Interviewing

1. Interviewing On Camera, How to Report Anchor & Interview By. Nance Reladon Focal Press.

2. two basic • Hard News Interviews and Soft Interviews.

3. Interviews • The Hard News Interviews tend to be direct, informational andalmost always done on tape. • Soft Interviews are done with liveguests or features on tape. These tend to be nonconfrontational,emotional and comfortable.

4. STEP • Prepare, Communicate, Listen

5. Prepare • In all cases, you must prepare. You must do your homework andbe prepared to discuss any aspect of your subject’s interest or life. • If he or she wrote a book, read it. If someone wrote a book orarticle about your guest, read that too.

6. Research • Where do you do your research? Where do you dig up the informationyou need?

7. Communicate • In all cases, whether a live interview or taped, whether hard newsor soft, communication must take place. You must connect withyour subject. • You should stay interested.

8. Listen • How will you become a great interviewer? By becoming a greatlistener. • There is no greater compliment that you can give a personthan to listen to what he or she is telling you. • Listen with enthusiasmand interest.

9. Intonations and Silence • The intonations of the interviewee can be as important as bodylanguage. • Listen for the hesitations and silences.

10. Be Polite • Even in the most aggressive, confrontational interview you have, bepolite. • Even if your guest is being rude to you or others, be polite.

11. Hard News Interviews • Confrontational Interview — A news interview that is usually a sitdowninterview conducted politely but with a strong point of view. • Ambush Interview — A confrontational interview when thesubject will not agree to an interview and has been avoiding you

12. Soft News Interviews • Soft Newsmaker Interview — Interviews of newsworthy people notordinarily in the news, such as a firefighter hero, or people connectedwith newsworthy events such as trapped miners.

13. Relax Your Guest • The more relaxed theguest, the more open he or she will be, and the stronger and moreriveting your interview will be. • To begin with, you might ask a question about somethingphysical. • It tends to relax the interviewee when you ask about somethingthey can see and touch, something that’s right in front of them.

14. Chat Up Your Guest • Introduce your guest to the crew by name. • Tellthe guest that he or she should ignore these wonderful people, theyare used to it. • It’s an ice breaker, a friendly way to have everyonemeet each other and can even get a giggle from the guest.

15. The All-Important First Question • The first question you ask after putting the person at ease should bea great first question: something unexpected, poignant or probing—anything but boring. • If it is boring, the audience will turn to adifferent channel and the interviewee will turn off.

16. The Shape of an Interview • If you could put the shape of an interview into a picture what wouldit look like? It would look like an inverted triangle. • You must askthe most specific questions at the beginning. • You don’t want to ask general questions at the start of the interview.

17. Time Is of the Essence • Especially in television. So don’t waste it. • If your guest answersyour question with a long answer, you must find an appropriatetime to cut in.

18. Answers That Are Toooo Long • The other danger of allowing a run-on answer is you run the risk ofletting the guest control the interview.

19. Questions That Are Toooo Long • Just as answers can be too long, so can questions. • Ask tight strong questions. • People usually understand what youare asking.

20. Anecdotes and Stories • Anecdotes and stories are of vital importance to a great interview. • You must get them. • Without anecdotes an interview is dull. • Thisis what will rivet your viewer.

21. Have More Questions Than You Think You Will Need • You never know when you will have time for an extra question ortwo.

22. Where Do You Look When You Are Interviewing? • Do you look at the camera or at the interviewee? • When you aska question you should ALWAYS look at the interviewee. • Do notlook at the camera. • The rule is be sure to START the question directly to the interviewee,and to FINISH the question directly to the interviewee

23. The End of the Interview • Generally, you don’t want to end an interview with “We are nearlyout of time . . .” or “We have 15 seconds left, how do you explainthat your company lost 12 billion dollars?” • It’s not fair and yourviewers will not like you for it. • If you are really running out of time, don’t askany more questions but wrap it up gracefully

24. Checklist • ❒ Prepare for your interview. • ❒ Relax your guest. • ❒ Have a conversation. • ❒ Listen to your guest. • ❒ Listen quietly. • ❒ Keep the energy level up. • ❒ Ask a worthy first question. • ❒ Go for stories and anecdotes. • ❒ Make sure you ask tight questions . . . one at a time. • ❒ Don’t let the guest ramble. • ❒ Avoid questions that get Yes or No answers. • ❒ Always be polite

25. Nerves • Everyone has had some stage fright. • Practicing your material beforehandwill help cut it down.

26. Monotone = Boring • If you hear yourself speaking in a monotone, try changing your pacebetween thoughts. • Also, keep that energy up too.

27. Know Your Audience • When asking, be as clear as possible

28. Have a Good Time • Be as captivating as you can be. • You are on this show because youhave something to say that is of interest to the viewer

29. ANCHORING • The anchor is the single most important on-camera position inall of television. • It is a huge responsibility, an enormous job andwildly rewarding professionally and personally. • In many cases, theanchor has become the face of the station or the network.

30. Anchoring Is a Craft • Anchoring the news is a craft built on experience and hard work. • Most of the anchor’s work is done LIVE

31. Credibility • Credibility is built on years of accurate reporting. • The viewer beginsto trust you because of your hard work. • This trust can be lost in aminute of false reporting.

32. Who Are You? • You have skills, you know howto speak clearly with a modulated voice, you present with morecentered energy than you would use if the camera was not present.

33. How Much Can I Move? • Keep your gestures to a minimum; television tends to make smallmoves larger and they can be distracting

34. Voice and Read • A warm authoritative voice is essential for a successful anchor. • Theviewer trusts and feels comfortable with a person who has a richsoundingvoice. • Think of the people you have come to love towatch on television

35. Segue • These are words or phrases that take you fromone subject to another. • The words are used at the start of the nextstory. • Meanwhile • And • Well • Back home • Now to sports

36. Relax! • An anchor must be relaxed. This comes with confidence. • Confidencecomes with experience

37. Don’t Forget Reporting and Interviewing Skills • To be an effective anchor, you should always remain a reporter first. • To be a good anchor, the reporter in you must continually reestablishoneself as a working journalist.

38. Checklist • ❒ Have a warm, authoritative voice. • ❒ Be sensitive, alert and in the moment. • ❒ Have focus and concentration. • ❒ Find a human connection to the stories. • ❒ Be thoroughly prepared and in command. • ❒ Get to the studio early enough to read and understand the stories of the day. • ❒ Know all the proper pronunciations. • ❒ Be relaxed. • ❒ Do your homework. • ❒ Trust your instincts. • ❒ Be yourself.

39. The Hard Copy • It’s certainly a good idea to gothrough the copy before you go on live because the more familiarwith the copy you are, the better you will do

40. Headlines • Headlines are read at the top of the broadcast, usually only in thenews broadcasts • These should be read with punch — really drivethem home.

41. Opens • After the headlines, the broadcast begins with you. • You shouldbe connecting with the viewer immediately, really looking throughcamera.

42. TEASE • The tease is the copy the anchor reads after completing a newsblock before the commercial break. • This is almost always live, notpre taped. • Coming up . . .” or “Next.. “So stay with us.”

43. What Is a Bumper? • A bumper literally bumps up against a commercial. • It’s the spacerbetween the last story in the block of news and the commercials. • It follows the tease.

44. The Update • Just before you close the broadcast, be sure to update a major storythat was covered extensively in your broadcast, especially if it isan ongoing story

45. Close • There is an art to closing the show as well. It should be as warmas your warm open. • This is a good-bye. • It is what you leave yourviewer with, what the viewer will take away.

46. Smile • Don’t smile AFTER you start to speak, smile just before you beginto tell the story. • Remember, the action precedes the word.

47. BE FAMILIAR WITH THE STORIES GOING ON THAT DAY • You must be prepared if you are handed an update during theshow.

48. DON’T LOOK DOWN WHEN SPEAKING • Look into the camera in a forthright manner. • Eyeball the viewerthrough the camera

49. KNOW HOW LOUDLY TO SPEAK • Your microphone is close by.

50. VOICE • Know Your Flaws • Now is a good time to ask yourself: What does my voice soundlike? • You should record something, it doesn’t matter what, but agood plan would be to read some copy aloud