No source is going to reveal valuable information voluntarily. You have to work hard to get quotes that can catch attention. Here are nine interview tips to conduct a news interview:
Tip 1
Prepare carefully. It is always best to be well prepared for an interview. You need to go through all background information available on a subject, and make notes regarding the positions taken by the subject on different issues, his likings, disliking, interests etc
Tip 2
Based on this, you should devise a set of questions that work like a theme, and proceed logically from one point to the next.
Tip 3
Establish a relationship with the subject by being pleasant and relaxed. Don’t try to be hostile or aggressive. Such an approach upsets the subject who may go on the defensive.
Tip 4
Avoid confrontational questions. Such questions only evoke hostility. They may even lead to an abrupt ending of an interview.
Tip 5
Listen carefully and watch attentively. It is essential that the subject believes that you are listening to his every word, and making proper notes. This makes the subject expand even more, and provide more information. Also, it gives you useful material to raise supplementary questions.
Tip 6
If there are unpleasant questions to be asked, they should be kept for the last, and should be raised diplomatically. It is a good practice to soften the blow by telling the subject that your next question is not a pleasant one. It is too personal or too harsh. But you will appreciate if he answers it. The subject will therefore be prepared for your question, and will try to answer it instead of shutting you out.
Tip 7
Your questions must be short and focussed. The subject may miss the news point in a long-winded question, and may get away with an irrelevant answer.
Tip 8
There are many subjects who go mum on seeing tape recorders. In such cases, use the reporter’s notebook, and make notes. The notes should be made in a way that they don’t interrupt the thought process of the subject. It is always best to listen intently to what the subject is saying, and then make the notes. This way you don’t miss the inflections, the change in the tone of the subject or facial expressions. Often, these minor things give you a reason to suspect what the subject is saying or provide you with an opening for a more important question.
Tip 9
When using a digital recorder, you must make sure that the subject is aware that the interview is being taped. It is unethical and bad journalism to record comments on the sly.
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