High
percentage Tips for Scoring a Great Interview
1. Learn everything you can about the person before you make contact.
2. Assess the person's point of view. What is likely
to motivate him/her?
3. Look for mine fields to avoid.
What's likely to turn her/him off?
4. Avoid having
intermediaries make the interview request for you.
It
will almost always fail. Instead, ask the intermediary to have the
person call you directly so you can explain.
5. When you call someone, first say,
"Hello, this is _____ from ______ (paper or station). Do you have a
minute?"
This small courtesy will pay
off as much as anything you do.
6. Don't ask any
questions or make any requests until you've tried to
counter any likely fears.
7. Instead, offer them
something. '"I'd like to fill you in on what I've learned."
8. Be prepared to conduct the interview instantly. If you give
someone time to
think about it, he/she
may change his/her mind or someone may talk them
out of doing the interview.
9. Don't be judgmental.
Treat her/him as if she/he's a friend of someone you care about.
10. Don't misrepresent yourself or make promises you can't keep.
11. Don't be dishonest. Unless you're a great liar, you won't get away with
it.
If you are a good liar, please change
occupations.
12. Don't be afraid to appear ignorant. A good journalist
doesn't have to know anything-
he/she just
has to know how to learn. Always remain in a learning mode.
13.
Look her/him in the eyes and be interested in what she/he says.
14.
To get perfect quotes and sound bites, don't ask any questions.
Instead, makes requests that result in complete thoughts.
"Tell me about your education...", "I'm curious about your involvement...",
"Describe your reaction to...", "Take
me back to five minutes before it happened,
set the scene and walk me through it."
15. Avoid saying
the words who, what, when, where, why or how.
Too
often they result in answers that are narrow or that are not complete sentences.
"Why did you do it?" '"Because I
was angry." Better:
"Tell me your
reason for doing it,"
"I woke up
one morning so angry at the world that I couldn't help myself."
"Who taught you to do that?" "My dad." Better:
"Tell me about the way you learned that (not how)."
"My father was the best bronco buster south of the Snake
River.
He was determined I'd follow in
his footsteps."
16. Don't ask yes/no questions or multiple
choice questions.
17. When he/she's done talking, remain completely
silent for at least 30 seconds.
In that
pregnant pause, let him/her feel the need to fill the silence.
You're best, most thought out quotes/bites will come from
inside them-not from your questions.
18. Listen to every word
she/he's saying.
Don't worry about your next
question-if you're listening, it will come to you.
19. If you
can't think of the next question, simply say, "Hmm. Interesting. Tell me
more."
20. Don't write out questions in advance.
If you must, write the topics or key words on a 3 x 5 card.
21.
Don't interrupt.
22. Use body language to give her/him positive
feedback or to ask questions.
23. Ask him/her about his/her perceptions
before something happened.
24. Ask her/him about her/his feelings
at the time it happened.
25. Ask him/her about the extent to
which they believed things at the time. Now?
26. Always have
enough tape left over to catch the Front Door Confessions.
It always happens on the front porch as you're leaving.
Anticipate it and have the recorder/camera ready to roll.
27.
Always ask her/him who else might be able to tell you more.
28.
When you can, tell him/her they did a good job. It will assure you future cooperation.
29. If you can, call them up and thank her/him (or write a note
and mail it to her/him).
30. Let him/her know when the story
airs or goes to print.
Copyright 1996. Don
Ray, P.O. Box 4375, Burbank, CA 91503-4375.
(818) THE-NEWS, Fax: (818) 843-3223
Email: donray@donray. corn Website: http://www.donray.com/donray |
