According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, an interview (from the English interview - business meeting, interview) is one of the informational and (or) journalistic genres, which is a conversation between an interviewer and one or several respondents on socially significant and interesting topics. At the same time, respondents in interviews can both talk about themselves and comment on any events that have occurred. To conduct an interview, you need at least two people, one of whom will ask questions, and the other will answer them.
Instructions
Step 1
Before interviewing anyone, prepare for it. Try to collect as much information as possible from the respondent with whom you will communicate. If this is a famous person, read about him in newspapers and on the Internet. If the interviewee is an ordinary citizen, but you have the opportunity to talk with his family, bosses, colleagues, ask them about him. All this is done to determine the range of topics on which you can talk, and not inadvertently ask tactless questions. For example, if your respondent recently experienced the death of a loved one, you should not touch on this topic in an interview if it is, say, about his work, and not about his personal life.
Step 2
Write some sample questions that you are going to ask the respondent. Try to formulate them in such a way that they inspire the interlocutor for detailed answers, and not for a short "yes-no-don't know". Questions should be structured logically, so that the main topic of the interview is revealed more and more with each phrase. At the same time, the interviewer should speak as briefly and clearly as possible, not try to look smarter than his interlocutor. Make sure that the questions are not too long and abstruse, so that they can be easily pronounced and do not need to be repeated twice.
Step 3
Before starting the interview, briefly outline the main purpose of your conversation with the interviewee. If the interview is for informational purposes, start with the reason for which you are conducting the conversation. If we are talking about the person who is giving the interview, first, ask him to tell a little about himself. ask additional questions based on the story, do not be afraid to clarify and ask again, especially when it comes to dates and people. It so happens that the interviewee, carried away by his own story, begins to move away from the topic, delving into memories. In this case, correctly return the conversation to the direction you need with the words: "This is very interesting, but I would like to know more about this …"
