Today's DC Podcaster Meetup was on interviewing. I've been thinking of buying a recorder before PyCon
and trying to record short conversations with people at the conference. Six people gave 10-minute presentations. Some notes for my future reference:
- Interviewees should sign a release form first. I found discussion from Stanford U. Libraries.
- After an interview, record the room tone for a minute; it's useful when editing. You might say 'room tone' as a marker.
- Always monitor the recording via a headphone while it's going on, so that you know the quality of what's being stored.
- Preparation: provide interviewees a one-sheet introduction to your podcast (title, URL, format, summary of focus, commercial or not, etc.)
- One speaker, Mary Fletcher of PR Conversations, comes up with five questions for each person, branching out if an answer is especially interesting. 5 questions ~= 10 minutes, which is a good YouTube length.
- Suggested final question: "Is there anything you want to add?" Some people won't say much, but sometimes a person will provide something entirely new.
Amy DeLouise's talk was titled "4 Effective Interviewing Techniques":
- Research interviewee beforehand, and have some idea how they will answer your question.
- Keep a storyline in mind for your piece.
- For questions: consider STAR = Situation, Tasks/Goals/Obstacles, Actions, Results, for shaping what you ask about.
- Maintain eye contact w/ the interviewee; don't look at your notes.
- Demonstrate interest w/
- Don't let the interviewee work from notes, either.