A quick guide
distilled for COMM 106i Prof. Irani • UCSD by Thomas Conner |
how to prepare and survive
|
Contents
Preparation: Research Preparation: Questions Conducting: Questions Conducting: Structure Conducting: Recording After the interview Extra resources: Stewart, Charles J. & Cash Jr., William B. (1991). Interviewing: Principles and Practices. Dubuque, IA : W.C. Brown. Babbie, Earl. (2007). "Qualitative Field Research," Ch. 10. The Practice of Social Research. Belmont, CA: Thompson. pp. 285-317. Sincoff, Michael Z. (1984). Interviewing. New York: MacMillan. Cole, Stephen. (1980). "Qualitative Research," Ch. 4. The Sociological Method: An Introduction to the Science of Sociology. New York: Rand McNally. pp. 76-122. "How to Conduct an Interview Like a Journalist" |
![]() The process of interviewing has been depicted in movies with varying degrees of expertise ("All the President's Men," 1976, top right) and embarrassment ("The Interview," 2014, top left). A personal favorite is “Almost Famous” (2000), the semi-true tale of a high school kid who lands an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to interview the guitarist of a rock band on the rise. The whole narrative is about getting an interview — and then getting something out of it once it’s gotten.
William Miller (above) spends several days and many misadventures in the orbit of the band and its various cultural stereotypes, all the while the guitarist talks to him — but never “on the record.” Finally, William lands his official interview. That moment in the film can be instructive in a few ways. First, William convinces his interview subject to participate in the interview by displaying his own considerable knowledge. That is, he’s done his homework — the gateway to understanding your subject, but not the end, as we'll discover. The subject, therefore, doesn’t feel the interview would be a tedious waste of time bringing some newbie up to speed. Second, William’s method for capturing the interview is via tape recorder. He’s horribly awkward with it, holding the microphone with a ramrod-straight arm too close to the guitarist’s face. Third, William thinks he’s just there to talk to the guitarist, but then he encounters an unexpected variable (the girl!) — an element that wasn’t in his research. And he has to account for it. On the fly. This is all by way of saying that an interview doesn’t have to be the starchy, official affair we sometimes have in mind — courtesy of mainstream media and hegemonic ideas about its practices — but is still an event that requires some basic skills if it’s going to be successful (for both parties). An interview is just a conversation — but it’s a conversation with a purpose (for at least one of the parties). We engage in interviews every day — from a doctor asking us where it hurts to a spouse asking, “How was your day, dear?” — but a prolonged, probing session of information-gathering with someone requires a little preparation, a little know-how, and a little confidence. |
Film images above, top row: "The Interview" (2014), "Frost/Nixon" (2008), "All the President's Men" (1976);
bottom row: "Absence of Malice" (1981), "Broadcast News" (1987), "The China Syndrome" (1979).
bottom row: "Absence of Malice" (1981), "Broadcast News" (1987), "The China Syndrome" (1979).