How to conduct an interview?

People interview is a way for reporters to ask news people to answer special questions, and it is also a way for reporters to interview relevant people with a purpose. It is a kind of special communication based on the dialogue between journalists and characters, obtaining direct materials and interspersed with background materials. It is more detailed and vivid than the general report. There are two factors in an interview: the interviewee and the reporter. The feature of the interview is the word "expert", with the focus on the interview. People interview not only emphasizes news and politics, but also emphasizes its readability. Compared with other news forms, the readability of personal interviews has affinity. Therefore, it is deeply loved by the audience.

It is difficult to write interviews with people because of high requirements and high attention. The difficulty in writing interviews with characters lies in how to avoid dullness, and the characters written have distinct characteristics. If the reader can remember this character after reading it and distinguish it from other characters, it can be said that it is a successful interview. Vivid characters, typical cases and vivid details all depend on the success of the interview. Communication between journalists and interviewees is the most important way. If you choose well and carefully, you will have a deeper understanding and understanding of the characters, and you will be able to grasp the personality characteristics of the characters, thus discovering the highlights and differences of the characters, refining the theme more accurately, and making readers feel credible, amiable and learnable. Failure in the interview, even if carefully operated, can't write well. The quality of the interview, the reporter's questioning skills are particularly important, and good and accurate questions help to open the interviewee's chatterbox.

The author believes that at present, reporters are prone to the following shortcomings: First, the questions are too big and empty, so that the interviewees don't know how to answer them. Some reporters still like "what do you think" and other "old three questions" in interviews. Second, the reporter's oral expression ability is poor, and his questions can't be concise. Asking questions makes the interviewee irrelevant. Some reporters have rewritten the question lightly, and their words are not satisfactory. They often have excellent writing skills and poor oral skills, and there is a deviation in understanding: they think that paying attention to eloquence is ostentatious and not pragmatic. You can often see some reporters asking questions and saying a lot of things that can't be avoided, such as asking a farmer entrepreneur what his next plan is and whether he is interested in funding rural education. To put it bluntly, not only the interviewee was at a loss, but even the reporter himself didn't understand what he said. Third, the reporter's interview attitude is not correct, and his knowledge is limited. Some reporters talk nonsense when asking questions, and they don't understand each other's answers, which makes them feel disgusted psychologically, thus distancing themselves from reporters. All these have invisibly affected the interviewees' interest in conversation.

Interviewees are prone to the following situations: First, they are subjectively cooperative with the interview, but they are always unable to open their mouths because of nervousness or excitement. Farmers, herdsmen and workers from the grassroots level are prone to this phenomenon. Second, passively respond to the interview. Although he opened his mouth, he always digressed or consciously avoided some sensitive questions of reporters. Third, the interviewee leads the reporter to run away, and the interviewee talks nonsense, so the reporter can't control the situation. The interview took a lot of time. It seems that he recited a lot, but he didn't need much, which was time-consuming and laborious.

In view of the above shortcomings and problems, the author puts forward the following suggestions based on his own superficial experience for peer discussion.

First of all, design some important topics in advance around the theme. During the interview, the reporter should establish the theme and carefully design several questions around the theme in advance. Some questions can be played on the spot, but the key questions must be prepared. Defining the topic before the interview can not only ensure that the interview is targeted, but also reduce the waste of time. Journalists must have a few straight questions, make full estimates in advance, and don't fight unprepared. Some journalists who are not very eloquent will get better results in this way. First, you can be confident and not panic when you get cold feet. Second, you can also practice asking questions in advance. A few questions are actually the outline and ideas of the interview. It helps reporters to control the situation and guide the interviewer into the subject. When the author interviewed a strong woman in business, the woman entrepreneur was well-informed and eager to express herself, but her words were always off topic. Several questions designed by the author in advance are used. As soon as I stray from the subject, I ask her a question.

Second, ask questions in the words of experts. An expert will know if there is one if he reaches out. As soon as the reporter asks, the interviewee can hear whether you know him or not and how much you know about his work. When a reporter asks a question to a layman, it is difficult to gain the approval of the interviewee, so it is impossible to talk deeply and it is difficult for a reporter to explore the inner world of the interviewee. A reporter should make friends with the interviewee, touch his most sensitive nerves and explore his mind. The easiest language to find is the industry topic of the interviewee. This is very effective for people who are introverted, shy, timid and have difficulty in speaking. The reporter can ask some familiar topics to guide him to speak. The simplest thing is to talk to the farmer about what fertilizer his crops use. Talk to herders about giving birth to several winter lambs; Talk to the driver about the model and performance of the car. Of course, you must not pretend to understand and be an expert. For example, the reporter interviewed a typical laid-off and reemployed worker. I have interviewed the textile industry for a long time before and have a better understanding of knitting. During the interview, I blurted out some professional words such as spandex, fine thread needle and circular loom, which surprised the interviewer. She thinks that she attaches great importance to her own industry, which invisibly narrows the psychological distance. The interview took 8 hours, and the interviewee said everything he wanted to say. The situation is detailed and complete, and the communication is really infectious.

Third, ask some simple questions to calm the mood of the interviewee. For some interviewees who can't get into the state quickly because of excitement or nervousness, in order to calm them down, reporters can talk about some light topics unrelated to the theme first. Let the other person relax through relaxed topics and shorten the psychological distance between them as soon as possible. A potted flower, an experience, an opinion on a problem, or the other person's hobby can all be the topic of asking questions. I often use this method in interviews. Once I interviewed a police wife who died heroically, and the police sister-in-law could not calm down. The author asked about their daughter, from her age to her views and thoughts on her father's death. Then it leads to the main line of the interview. When interviewing disabled musician Fang Fang (winner of international prize), he was disgusted and nervous, so the interview could not be carried out. The author asked him some familiar questions, such as the difference between classical guitar and folk guitar, to relax him.

Fourth, avoid the interview, ask the other party questions of interest, and induce them to cooperate with the interview. As the old saying goes, interviews are also extra-poetic efforts. A wealth of knowledge is really helpful for the interview. When the author interviewed the president of an advanced national court who was determined to reform, the president was afraid that publicity would have a bad influence. The author knew in advance that the interviewee had a deep knowledge of ancient Chinese and had a good study of legalist thought and military affairs, so he asked Han Feizi, Xunzi, Shang Yang and Lu Chunqiu. Through his viewpoint of "misdemeanor not convicted of felony", he naturally talked about his reform. The interview continued, which changed the attitude of the interviewee. The interview time was originally limited to half an hour, but it was unconsciously extended to five hours.

Fifth, take both sides into consideration when asking questions and ask the audience what they want to know. Journalists should always think carefully before interviewing people. Think from the reader's point of view. Think about what the reader wants to know about this character and what he will be interested in. Only when readers are in their hearts will readers like to read your articles. Similarly, we should also consider it from the interviewee's point of view: what does he want to tell the reader, what good experiences and flashing things he has to inspire the reader. Only when both sides have thought of it, the questions raised by reporters will arouse the interest of both sides. Also pay attention to protecting the privacy of the interviewee, and don't ask vulgar and curious questions irrelevant to the subject.

Six, the reporter's questioning attitude should be sincere and objective, not personal attacks. Don't ask suggestive questions to avoid inducing or limiting the other person's answer. Ask questions in an exploratory and consultative way, not in a blunt and judgmental tone. According to different objects, the ways of asking questions are positive questions, rhetorical questions, guidance and encouragement. When dealing with the interviewees, journalists should always remember whether they are poor or mean, rich or ugly, ask questions in a calm tone, and be sincere in their words, without reprimanding or mocking.

Seven, ask questions to come straight to the point, ask questions to be concise and easy to understand. Questions should be open-ended, and words such as how, what and how should be used to give the other party a broad answer space. Don't ask "yes or no" like a judge's trial. Ask specific questions, and big questions can be divided into several small questions. For example, ask a farmer, "Do you know how to protect the interests of consumers?" It can be divided into: "Have people around you bought fake and shoddy things?" "What should I do if I buy it? Where can I find it? Who are you looking for? "

Eight, pay attention to the "five noes" when asking questions: don't make long and difficult sentences, don't reverse sentences, don't deny the tone, don't be ambiguous, and don't invent words and use special nouns when asking questions. Learn to use spoken English more, and divide long sentences into short ones to ask.

Nine, the appropriate use of some challenging methods. Give full play to the role of motivation. Some interviewers have to answer weighty and sharp questions directly. In a successful interview, the questions you ask should not be parrot-learned, nor should they be general, but deliberately highlight its sharp side. The problem of weight is the embodiment of the reporter's level. Farage is a famous journalist. He is famous for asking sharp and almost provocative questions. When interviewing a unit leader who is committed to reform, the author suggested: "If you use this coercive means to carry out reform, the masses will accuse you of tyranny, which may affect your future political future and you may become a victim. What do you think of this? " This problem immediately attracted the attention and interest of the leaders. After the interview, he said, "I wanted to deal with it, but I finished reading the materials, but your question forced me to speak." When interviewing a controversial entrepreneur, the author asked bluntly: "People have different opinions about you. What do you think of this and how to evaluate yourself? " This question opened the interviewee's chatterbox and tore open his protective clothing. Later, the interviewee said, "You are the first one involved in this issue. I immediately feel that you know me very well and treat me fairly and equally. "

The writer's goal is to write an interview with a vivid character. To achieve this goal, greeting questions is the key. Say hello to the question, the first step is to walk away, we are close to the goal.

References:

China talent network