6. Showing means…
Scene
Action
Dialogue
Sensory detail
What’s not said
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
7. “A good song should
give you a lot of images,
you should be able to
make your own little
movie in your head to a
good song.” – Tom Petty
Image: Wikimedia Commons
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
8. It starts here.
Who we ask matters.
What we ask matters.
How we ask matters.
When we ask matters.
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
9. Why we interview
What types of higher ed content benefit from solid
interviews?
News story
Feature story
Viewbook
Campaign piece
Testimonials
Videos
Proof piece
Case study
Blog post
Ask letters
Ads
What else?
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
12. Type of story will dictate
types of questions or type
and tone of interview.
Breaking news
Straight Q&A
Feature story
Testimonial/ad
More on this later…
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
15. Find a suitable location.
Suit up as situation calls.
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
16. Don’t be afraid to
go the distance.
Geographically or
metaphorically.
Don’t be afraid to
go along for the
ride, or taste test, or
participate.
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
21. Break the ice. It’s cool.
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
22. Why ask why….
News – more about the who,
what, when, where
Features – more about the why
and how
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
23. Prepare your questions. Or
don’t prepare your
questions.
Formal questions vs. bulleted list
Planned vs. spontaneity
Advanced notice. NO.
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
35. Tools of the trade.
Pack what you need.
Pack what you don’t need.
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
36. …get whatcha need….
At the live interview
Subjects’ phone number (emergency!)
Notebook and pen
Make that penS
Voice recorder
Phone app (use with caution; hint: outlet)
Traditional recorder
After the interview
Transcription software/voice to doc
Freelance transcriber?
Annotated docs
Naming conventions/filing system
Back-ups
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
37. Coming with a team?
Hide internal woes and tension
Limit disruption and discomforts
Set expectations
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
38. On-Camera Extras
Water!
Rolling!
Easier questions first
Remind that interview isn’t live
Complete-sentence answers
Importance of the pause
Notes matter
(techy stuff/natural sound/b-roll)
These also apply to audio interviews!
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
39. Call Considerations
Good for quick hits or “breaking news”
Still take notes
Record call if possible
Limit small talk
SMILE when you DIAL!
Don’t respond right away – recognized a
pause
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
44. I call email interviews
SURVEYS.
Disclaimer: I’ve done them. But I am not proud.@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
45. Draft
submitted to
me without
fixing
copy/paste
from Gmail to
Word
formatting
issues.
Draft submitted to me with unnatural dialogue – we shorten
things differently when we write them.
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
48. Oh, I was
born a
rambling
man….
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
49. Other email issues
Veracity – who really wrote it
Laziness – for writer and subject
Lack of control
Lack of emotion/nonverbals
Self-censoring
Self-editing
More time-consuming than you think
Missed opp for your skills to shine
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
50. Email is good for…
Arranging interview
Preliminary questions
Sharing resources
Fact-check follow-up
Sustaining relationship
Quick soundbites/official statement
If you must…. Here’s an idea
Go back and forth – one question at a time
Ask orienting questions…
Prep subject to be brief and conversational
Set expectations that you’ll still use direct and
indirect quotes
Craft your story as if “answers” were said
aloud.
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
51. Part II – Using your content
The fruits of your labor baked into the best story you can make!
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
52. Did you find your angle?
Change your angle?
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
53. Write, then dig
Write a draft or outline based on memory
Indirect quotes vs. direct quotes (what did
you star?)
Use other source materials – or other
sources?
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
60. But I don’t have
time. Or things.
Every content talk at a higher ed
conference leads to this:
Human. Resources.
Writers need time. And things.
Rethink roles, responsibilities
Consider investment in staff or contractors
or tools.
We need buy-in.
Stories need respect.
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
61. Improve Your Interviewing Skills
Listen or watch award-winning interviews
•Hard-hitting or emotional
Watch
Read Q&As in glossy, respected magsRead
Listen to RadioLabListen
Tag along with veteran human interest reportersTag along
Develop your background knowledge (if you have a “beat”)Develop
@donnatalarico | #heweb17 #mcs4
SO much of what makes a story good has to do with the questions we ask our subjects, and when and where we ask them,
Exposition vs. showing … building scene, dialogue, action, sensory detail. The raw material we get from an interview can turn into story gold.
Look at this man. Better yet, listen to him and his band… my favorite. But I read an interview with him last month about songwriting, and this stuck with me.
Some of what makes a story good heavily relies on the questions we ask our subjects – and when and where we ask them. Getting them to open up, to show vulnerabilities, to give anecdotes.
You pay more for quality things, right? That means you value better ingredients, better material, right?
Of course all of the material we have for our stories is edited and or produced and supplemented with visuals, but the raw materials that we unearth is what leads to the quality.
For the sake of most of this presentation, we’re assuming you’re doing an interview for a feature piece and will do the interview in person – but we’ll also cover other options!
Dive into the topic – past and present – previous stories, recent social activitiy, personal artifacts – if interviewing and older alumn, for instance, the library archives – like old yearbooks, photos, and conference programs, can be a gold mine. Use advanced Boolean tools – remember that not everything is online or searchable by accurate text. (My ancestry.com example.)
Establishes your credibility, improves your confidence, primes you to go beyond Ws/H, discover new angle, improve accuracy.
Be comfortable. Sometimes your interview may be at a golf course, tagging along on an errand, etc. You may not get to control the space, especially if you want someone to open up. Be careful on letting others control though – will someone try to make it a donor visit too? That could be intimidating.
Get creative. I did a lot of first-person stories in journalism – skydiving, hot dog stand tour, etc. Can you inject yourself into subject’s day or world for betterment of the story?
This begins with your first contact, and throughout the interview – and the end result should make them still trust you.
Explain intentions, ahead of time and then again at start of interview.
Take in your surroundings - what new ideas for questions might you find? Sensory details to add to story? Look out the window. Look on the walls. Find an icebreaker. Find a nugget. Collections? Maybe this would even lead to a new story idea.
Don’t send
Some of the best interviews involved side conversations.
Don’t be vague. Don’t go for the triple-barreled questions. The merry go round was selected to show how much our minds could spin.
The pause. Reflection, remembering, what are they conjuring up that you could interrupt?
Part of setting expectations may be to let subject know that since you’re taking notes, you may have your head down from time to time. You may also want to stay in tune with their demeanor – either adjust or mirror.
But this can’t happen if you’re not pay attention. Get subject back on track. Don’t be afraid to ask for something to be rephrased.
Even if you know something, don’t be showy. You’re not there to impress the source – you’re there to get them to trust you and talk to you. Don’t be a know-it-all – don’t share your stories (too much.)
This is also why a list of questions isn’t good – people may answer a question before you ask it and then you ask it because it’s on your list and you look like you’re not listening. What stories will you uncover? Maybe a news brief will turn into a cover story? Maybe a subject will be a perfect fit for another project but you had no idea. Go back to your ice breakers.
One of the reasons we wanted to interview you was… a little while back you were so passionate about your answer, could you elaborate a little more with this one too?
What you get from the interview is a result of what you put into it. Show up.
Voice exercises. Don’t be hangry. People won’t open up to someone. Are you the right someone to do the interview in the first place?
I saved this for last on purpose – I wanted to share with you all of the ways in which your writing can be beautiful and detailed and alive when you speak in person, or at the least on the phone or by video. I know that we all have tight deadlines – but my whole reason for doing talks like this are to remind us to put the human back in human interest stories. Still, I know email interviews may be required. If you absolutely, positively have no other alternative, here are some tips on how to make email interviews better.
If good stories are about heart – why turn to such a cold medium? Email interviews allow for a subject to spend time thinking, crafting, treating it as an assignment they want to get a A on.
Write your heart out so it’s not transparent it’s an email interview or that this story was rushed. Don’t do this to you, your institution or your subject.
Establishes your credibility, improves your confidence, primes you to go beyond Ws/H, discover new angle, improve accuracy.
This begins with your first contact, and throughout the interview – and the end result should make them still trust you. If you need to get things right – highly scientific or technical or on a hot-button issue with sensitivity, you may have to grin and bear it.