Prepare for Conducting an Interview
Use this pre-interview checklist to set yourself up for success.
The key to a successful interview is to show up well informed and well prepared. The more prepared you are, the smoother your interview will go, and you will help your interviewee feel more at ease. A smooth interview may also help your interviewee agree to accept future interviews. Follow this checklist to ensure you are prepared for a successful interview.
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Establish a rapport with your subject
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Help your interviewee relax
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Be conscious of how intimidating the cameras, microphones and lights are
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Make small talk and treat them as you would hope to be treated if your roles were reversed
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Ask questions using topics to get your interviewee talking, i.e., where they went through basic training, where they are from or who they want to win the World Series
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Avoid asking yes or no questions
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Discuss their background, their job and their career to learn more and give the interviewee a sense you are personally interested in them
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Treat your subject as a person, not an object, to encourage responsiveness
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Go over ground rules with your subject
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Tell your subject to include the question in the answer; Example, "What color is the sky? The sky is blue."
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Tell your subject where you want them to look
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Avoid acronyms and military jargon
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Explain the editing process - if they fumble some words they can simply start over
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Avoid phrases like, "as I said before," or "like I was saying," since all answers might not be included in the final product