Warts n’ All
Interview Techniques - How to get the best results from interviewing
Warts n’ all. Nothing to hide. It’s ancient history now. Yeah, I don’t care if you print that. How many times have I heard that when it comes to interviewing people? I learnt very quickly that when you’re doing an interview with people it’s a good idea to keep to these principles.
1. Always email a list of questions to the person some time ahead. This will give them time to formulate a response and think about any areas that may be difficult for them.
2. Re-send the questions a few days before the interview. It’s a reminder. Some people lose emails or accidently delete them.
3. Never interview people over wine/beer/cocktails/insert drink of choice. Bad idea. People say things they never would have
said had they not had five cosmopolitans.
4. Send them a transcript of the interview for their approval. They may send it back and you may have to do some editing.
5. Give them a timeline for finalisation.
6. Let them know that should you not hear back, then you will assume that everything is ok to proceed.
7. Take a digital recorder. Record the interview. This serves two purposes. It allows the writer to go back and listen again so
as not to miss anything. It also solves the problem of ‘I didn’t say that.’ Well, actually, you did.
8. I delete the audio file once everything is finalised for privacy reasons but that’s up to you and your interviewee.
9. If you feel that the interviewee is telling you something that you instinctively know is delicate or illegal or may get someone into trouble, then ask if that information is on or off the record. People can be quite talkative and tell you that they don’t care if others know this or that, but quite often when they see the interview in transcript form for the first time (point 4) they do a double take and don’t want that part in there.
10. Don’t talk about yourself. It doesn’t matter if you discover that you and the interviewee both do bikram yoga and have been to Cuba. Don’t get side-tracked. It’s not about you.
11. Be compassionate but professional. If you let the subject matter get to you, have a cry when you get home. If you get emotional you can’t work properly and the interviewee feels terrible for upsetting you. Process it later. If someone gets upset during your time with them, ask if they would like a break. Be sensitive to their needs.
Interviewing is interesting and can be fun but stick to some rules and you’ll have a better experience. Sometimes it can be incredibly stressful but if you follow the basics, later you can sit back at home and know you’ve done the best job you’re capable of doing.
Then you can have five cosmopolitans.