Effective Interviewing Techniques

Course Description:

This course is designed for anyone who has to conduct interviews - whether you are a journalist, writer, researcher or just someone who is required to undertake interviews face to face or over the phone as part of your job.

The course covers asking the right questions, opening gambits, avoiding closed answers, keeping an interview on-track and how to ensure you leave an interview with the information you need.

The course also covers tips and tricks for dealing with reluctant or difficult interviewees.

This course includes the following modules:

Interviews vs conversations

• Developing an interview technique
• Staying focused during an interview

Preparing for an interview

• Essential preparation
• What to research and how to research it

Discovering the angle

• Choosing an angle for the interview
• Establishing credibility and building rapport
• Structuring your questions
• Maintaining the angle
• Body language

The interview arc

• What is the interview arc and how does it function?

Different types of interview

• Phone, email and face to face
• Advantages and disadvantages of each
• Adapting your interview style for each medium
• Avoiding closed answers

Transcribing

• Notes or recording?
• Organising your interview notes - what to use and what to throw away

Using quotes

• How to obtain quotes from an interview effectively and ethically

The difficult interview

• How to deal with reluctant or difficult interviewees

On or off the record?

• Using information gleaned both on and off the record effectively