Chapter 5: The Informational Interview

 Most common interview – you have them everyday

 Can be as short as one question and as long as necessary – book example of a journalist
talking to a CEO about a company’s hiring plans
 Purpose – obtain relevant and timely info as accurately and completely as possible in the
shortest amount of time
 Requires: skillful and insightful questioning, listening, observing, and probing into
superficial and maybe inaccurate answers
I. Preparing the Interview
A. This is the essential first step
B. Chip Scanlon – interviewing is “a process like writing, that involves a series of
decisions and actions designed to get the best possible information.”
C. Determine Your Purpose
i. Begin by asking series of questions
1. Why are you conducting the interview?
2. What info do you need?
a. Feelings, attitudes, opinions, facts, eye witness accounts,
expert and lay testimony
3. How quickly do you need the info?
4. How will you use the info?
a. To make a decision, take an action, write a research report,
deliver the news, prep a court case
D. Study the Situation
i. Consider situation variables
1. When/where will the interview take place
2. Effect of prior and following events
3. Will there be any uninvited audiences there
4. Outside influences
5. Will the interview be broadcast
6. Prep time
7. Is this an emergency or crisis
8. Deadlines
9. Will the setting determine the type and length of questions (News
Conference)
10. Should you wait until you have more information or better
questions
a. This one is crucial right now. In a time when the news
reports before all the info is gathered, this is so important.
 Many issues could be fixed if a breath was taken, before
information was passed on.
E. Research the Topic
i. Enables you to determine what info is readily available from other sources
– don’t waste your time looking all over the place
1. This can make for a more poignant interview. Don’t ask questions
you can find the info for online.
ii. Reveals areas of the topic that remain unaddressed and of interest
1. Helps ask insightful questions – keeps away from false
assumptions
iii. Be perceptive and critical about info you discover
1. It may come as a shock, but not everything online is true
iv. Your questions must reveal that you’ve done your homework to establish
credibility
v. Evidence of research shows you cannot be easily fooled which motivates
interviewees to be honest
F. Structure the Interview
i. Interview Guide
1. Can start as key words and end up as elaborate outline
2. 6 questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How
ii. Interview Schedule
1. Moderate schedule allows for thought out questions, and flexibility
to delete or add questions as needed
II. Selecting Interviewees and Interviewers
A. Interviewees
i. Position and situation determine your interviewee
1. Review their history and look into what you don’t know
ii. 4 Criteria
1. Level of Information
a. Does the interviewee have the info you need?
b. Primary Sources – Directly Involved
c. Support Sources – important connections to primary
sources
d. Expert Sources – have superior knowledge or skills
i. Your goal may be to assess person’s expertise
1. Ex. Organizer of an event vs an attendee
e. Key Informants – Supply info on local situations, assist in
selecting & contacting knowledgeable interviewees, and
aid in securing their cooperation
2. Availability
 a. If an interviewee is too far away make use of technology to
contact them. Never count anyone out.
b. You may need to go to them instead of expecting them to
come to you
c. Do not give questions to interviewee in advance – may
limit questions you can ask later and can give interviewee
time to rehearse answers
d. Be careful of demands for off limits and off the record
questions – they can ruin the integrity of your interview
3. Willingness
a. Interviewees might be unwilling to meet for a plethora of
reasons: mistrust of you, your organization, profession, or
possession. They can fear harm for themselves and their
loved ones because of inaccurate reporting, hidden
agendas, or sensationalism prevalent in the news.
b. May feel like their info doesn’t matter.
c. May be scared of being sued.
d. You may have to prove your accuracy and reliability
e. May get more cooperation if the interviewee is interested in
your topic or if they have something to gain
f. Don’t use threats, but you may need to be tough. “If you
can’t help us, we can talk with your coworkers.” These
types of messages should be used sparingly.
4. Ability
a. Many factors play into an interviewee’s ability to interview
b. Poor memory, failing health, state of shock, biases or
prejudices, habitual lying, proneness to oversimplification
and exaggeration, and repression of horrible memories.
c. Age can also be a factor. As a person ages, the way they
remember the past changes.
d. If you have the ability, learn about the interviewee prior to
the interview
e. Some people are just better interviewers, or even
communicators on a base level. Some people are
comfortable talking, some aren’t.
B. Selecting Interviewers
1. Interviewers must be curious about everything and everyone in
order to be good at their craft.
2. A good interviewer must be friendly, courteous, organized,
observant, patient, persistent, and skillful.
 3. There are some situations where a certain interviewer may be
needed. Checkbox issues like sex, and political ideology – Ex.
Female or Libertarian. There are situations where a person of a
certain sex may not feel comfortable with the other, or maybe their
political ideologies don’t match and they think it will be a fight
instead of an interview.
C. Relationship of Interviewer and Interviewee
i. Relationships are probably more formal than intimate, more functional
than emotional.
ii. It’s important to understand these questions:
1. To what degree does each party want to be included in the
interview?
2. To what degree does each party like and respect each other?
3. What degree of control or dominance will each party exert or try to
exert in this interview?
4. What is the degree of trust between the interview parties?
iii. A positive relationship is crucial for a positive interview.
iv. There are 3 different types of status differences that can occur within
interviews
1. Subordinate Interviewer (Student to teacher, employee to manager)
a. Interviewer doesn’t need to be an expert.
b. Interviewee shouldn’t feel threatened.
c. Interviewee will feel freer to speak.
d. Interviewee will want to help interviewer.
2. Superior Interviewer (CEO to division head, Lieutenant to
Sergeant)
a. Interviewer can control interview
b. Interviewer can reward interviewee
c. Interviewee may feel motivated to please interviewer
d. Interviewee may feel honored to be a participant
3. Equality between parties (student to student)
a. Rapport easily established
b. Fewer Communication barriers
c. Fewer Pressures
d. Possible higher degree of empathy
D. Choose the Location and Setting
i. Conduct your interview where the interviewee feels most comfortable.
ii. Also, you could interview someone where things take place.
1. Want to interview a pastor? Sit in on a church service, and then
interview him later in the week at his office. This will give you
 some insight to what his life is like – even if it’s only for an hour
on a Sunday morning.
III. Opening the Interview
A. Plan the opening with great care because the level of trust between you and your
interviewee begins immediately with the way you look, act, sound, the words you
use, the comments you make, and the questions you ask.
B. Be respectful and strive for a pleasant, professional conversation rather than a
confrontation, don’t try to fake a friendship. It can seem rushed and produced.
C. Establish rapport – small talk, easy to answer questions, friendly comments
i. Be careful planning out small talk, so it doesn’t seem forced or stale
D. Be formal, especially if you are meeting them for the first time.
E. Explain what you wish to discuss and why, reveal how the info will be employed,
and state how long the interview will take.
F. With a notebook or recorder – explain to them up front if you will be recording
for clarity
G. When beginning, ask a simple question to get the interview started. Maybe
mention something you see in their home, a knick knack or picture on the wall.
This is a great ice breaker. People will discuss that item for a minute and be more
willing to answer your next questions. This is not the only way to open up the
interview. Page 107 has a bunch of options in the last large paragraph.
H. Tailor each opening for each interview you do. Some people might not like small
talk, or might not have a lot of time to chat.
I. Make sure the interviewees know the ground rules of the interview. If everything
is off the record, why even have the interview?
IV. Conducting the Interview
A. Goal is to get in-depth and insightful info – must get past level 1 questioning, can
require motivation on your part.
B. Motivating Interviewees
i. Interviewees may be nervous about speaking for a multitude of reasons
between being burned in previous interviews, to them believing an
interview is an invasion of privacy.
ii. Be careful though because they could also see an interview as a chance to
get some fame and exposure.
iii. In order to motivate interviewees, be nice to them. Follow the golden rule:
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
iv. Don’t have an attitude. Try to be objective. Don’t reveal how you feel on a
topic. You can do that later. Get the interview first.
v. Watch for nonverbals. Use them to guide the interview. Listen for pauses,
which will allow you to ask more questions.
 vi. PAY ATTENTION TO THE INTERVIEWEE. They are the most
important person in your life at that very moment. Make sure they
understand that by listening, really listening.
C. Asking Questions
i. Questions – tools of the trade that motivate interviewees to provide info
and insights
ii. Earn their answers; you are not owed an answer.
iii. Ask Open Ended Questions
1. They motivate and encourage the interviewee to communicate
2. Open ended questions allow the interviewer to listen and observe
the verbal and nonverbal communication
iv. Ask Probing Questions
1. Be patient and persistent.
2. Don’t interrupt unless the topic gets off target, or the interviewee
rambles on forever
3. Informational interviews require probing questions – dig deeper!
4. Make sure to pay attention to nonverbals as a way to decide when
to ask the next probing question
5. Probe!
a. Silent/Nudge – encourage to continue
b. Informational – detect cues in answers/get additional info
or explanation
c. Restatement – Obtain a direct answer
d. Reflective/Mirror Questions – Verify and Clarify – check
for accuracy/understanding
e. Clearinghouse – be sure you obtained everything of
importance
f. Metaphorical questions – motivate interviewees to expand
answers in interesting and understandable manner
6. You can go in with a huge list of predetermined questions, but
some of the most important may be the probes in the middle.
v. Phrasing Questions
1. Make sure you think through your questions thoroughly, especially
the ones you didn’t prepare.
2. Watch out for Pitfalls for the most part, but sometimes they can
move a conversation along.
3. Phrase questions carefully so you don’t confuse your interviewee.
a. Don’t use jargon or slang
4. Be ready, interviewees can be rascals! They may fake an answer
because they don’t know the answer, or they may try to mess with
you.
 5. Make sure not to embarrass your interviewee.
vi. Note Taking and Recording
1. Note taking and recording can seem a bit intrusive, but you have to
do something in order to have a successful report at the end
2. Note Taking
a. Increases your attention to what is being said and how,
enhanced attention shows respondents you care about them
and are concerned with accuracy.
b. Take notes within the organization of the interview and
your notes will be nice, neat, and organized.
c. Can be tough to get all the words in because interviewees
speak quickly.
d. Can be tough to pay attention and write at the same time
e. People can be reluctant to talk if you are writing – focusing
on paper - not them
f. Guidelines
i. Ask Permission and explain why
ii. Show notes occasionally – reduce curiosity and
check for accuracy – enable the interviewee to fill
gaps and volunteer info
iii. Keep eye contact as best as possible
iv. Use abbreviations to keep it short – no full
sentences
v. Only write down important info, key words, gist of
quotes
vi. Take notes throughout, that way interviewee
doesn’t think they just dropped a bombshell –
interviewee can become nervous
vii. You can ask a speaker to slow down or repeat
themselves so you can catch up
viii. Review notes immediately after interview to make
sure everything is right.
3. Recording
a. Recorder can give a more complete record of how, when
and what an interviewer said
b. Recorder can be reviewed any time
c. Technology can be difficult – batteries die, files corrupt
d. Some find recorders to be intrusive
e. Guidelines
i. Reduce fear – explain why it’s being used
ii. Reduce mechanical difficulties – test recorder early
 iii. Be familiar with the recorder
iv. Make sure it’s not against the law to use a recorder
v. Ask permission – no future lawsuits
vi. Set ground rules to make sure it all runs smoothly
vii. Handling Special Situations
1. Press Conference
a. Several interviewers, one interviewee – interviewee decides
the specifics of the interview
b. Starts with prepared question and moves to questions
c. Have a simple interview guide, have some questions ready
beforehand
d. Depending on your relationship with the interviewer you
may or may not be called upon
e. Be on time, and sit as close as possible so you can hear as
much of what’s going on as possible
f. Realize your goal and the interviewee’s goal might be
different. You need to be objective, and get through to the
truth.
g. Don’t be intimidated by the interviewee, ask your most
important question first, because you may not get a second
question
h. Listen to others’ questions, because your question might
become a question to clarify an answer to someone else’s
question
2. Broadcast Interview
a. Three parties, including audience – can make the
interviewee a little more nervous
b. The interviewer not only has to get info but also have
visually appealing content
c. Become comfortable by learning about the interviewee, the
target audience, the location, set up of the show, and if
possible test out the equipment.
d. Staging the broadcast interview makes for a more visually
pleasing experience. It also makes the whole process much
more difficult than just a face to face interview
e. Keep eye contact, take minimal notes, let the recorder do its
job, ask simple questions to begin with, remember your job
is to get the info
f. Avoid dead air space – long awkward silent pauses
g. Make sure to get your info, but don’t be rude trying to get
it.
 h. Keep to the FCC guidelines – can’t show a whole list of
things like profanity and gore
3. Videoconference Interview
a. Increasingly common
b. Guidelines
i. Hesitate slightly before asking or answering – lag
ii. Look straight into the monitor – Appear to be
looking interviewee in the eye
iii. Focus of interviewer/e – become more comfortable
iv. Avoid excessive motion or stiffness – relax
v. Speak naturally – normal tone – microphone will
pick everything up
vi. Show energy and enthusiasm – you are a talking
head – helps it seem more realistic
c. Avoid noises and flashy jewelry and bold colors
viii. Handling Difficult Interviewees
1. Emotional Interviewees
a. Interviewees may break down during an interview
i. Don’t tell them you know how they feel, could get
worse
1. Book says to choose something like “It’s
okay”
2. Be real, be honest, come from a place of
compassion
b. Remain silent, and let the person regain composure
c. Be sensitive around people involved with tragedies
d. Don’t act like Nancy Grace – the CNN anchor the book
speaks about – The interview was with Melinda Duckett
2. Hostile Interviewees
a. Figure out if it’s real. Find out why. You might just be an
easy target
b. People can be mad at a plethora of things from you to your
organization, or they might just be having a bad day
c. Avoid hostility by not making unwarranted demands,
invading a person’s territory, or allowing your appearance
to appear threatening
d. Be honest, use proper wording, use neutral open ended
questions, silence when necessary, or just change the
subject
3. Reticent Interviewees
a. Find out why a person appears unwilling or unable to talk
 b. Reticent interviewees might be nervous because the setting
is too public or they are nervous to speak with you or about
a certain topic
c. When interviewing them, use conversation starters that are
non-threatening. Move to more formal questions once
interviewee is ready.
4. Talkative Interviewees
a. Opposite of reticent – they just keep talking!
b. Used closed questions – keep things on track
c. Feel free to move things along, change subjects, or you’ll
be there all day
5. Evasive Interviewees
a. These people do not want to answer the questions because
it makes them reveal something about themselves
b. May use humor, fake hostility, counter questions,
ambiguous language, or rambling answers to get you to
stop or not dig any deeper
c. They may not answer or answer a question you didn’t ask.
d. It is crucial to listen closely for vocal cues and watch
nonverbal communication to see how honest they are being
e. It can take a lot of practice to understand when someone is
lying during an interview
6. Confused Interviewees
a. Have to be careful to not embarrass a confused interviewee.
Confusion can occur at different points in the interview, but
more than likely if things get tense
b. Bring the question up again later, or reword it
7. Dissimilar Interviewees
a. They don’t look or act like you. Have different
backgrounds and beliefs
b. Be courteous, and objective. Adapt your interview
accordingly when working with someone unlike yourself.
V. Closing the Interview
A. When you have the info you need or the time runs out – make sure you adhere to
the time limit strictly
B. Make sure to review the closing guidelines (ch.4) – use clearinghouse probes to
make sure everything is clear.
C. Be sure you’ve asked all of the important questions you planned to
D. Thank the interviewee and make sure the interview remains a dyadic conversation
– both of you need to talk from start to finish
 E. Be sure you understand the information you have obtained: can reproduce names;
position titles, dates, quotations, facts, and stats accurately; and can interpret
attitudes, feelings, and beliefs as meant by the interviewee.
F. Remember the interview isn’t over until you are out of sight from one another.
VI. Preparing the Report or Story
A. Final Stage
B. Review all your information found – see if you satisfied your purpose
i. Check for accuracy
C. Trying to figure out what to include and not include is critical to the final story
D. Will then report be one long piece, or several short pieces?
E. Time and space determine the size of the report
F. Make sure you’ve included all of the most important stuff, and then begin editing
i. You can remove the “ums” and “uhs”, fix the grammatical issues, and
inappropriate language
ii. Cut out the repetition and rambling
G. Preface answers and questions so readers and listeners will have a clear
understanding of each.
H. Fix questions so they match their answers more clearly
I. Strive for accuracy with the quotations and don’t put words in the interviewee’s
mouth
J. Report Precautions
i. Remember the ground rules agreed to and what info is “off the record”
ii. Be careful of assumptions
iii. Strive for accuracy and fairness in every fact and interpretation
iv. Check carefully all sources and reports
v. Arrange information in order of importance
vi. Use quotations to enliven and support the story or report
vii. Include several points of view to archive balance
VII. The Interviewee in the Probing Interview
A. Do your Homework
i. Educate yourself on the topics that might be discussed
ii. Make sure you understand an organization’s policies, positions, and
involvements
iii. Learn everything you can about the interviewer
iv. In a spur of the moment interview, it is important that the interviewer
introduces themselves and maybe their organization to you
B. Understand the Relationship
i. Recognize what type of relationship you have with the interviewer
1. What is your relational history?
2. How similar are you?
3. How willing and eager are both parties to take part?
 4. How much control will you have?
5. Do the parties perceive one another to be trustworthy, reliable, and
safe?
C. Be Aware of the Situation
i. Be aware of the interview situation – it might be a live broadcast
1. If it is a taped broadcast, pretend it’s live
2. Dress for the occasion
D. Anticipate Questions
i. Think about what type of questions might be asked. If you know the topic,
you can brainstorm some questions and answers
ii. If you need help with answering, seek it. There are coaches out there for
interviewing
E. Listen to Questions
i. Listen and Think before Answering
1. Pretty clear – think before you speak. Make sure you don’t speak
too quickly. It can lead to falsehoods.
ii. Be Patient
1. Don’t assume you know how a question will end
iii. Focus Attention on the Question of the Moment
1. Only worry about the current question, don’t go back to a previous
question
iv. Concentrate on the Interviewer and the Question
1. Watch for nonverbals to get the whole story.
v. Don’t Dismiss a Question Too Quickly as Irrelevant
1. Interviewer may be leading to a bigger question
F. Answer Strategically p.126-127
i. Avoid defensiveness or hostility
ii. Share control of the interview
iii. Explain what you are doing and why
iv. Take advantage of question pitfalls
v. Avoid common question traps
vi. Support your answers
vii. Open your answers positively rather than negatively