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Getting Started (Part 10): More Interviewing Tips By Joanne D. Kiggins
By now you probably have a long list of names on your interview list, and you have done plenty of research. Last month’s column included a check-off list for the interview and a list of probable times to call professionals. Here are a few techniques you will want to have handy when you are ready to conduct the interview.
Most people, famous or not, have a few stories to tell; some simply need a little prodding to get the story out of them. In order to do that, you need to ask open-ended questions. This means you ask questions that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”
Last month’s column mentioned my interview with US Senator John Glenn. Along with the initial story about his involvement in the National League of Cities Conference, I wanted to speak with him for a proposed article about his space adventures. I didn’t ask, “Was traveling to the moon exciting?” I may have ended up with a simple stagnant, “yes.” Instead, I asked, “What was the most exhilarating thing about traveling in space?” I spent more than two hours with Glenn, letting him spill out the excitement he felt.
This list is a sample of what type of questions I have used during interviews. You’ll notice the phrasing does not allow a simple yes or no answer. Using open-ended questions has landed some pretty exciting topics for future articles as well.
Keep in mind that these types of questions should be used sparingly, to reveal a deeper side of the person, and only after you have established a rapport with your interviewee. If you are new to interviewing, start out small and work up-- not only with the people you interview but also with the types of questions you ask.
Open-ended Questions
1. What makes you laugh/happy? 2. What makes you cry/sad? 3. For what one accomplishment would you most like to be remembered? 4. What do you like and dislike most about yourself? 5. What, in the last two years, has given you the most pleasure? 6. What do you do in your spare time? 7. Who do you admire-- living or dead? 8. What are your favorite authors? 9. What would you be doing right this minute if I were not here? 10. What book you have read recently made an impression on you? 11. If you could ask anyone in the world to have dinner with you, whom would you ask? 12. What do you dream of doing that you already haven’t done? 13. If you could change places with anyone, whom would you choose? 14. What person had the greatest influence on your life/success? 15. If you won a two-million-dollar lottery, what would be the first thing you’d buy and why?
After conducting several interviews, you’ll eventually cull your own list of questions to accomplish what you need in each individual interview.
Interviewing Do's and Don'ts
1. Do call the interviewee to set up an appointment. Don’t rely on a chance meeting in a hotel lobby to bombard your subject with questions.
2. Do research the person and subject of the interview. Don’t ask questions the interviewee has answered a dozen times. Be original.
3. Do prepare a list of general and open-ended questions. Don’t rely on your memory; lists will keep you from going off on a tangent.
4. Do tape record the interview to ensure proper quotes. This is also the best way to judge your skills as an interviewer. Don’t think you’ll remember every detail and don’t take the chance of confusing facts.
5. Do take extra pens, pencils, notepads, batteries, and tapes, etc. Always be prepared and be professional. Don’t find yourself in the middle of an interview with a broken pencil, dead batteries, or faulty tape.
6. Do make it a point to be on time or a few minutes early for the interview. Don’t insult your interviewee by showing up late and wasting his/her time.
7. Do plan to listen. Ask your question and spend time listening to the answers. Don’t interrupt your interviewee. Let him/her speak before interjecting.
8. Do ask one question at a time. Once the answer is given move on to the next. Don’t hurl three questions at once and take the chance of confusing your subject.
9. Do stick to the subject of the interview. Don’t skirt the issue of the topic to be discussed. Stay on track.
10. Do write your story as soon after the interview as possible. Don’t wait too long to write the story; write it while you are still enthused and the subject is fresh in your mind. Edits can be made later.
If you do your own photography, make sure you have an adequate supply of film and batteries for your camera as well.
One more tip: Keep a folder of each interview you conduct. That folder should contain the interview notes, research on the subject or person, tapes, photographs, and the finished written interview. After the article is published, you’ll also want to add the published clip to the folder. It’s always a good idea to keep as much information as possible.
Some articles on interviewees and subjects can be marketed over and over. For example, I interviewed a 105-year-old woman in Ohio. Each year I used the information obtained from my first interview with her and updated it each year. She was still “the life of the party at 110.” I sold these five yearly articles more than a dozen times. Had she not up and moved from Ohio to live with her 70-year-old daughter in Florida, I would have continued writing about her until she passed away at age 113.
Another reason to keep all your interview material is that there could be the chance that you might consider using a quote or other information to add insight to a different article.
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Question from a reader: (All questions are copied and pasted directly from the e-mails received.) This reader asked that his/her identity not be revealed.
I'm handicapped and have a very limited income since I am unable to work. The nature of my handicap means I can't go to places to interview people, spend time in the library, or even walk into the book store at our local mall, let alone drive to the book stores further away. For this reason, I now limit my writing to fiction, or the very occasional article that I can research/interview via e-mail, online or through personal knowledge. I have written seven novel manuscripts. There are a few that publishers have expressed interest in, but one in particular that has gotten some great coverage and could probably find a respectable publisher. My concern is, should I even try to market this manuscript, either through an agent (have had some interest there, also) or on my own when I am unable to take on any of the marketing? If a do start attempting to market this manuscript again, wouldn't I need to tell an agent or publisher up front that I am handicapped and unable to do any marketing, book signings, personal interviews?
I've never seen a question like this addressed anywhere, yet I'm sure there must be other writers who are handicapped. I hope you will consider the question of enough interest to answer it.
Dear reader,
First let me congratulate you on having seven completed manuscripts, and publisher and agent interests. Being handicapped does not always mean incapable, and you’ve proven that in the quantity of writing you’ve done.
Various publishers handle marketing in many ways. Some like for their authors to be involved in the marketing and others prefer to handle marketing through their own PR departments.
Even those who want author involvement sometimes deal with authors who have no interest in making public appearances or offering interviews. In these cases, again, they use their own departments to handle sending publicity packets with or without author photographs to interested interviewers and will have autographed copies on hand as well.
With the Internet there is also what is called “cyber-signing,” where the publisher attaches a pre-printed signature plate to the inside of the book and makes these pre-signed copies available through various sources.
Whether you’re able or willing to participate in book signings or personal interviews shouldn’t be a discerning factor as to whether your work gets published. But in all fairness to a publisher or agent you should let them know your concerns up front so that proper arrangements can be made when those issues might need to be considered.
Good luck in all your writing endeavors. Joanne
Joanne Kiggins has published more than 2,500 articles.
She was award recipient of the 1990 Woman of the Year for Beaver County,
Pennsylvania, for her accomplishments in her community and excellence in
journalism. Joanne will accept questions by e-mail about writing from readers and answer those questions in her column. e-mail Joanne: joannedkiggins@comcast.net Visit her site at http://home.comcast.net/~joannedkiggins For more columns by Joanne (Stanko) Kiggins, please click here. |
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