Crash course in Interviewing
Recently, we’ve been a familiar face at Avans-course AE&E in Breda. Over the course of six weeks, three days a week, we conducted the same interview with about 65 individuals. There were many different people involved: faculty, students, management, prospective students and support staff. However, they all received the same questions on the same topic: the future of education. How was it? Incredibly interesting and informative, but after a week or so, it could get a bit dull at times. However, that provided space for some fun moments with the crew; also every important.
In hindsight, what stands out most is the learning experience, not just about the topic itself, but particularly about the art of interviewing. Especially after one of the interviewees asked us to give his minor students a losson on ‘interviewing’. Suddenly, you start thinking about how you do it, and you realize you’ve quietly picked up many technigues along the way.
“Be genuinely interested.”
If you’re not really interested and just going through the motions with your questions, it will never be a good interview.
Those tips? Alright, here they come…
Be well-prepared: don’t write out a hundred questions, focus on the basics: who are you interviewing, what is the subject and what do you aim to achieve with your interview?
Ask follow-up questions. Five main questions should suffice; make sure that you listen well and respond accordingly. Follow-up questions can be as simple as: who? what? where? which? how? And most importantly: why?
People enjoy talking about themselves, if they feel comfortable. So engage in conversation, explain what you are doing and why their input is valuable. This is about them, not you, so keep that in mind. You wouldn’t interview an unemployed youth and wear a three-piece suit, just as you wouldn’t show up at a Michelin-starred restaurant in a hoodie.
If you don’t get the desired or concise answer you’re looking for, simply ask the same question again and again and again. A different approach or perspective might yield a surprisingly different response. This is particularly useful when filming, as you’ll have multiple quotes to choose from during editing.
Be genuinely curious . If you’re not genuinely interested and just going through the motions with your questions, it will never be a good interview. When you’re truly curious, it sparks enthusiasm in the other person.
What is the future of education?
This question was asked over the course of six weeks, three days a week about 65 individuals at Avans AE&I.
IF IT’S FOR THE CAMERA:
Keep quiet when the interviewee speaks (no “uhuh” or “okay”s), as your sound is also captured on camera. It may seem awkward just nodding along, but it really helps in editing.
Ask the interviewee to incorporate the question into their answer. Often your question won’t make it into the final edit, so you need to rely solely on the answer. A famous example: “What did you eat this morning?” Answer: “A sandwich with peanut butter.” Without context, it’s meaningless. Better: "I had a sandwich with peanut butter this morning.”
Have a chat with the interviewee before, between or after the interview in the same location. This gives the cameraperson the chance to capture additional shots to insert into the interview in needed during editing.
And last but not least: switch on you bullshitradar. Especially on camera, people tend to remain politically correct. Make them forget about the camera and keep asking questions.
Practice makes perfect, enjoy!