Successful Interviews

During the course of your OneNews reporting, you may be exposed to opportunities to conduct interviews with celebrities, eyewitnesses, heroes, and victims. If you approach the interview with a professional manner, ask the right questions, and utilize time-tested interview techniques, you may capture a valuable perspective of the event you're covering.

Interviewing people is a skill that improves over time. Here are some tips we've compiled to help you get started on the right foot.

Just the Facts: There are six questions which are regarded as basics in the field of information gathering. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? On the scene of breaking news, these six questions will bring you (and your viewers) a long way towards understanding what is taking place. Remember, these are just the opening questions. Any one of these six questions may open the door to multitudes of other questions providing valuable information. Use these questions to nail down some of the basics and work outward from there.

Here are some quick pointers to set you on the right course:

Open-Ended Questions:

The goal of any successful interview is to get the subject to open up and talk. This will not be accomplished by asking questions with one word answers. Never ask questions which can be answered with the words "yes" or "no". When you ask "yes" or "no" questions, you're the one doing the majority of the talking. You're the one putting words in your subject's mouth. Ask questions which will get your subject speaking about the topic in their own unique voice. Open-ended questions generally begin with the words "Why" or "How", or phrases such as "Tell me about..." or "Could you describe...". If the answer you get to a question seems too short follow up with "Tell me more about that".

Remember Your Audience:

A wide abyss sometimes exists between the person you're interviewing and the potential audience of your video clip. It's your job to make sure the information being presented will be understood by your audience. If the information being provided by your subject veers into technical or complicated territories, do not hesitate to ask for a re-phrasing. "Could you explain that to me in layperson's terms?"

Remain Sensitive:

In the breaking news realm, reporters often find themselves having to interview people about sensitive issues or under stressful circumstances. If you have to ask about sensitive information, preface the question with, "I hope you don't mind my asking, and you certainly don't have to answer, but..." If your subject has just experienced a loss, offer them genuine and compassionate condolences. When approaching someone for an interview about a sensitive subject, establish rapport by expressing, "I understand it's probably a horrible time to ask for an interview, but is there anything you'd be willing to share about your circumstances?" The number one rule in these sensitive situations is to never ask the cliched and unfeeling question, "How do you feel?"

It's a Conversation:

If you want your subject to open up, you need to make them feel at ease. The only way to do that is to walk the fine line between professionalism and conversation. Don't: talk about yourself, share your own opinion, interrupt your subject, or work from a list of questions. Do: make your subject comfortable by keeping the conversation light and friendly, remain sensitive, and prepare a list of discussion points to help guide and develop the conversation.