Les Wiseman has been an associate faculty member in the School of Communications and Culture at Royal Roads University, Victoria BC Canada (corridor@shaw.ca).

Rationale

In the real world, all successful non-fiction stories, journalism, technical writing, government writing, and public relations (PR) writing involve primary research. This means talking with strangers. Such an effort often terrifies students. In my experience, if you want to create an authoritative piece of narrative or expository writing, you must step outside your comfort zone to where the magic happens. Successful writers capture some elements of the magic. Readers want expert opinions. Students can no longer fake it by cobbling together library and web research with opinion. Thus, you must interview the people who know what they are talking about. If you want to be read by real-world audiences, you must venture into the real world.

Even if you are interviewing someone you have been a fan of for years, it can be nerve-racking to finally meet them face to face or have them on the other end of the phone. Even professionals can go blank while doing a task they have done daily throughout their entire career. To be fail-safe you must be prepared for anything: an interviewee’s bad mood, or lack of time for preparation. The smart interviewer comes with insurance beyond even extensive research on the subject. In primary research, the wise interviewer has fallback: the emergency interview.

Overview

Setting the context

I created this list of questions long ago and I have used it as the basis for over a thousand interviews over 35 years of journalism and PR. This is a real-world tool that professionals in a communication field will use throughout their careers.

I illustrate with the following anecdote how the emergency interview has helped me. During a horrible time in my life, I was working about 18 hours a day as producer of three daily radio talk shows, while still fulfilling my writing commitments. I was a stressed mess. One afternoon, I tried listening to a meditation tape and I promptly fell asleep. The phone ringing woke me, and I groggily answered it.

The voice on the other end, said, “Hi, it’s Pamela Anderson. We’ve got an appointment to do an interview.” I had completely forgotten. However, on the corner of my desk was my emergency interview list. I grabbed it, clicked on the tape recorder and started asking intelligent questions as if I had been preparing for this interview all morning. As an editor, I have also sent  an inexperienced reporter to interview Arnold Schwarzenegger with my emergency interview as his only preparation.

Another tool I use to increase class engagement is to point out many students do not take this tool seriously. I have had many students get a job in communications and then call me in a panic: “I’ve got to interview someone in 15 minutes, and I vaguely remember you supplying our class with a list of questions for interviews. Do you still have that? Can you send that to me ASAP?” Of course, I still have it; the question is why don’t you? If you throw out all your notes (which should be tools and techniques) as soon as you get your marks, you might as well not have gone to school.

Preparing your emergency interview lesson

Step one: Discuss the interview as the basic tool of all research-based writing, be it journalism, PR, technical, or business. Stress how important it is to be prepared for unseen circumstances that will allow you to collect a valuable interview without prep time.

Step two: Instruct the students that they have 20 minutes to open a word-processing document or take a pad and pen and brainstorm key words that will become question triggers for every interview situation they can think of: basic, music star, sports personality, politician, movie star, businessperson, author, artist, chef, architect, or anyone who would be the basis for an interesting profile. For example, a basic feature profile must include age, marital status, correct job title. Reiterate they do not have to write complete sentences, just key words.

Step three: Compare and assess. When they have completed step two, each student is asked for their best question, which is then assessed by the instructor in front of the class. The qualities that make a question great do not necessarily make that question your choice to lead your interview. Some questions — age, marital status, recent allegations — may often be best left until a rapport with the interviewee has been established. (In some cases, the question that might get you a kick in the shins or a demand to exit the premises might reasonably be left until the end of the session. Thus, giving you time for a head start.) If another student uses their question before a student is called on, the student must pick another question from their list. In an online situation, a wiki may be used. Provide feedback on each question, pointing out open-ended questions are best to ask. Assign or show Chris Farley interviewing Paul McCartney on Saturday Night Live,  as a perfect, and hilarious, example of how not to frame your closed-ended questions. Students add classmates’ questions to their lists.

Step four: Reveal My Emergency Interview in class or posted and previously hidden on the class Moodle page or via the Instructors Forum/Class Announcements.

Step five: Either in class or for homework, invite students to add questions from My Emergency Interview to their list. Then, they must collate their list and divide it into categories: basic questions, politician questions, business questions, movie-star questions, rock-star questions or a category that pertains to their research interest.

Step six: Urge the students to print out the file and keep it on their desks, computer desktops, smart phones, or in their bag, always. This is now a document they will use all their writing lives. It will enable and empower them to walk into interviews and ask intelligent questions at short notice.

Evaluation: Ask the students how they did on the brainstorming. Did anyone get 100 per cent of the questions on the instructor’s list, 50 per cent, more? Did anyone identify interview categories other than what the instructor listed? Each student reports to the class.

Reflections

The learners have now created a tool that they can use for the rest of their writing life. The emergency interview gives a sense of accomplishment that they are now wielding a tool of the professionals.

Any question list is not definitive for every subject. Each interview offers possible questions to add to the list.

The questions are in no particular order and should be reordered based on their intended use according to the subject. This can be done in two minutes. Not all questions are relevant to all subjects. Still, as insurance against disaster and embarrassment, this list is a safety net that will allow the novice or unprepared interviewer to enter any situation with increased confidence.

Appendix A: My Emergency Interview

General

• What is your current project?
• How do you see your work evolving?
• Who are your peers? Assess them.
• What do you aspire to?
• What motivates you?
• What is your opinion on the current state of your industry or field of endeavour?
• Who are your heroes, influences?
• How do people perceive you? What do you represent to the public?
• What is the most widely held misconception about you?
• What is the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome in life?
• How do you handle stress?
• Do you have any philosophical or scientific views that influence your life? Describe your philosophy, spirituality, religion.
• Describe your most rewarding professional moment.
• Describe your most rewarding personal moment.
• What tradition do you see yourself a part of (e.g., racial heritage, profession, family)?
• How did success affect you?
• How has money been of use to you?
• What do you do in your free time?
• Describe your home life.
• Describe your significant other. How did you meet?
• Where have you lived?
• How would you like to be remembered?

TV/Film

• Who are your role models?
• How do you feel about roles you have played?
• What roles would you like to play?
• How do you feel about particular genres?
• Describe upcoming projects to air, to shoot.
• What about a project usually appeals to you?
• How do you feel about violence in media?
• What you watch (television, movies, videos)?

Mini-Profile/Dossier magazine style

• What kind of car do you drive?
• Describe your fitness regimen.
• Describe your diet.
• What is your favourite restaurant/kind of food?
• Do you have a favourite clothing designer?
• What kinds of jobs have you held?
• What is your favourite drink?
• Tell me about pets in your life.
• What are your religious beliefs or philosophy?
• Do you have a recurrent dream?
• What is your current bedside reading?
• What is your pet peeve?
• What is your astrological sign, and how does it reflect you?
• Will you share vital statistics (e.g., age, weight, clothing size, shoe size, height, eye colour)?
• Describe a moment of high drama in your life.
• Who is the most impressive person you have ever met?
• Who is the worst person you have ever met?
• What were your parents’ occupations?
• Describe your education.
• What is your favourite television show and movie?
• Is there a culinary specialty that you cook?
• Do you have hobbies?
• If reincarnated, what you would choose to come back as?
• What are your favourite books?
• Describe your best and worst drug experience.
• What upsets you?
• What is your earliest memory?
• Who are your heroes?
• Describe your routine/schedule.
• What charities do you support?
• How do you cope with stress?
• What is your political leaning?
• What is your biggest fear?
• What is your favourite holiday spot?
• What indulgences do you enjoy?
• How would you like to change the world?
• What would your friends say about you? What would your enemies say?