Interviewer Guidelines

[JonBischke]

We're going to be launching a new interview series shortly and as part of that I've been putting together a series of guidelines for our interviewers and interviewees. I looked around on the web a bit and couldn't find much in the way of this so I figured I'd post what we have here and see if there's anything that anyone could add. Here ya go:


Interviewer Guidelines

1. Turn off cell phones and pagers. Some devices (such as Blackberries) can cause interference with the electrical equipments and should be powered completely off if possible.

2. Try to talk directly in front of the microphone as much as possible. This will keep the sound quality high and the level consistent.

3. Try to minimize any extraneous noises around the mic (e.g., cord movement, laptop fans, etc.). The sound dampening will help with this of course.

4. A conversational style is best. Interviews often sound better if they aren't as rehearsed or polished. Having said that we will edit out any significant hiccups in the conversation during the post-production process.

5. In general we won't be doing a lot of heavy editing of the interviews. What this means is that while we can and will be editing out hiccups we typically will leave the content untouched.

6. Length is up to you and your interviewee. However we will likely divide the podcast up into 20-25 minute segments. We will add intros and outros so there is no need to do anything on your end related to this.

7. You can feel free to provide your interviewee with subjects and/or questions ahead of time. Having said that, interviews where the interviewee hasn't received the questions in advance often end up better because they sound less scripted. In general, it's probably best to make sure your interviewee has a high-level sense of what will be discussed without necessarily receiving the questions in advance.

8. If any websites, books, etc. are referenced in the interview it's a good idea to repeat the names and spell out the name if necessary. This makes it easier for the listener to remember and/or write down what was mentioned.

[loganrapp]

In the two interviews I've done and the third I've planned, I've made sure of one thing:

I asked the author what they want to talk about.

We're not these high-priced, accredited journalists where the honor's mutual. We're nobodies, and these interviews are not easy to get. So when we do, with our jury-rigged hard/software, we want the author to truly feel as appreciated as possible.

For example, with our interview Craig Clevenger, he wanted to speak about some nuances of his latest novel that he felt he did not do as well explaining as he should have, and so he mentioned so, and we spent a good chunk of the interview discussing it.

[WyethDigital]

4. A conversational style is best. Interviews often sound better if they aren't as rehearsed or polished. Having said that we will edit out any significant hiccups in the conversation during the post-production process.
...
7. You can feel free to provide your interviewee with subjects and/or questions ahead of time. Having said that, interviews where the interviewee hasn't received the questions in advance often end up better because they sound less scripted. In general, it's probably best to make sure your interviewee has a high-level sense of what will be discussed without necessarily receiving the questions in advance.
Most of what you've got is pretty good, but the guidelines I've quoted are presuming that the interviewee (the one being interviewed) has done this before is comfortable being interviewed. This is not always the case.

I recently shot and edited a marketing video for a company that went into the field to interview customers that they felt would be exemplary examples of the company's success. The woman in charge of the company end of things, and in charge of the interviewing (talented and professional as can be) felt as you do -- that things are more natural when they are less "scripted." Two of the four clients did well under this scenario, while the other two floundered horribly. In the end, because they didn't get pre-prepared questions, they felt the interviews were unprofessional (with one wanting to see the finished product before they would sign a release). That made a lot more work on my part, especially since we spent 15 minutes interviewing one subject for 50 seconds of useable material -- and he'd been on local news shows promoting his subject, so he was experienced!

I won't even go into the VIPs of the company paying for the video! If the person in charge had listened to me, she would have had a series of questions as back-ups in case the interviewee began to flounder. So I would recommend that as an additional guideline for your interviewers.


Eric

PS -- Of course, because of my highly competent and crazy-mad editing skillz :) The video turned out great, and everyone's mind was put at ease -- and I'm getting more work because of it! It just would have made everyone feel better as we went along, to know there was a safety net.

[JonBischke]

Great replies. The part about the interviewer having questions prepared is right on the money. Even if the interviewee doesn't see these ahead of time I agree that it's important for the interviewer to have a significant number of questions perpared in advance.

Also, I created a series of guidelines for the interviewee as well. I've included them below:

Interviewee Guidelines

1. Turn off cell phones and pagers. Some devices (such as Blackberries) can cause interference with the electrical equipments and should be powered completely off if possible.

2. It is best to talk on a regular corded (not cordless) phone. Cell phones and VOIP (e.g., Skype) should be not be used.

3. Please disable call waiting and any other features that might interrupt the call.

4. Try to speak directly into your handset as much as possible. Telephone headsets may work but should be tested prior to the interview to make sure that sound quality is high.

5. If possible, please take the call in a room that is cut-off from outside sounds such as traffic, sirens, etc.

6. In general we won't be doing a lot of heavy editing of the interviews. What this means is that while we can and will be editing out hiccups we typically will leave the content itself untouched.

7. Length is up to you and your interviewer. However we will likely divide the podcast up into 20-25 minute segments. We will add intros and outros so there is no need to do anything on your end related to this.

8. Your interviewer may provide you with subjects and/or questions ahead of time. Having said that, interviews where the interviewer hasn't provided the questions in advance often end up better because they sound less scripted. In general, it's probably best to make sure you have a high-level sense of what will be discussed without necessarily receiving the questions in advance.

9. If any websites, books, etc. are referenced in the interview it's a good idea to repeat the names and spell out the name if necessary. This makes it easier for the listener to remember and/or write down what was mentioned.

10. The most important rule of all is to have fun! People are pretty forgiving when it comes to podcasts so if something goes wrong or doesn't go perfect it's not a big deal. The thing that matters most is that you and the interviewer have a good time talking.

Thanks for your time and we'll look forward to listening to your interview!