Interviews
Another avenue open to you for obtaining the information you need is to interview experts or people with firsthand information about your subject. Many times such people prove an invaluable source for material that is simply not available otherwise because it never has been published. For example, suppose you want to write a biography about Elizabeth Taylor. You might want to contact people who worked with her professionally or knew her personally to learn more about her.
Aside from providing insight and clarification on key topics, interviews can also enliven your work. The presence of actual people on the pages make for a more dynamic experience for the reader. Quotations and anecdotes, especially when given extemporaneously, add luster to your piece. And not only are interviews entertaining for the readers but they can be fun to conduct, making your project that much more enjoyable an undertaking.
Setting up the Interview
The means of making first contact and requesting an interview have evolved over time and with technology. Today e-mail is perhaps the best way to contact your subject to request an interview. But whatever form of initial contact you employ, it goes without saying you should be polite, friendly, and get to the point. Don't be intimidated by the prominence of your subject and don't be afraid to ask for an interview. You will often find that the more well known the person, the more likely she will be to grant an interview. Once arrangements have been made, the time to begin your interview is before it even takes place.
Prepare, Prepare, and Prepare Some More
Despite the importance of interviews and the extent to which they are frequently employed, there sometimes exists a carefree attitude that all that needs to be done is to ask questions — sometimes without even having prepared them in advance. Yet, nothing is further from the truth.
It is important to obtain the consent of the interviewee to have a phone conversation recorded. You can have this accomplished in advance with a written document but it is best to ask the subject at the outset of the interview with the tape running to confirm consent.
The first thing you must do to get ready for the interview is to have an idea of what shape your article or the relevant portion of your book will take and how the interviewee fits into it. In other words, do not simply make a list of questions. Give the matter a good deal of thought in advance. You should ask yourself what it is that you want to get from the interview. You also need to plan the arrangements: how it will be recorded; when and where it will take place; the length of time involved. Consider the following points as a partial checklist you can utilize to adequately prepare for the interview:
Review biographical information and background material, such as articles and books about your subject or written by your subject.
Confirm all arrangements that have been made including the time of the interview, the location (if face-to-face), and the means, such as tape-recording, e-mail, or phone.
Formulate specific questions and/or an outline.
Begin the interview with uncomplicated questions that will put your subject at ease and then move on in a logical order. Your questions need to go somewhere.
Make sure your questions will elicit information that your readers need to know and that is pertinent to your subject.
The Interview
The actual interview should be an enjoyable and rewarding experience for both you and the interviewee. In the end, an interview is nothing more than two people getting to know each other. Although it's likely you'll learn more about your subject (which is the point of conducting the interview), you still will be revealing something of yourself even if only by the questions you ask. As for being nervous — don't be. There is no reason you should be. After all, you're the one asking the questions.
Of course, conducting an interview via e-mail won't yield the benefit of meeting the subject face-to-face. Nonetheless, it certainly is a convenient way to carry out the interview and overcomes geographical distances or arranging a mutually agreeable time and place. E-mail interviews also allow the subject more time to respond to your questions.
E-mail interviews have certain benefits: speed, convenience, and the elimination of the need to transcribe the answers. On the negative side, you must make certain the e-mail interview is promptly opened and answered and not left in your mailbox. Nor do you have the flexibility to follow up with new questions.
With the phone interview, you merely have to establish an appointed time to speak. You can take notes as well as record the conversation with the interviewee's consent. Other than meeting in person, the phone interview is similar to the face-to-face interview.
If you are well prepared, the interview should go smoothly. Make sure you review the questions and any notes beforehand. Ask questions that go somewhere even if it means adding a question to follow up on a response or varying your questions based on what you learn during the interview. Try to frame your questions so they need to be answered with more than a “yes” or “no.” Finally, you should be polite, professional, and nonjudgmental, remaining in the background as an active listener.
After the Interview
Following the interview, you should rewrite your notes as soon as possible so they are complete and legible. It is important that you do this while the interview is still fresh in your mind. Even if you had recorded the interview, you should still transcribe it promptly.
You need not write the interview in the exact words of the interviewee. Feel free to edit, but do so prudently and only to bring clarity to the subject's answers. You may revise quotes as long as this is clearly indicated, and the end result should not stray from the meaning of what the subject said.
