimum; in some cases, a tape recorder is invaluable.
4. Break the Ice: the better the rapport, the better the interview. Start by establishing mutual friends, common interests, etc.
5. Ask Open-ended Questions: a series of questions that evoke "yes" or "no" responses result in short interviews.
6. Listen, Listen, and Listen: don't be so worried about what you're about to say that you don't fully understand what it was they just said.
7. Get the Facts Straight: when it comes to names, dates, and other key facts, check and recheck your information before you conclude the interview.
8. Look for the Theme: Every story and every life has a theme; find it, confirm it, and write about it.
9. Use ELP Tools: For a helpful list of questions and questionaires, visit our Interviewing Tool Kit.

Questionnaires

1. As a way to get started, check out the sample questionnaires at our Interviewing Tool Kit.
2. Cut and paste the appropriate questionnaire into your own document (Microsoft Word, PageMaker, etc.)
3. Customize the questionnaire to meet the needs of your interviewees and your readers.
4. Whenever possible, include locally significant questions (example: "What did it mean to you to win the state championship?").
5. If you're creating hundreds of copies of the same questionnaire, remember that black and white photocopies copies are usually far less expensive to produce than the copies you create on your own printer (and remember that color copies are very expensive, so it's probably best to print in the black-and-white mode).