Professional and experienced interviewers seem to make each and every interview they do easy. The always ask the questions every listener wants to ask. This applies whether as a viewer watching on television, or a listener listening to the interview on radio, as a podcast or as an MP3 download. The interview, depending of course on the type of interview as music interviews will differ from political interviews, becomes a simple and effective conversation the listener is always part of, no matter who is being interviewed.
Do the Research
So how do successful interviewers achieve the best from their subjects? Highly successful hosts and big name interviewers with a huge audience may have a host of researchers doing the job for them, and the freelance interviewer or student beginning a career in radio may have limited funds and do all the work themselves but the end result is the same. A good interview often depends on good research.
- Do the research
- Know about the subject
- Interviewing an author – always read the book.
- Look into the background of any interviewee or story
- Learn as much about the subject as time allows
- No time spend researching is ever wasted
The research work may point to some interesting and often unexpected angles to the interview, and whilst the listener doesn’t expect the interviewer to be an expert on every subject, they should at least be knowledgeable.
Before the Interview
Spontaneity has its place in most interviews as in any good conversation but to achieve a good interview, being prepared is key – always. This preparation should include some of the following:
- From the research have some questions ready but be prepared to react to the answers
- For studio interviews always test the equipment before-hand
- For remote interviews arrive early and allow some time to set-up
- Check battery and / or mains availability
- Use clean or erased discs, make sure there’s enough memory for the whole recording
- Test the ‘line,’ if the recording is on ISDN or similar equipment
- Check the microphone(s) are working!
The interviewer should be comfortable with therecording equipment, or being in a recording environment and the best way to achieve that is through use or practice. Use the equipment, test the results, try and find improvements in different ways of recording before the actual interview takes place.
The Interview
Anyone being interviewed, even if they’ve been interviewed numerous times before, will take a little time to adapt to the situation. Anyone not used to it will be conscious of the microphone and the questioning. Both novice and experienced interviewees will react to the person interviewing them and the position they find themselves in. A relaxed interviewee will give a far better recording and there are a number of ways to conduct the interview to achieve this.
- Politeness is always appreciated
- Make a point of going through any necessary introductions
- Make sure the subject is comfortable
- Start recording before the formal interview takes place
- Set audio levels correctly, talk to the interviewee, make a connection
- Tell them – the recording is starting, ask the first question
- Always ask ‘Open’ questions – ones that avoid yes / no answers – eg: ‘How do you feel about?’
- Avoid ‘Ohs;’ ‘Ahhs;’ ‘Uhuhs;’ ‘yes I sees;’ and laughter from the interviewer. Eye contact, nods of agreement, and smiles are sufficient. Any interviwee noise may make editing difficult
- When interviewing a crowd of people, concentrate on one or two and their contribution
- Record more audio than is needed – more is always better.
It’s useful to keep an eye on the recording equipment during the interview to check it’s still recording but do this only occasionally. It’s more important to keep the connection with the subject, be involved in the interview rather than just ask a series of questions and above all - listen and react to the responses.
After the Interview
- Again being polite is always appreciated so:
- Thank the subject or subjects for their time and the interview
- Check any points that may have come up in the interview that need confirming off-mic
- Be sure the subject knows how to contact you, and where the interview is being used
- It’s common practice for the interviewer to be allowed to follow up the interview to check any points that may need clarifying, so confirm any contact details for the interviewee(s)
Immediately after the interview is a good time for the interviewer to make notes about anything that will be useful in the editing process. Particularly good answers, the surroundings, what the subject was wearing, where they had come from or were going to and any other useful background information that the presenter may want use to set the scene for the listener when the interview is finally edited and broadcast.
Dan McCurdy - Dan McCurdy is a freelance writer producer creative and lecturer. Dan is one of the UK's most experienced radio writers and producers. ...
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