If your essay is to be a factual piece, you’ll want to interview someone who has expertise in the subject matter you’ll be addressing. If your paper is about a science topic, you’ll want to interview a scientist in that field. If your paper is about a period of history, you’ll want to interview either a historian or someone who’s lived through that period of history. If you plan to make your essay an opinion piece, you’ll likely want to interview someone who has a strong opinion about the topic covered in your essay. Ideally, you want someone who can express opinions articulately, and who also has credentials in the area you plan to write about. If your piece will have a narrow perspective, you’ll need to interview only one or two people. If your piece will present a general consensus, you’ll need to interview more people, probably with varying expertise and credentials.
When available, read works about and works written by your subject, both in print and online. At the same time, research the topic associated with your subject. The more you know about both, the more intelligent questions you can ask. Look for previous interviews your subject has given, as well. These will give you an idea of what questions the person has been asked before, so you can decide on appropriate subjects for your own questions, including questions that no one else has asked. Questions that require “yes” or “no” answers are good for gathering specific factual information; open-ended “how,” “why,” and “tell me about” questions are great for gathering additional background material not found in your research. Draw up a list of the questions you are prepared to ask. Have more questions ready than you will likely use, so that you can make adjustments as the interview takes place. (For instance, your subject may begin focusing on what you thought was a side topic, but turns out to be the key part of your interview. ) Rank your questions in order of importance to make sure you ask your best ones, or list them all in the order you’d ask them and color-code the most important ones.
Choose a quiet place with few distractions for your interview site. A library, restaurant, or campus location if you’re doing this for a college writing class would be suitable. You may want to get the interviewee’s consent to use their comments in your essay in writing, as well as permission to record those comments during the interview. By law, if you are recording an interview conducted over the phone, you must obtain written permission. [4] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC’s on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source It’s helpful to have a backup interviewee in case the person you plan to interview can’t make it. Be on time at the place you’ve agreed to meet for the interview.
Using a recording device (with permission) is almost always advisable, as it permits you to save your note-taking for jotting down your insights on contexts, themes, how your subject approaches the questions, his/her comfort level, and so on. Be patient and respectful as you ask your questions and wait for responses. Give the interviewee time to reflect, and you will likely be rewarded with more insightful answers. A few deeper responses are usually better than many superficial ones. Immediately after the interview, write down your thoughts and impressions about the interview and interviewee. They may help you shape the essay. Always end the interview by thanking the person.
Narrative format. This form allows paraphrasing of some information the interviewee says, along with direct quotes for the material you most want to emphasize. This is the most likely format for a class assignment, and offers the most opportunity to add context and analysis. Conversational format. This is a looser format than the formal writing style required for most essays. You can address the reader directly and use both first and second person. This format can be suitable for anything from class assignments to magazine articles. Question-and-answer format. This form presents your questions to the interviewee, followed by the interviewee’s responses. (That is, the text looks something like this: (Your Name): How long have you been in the circus? (Interviewee’s Name): About 35 years. ) These are always direct quotes, although you may insert explanatory material in parentheses and substitutions, such as a person’s name in place of a personal pronoun, in brackets. This format is best suited for essays with only a single interviewee or a closely related group, such as spouses or the core cast of a TV show. Informative format. This format usually interweaves the interview with research you’ve done on the subject, incorporating some of that research in the text to provide background and give it a little more color.
Read over your interview notes and listen to any audio / video recordings you have. Utilizing both whenever available will allow you to thoroughly consider both the highlights of the interview and the most significant themes to emerge from it. These, in turn, will inform your outline of what information your essay will cover and how it will appear. [9] X Research source One possible outline could be an introduction that starts with an anecdote about the interviewee and then presents your thesis statement, several key points that support the main focus, and a conclusion that summarizes the information presented. Traditional school essays often utilize a five paragraph format (introduction, three supporting paragraphs, conclusion), and this can often work with interview essays as well.
If, however, the purpose of your essay is to use your interviewee’s comments to support a position or examine a larger theme, your thesis will probably be a statement of that position or theme, with the interview / interviewee placed within that context. For instance: “John Doe’s mixed feelings of pride and betrayal reflect those shared by many Vietnam veterans still with us. " Regardless of essay format, make your thesis clear and concise, and be sure that the remainder of your essay refers back to it. See How to Write a Thesis Statement for more advice.
Interviews can sometimes produce a good deal of repetitive answers (even with high-quality questions), so you may need to trim repetitions and unnecessary elements from the body of your essay. Make sure that whatever material you do keep remains true to both the spirit of the interview and the overarching focus of your essay. [10] X Research source A handout from the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina (available at http://writingcenter. unc. edu/handouts/oral-history/) provides a wealth of valuable materials on interview essays. It includes, for instance, examples of how to utilize the same interview materials in a transcription (question-and-answer format), a presentation of individual experiences (quotations and paraphrases), and the placing of the interview / interviewee in a larger context (paraphrasing and quotations with ample explanation).
Reading over the essay yourself is a good start, but it is always wise to have another set of eyes look it over as well. Another reader is likely to catch errors, repetitions, and unclear sections that you have glossed over. [12] X Research source Go back to your original interview notes, recordings, and transcripts, and make sure that your essay continues to reflect the actual interview. Layers of editing and revising can sometimes cause the essay to drift away from the original source and intent. You may even want to let the interviewee read it over to ensure that it captures their voice. [13] X Research source
Any materials you used for research, information about the interviewee, or context for the essay itself should be referenced in the approved citation format for your essay. Make sure one more time that any direct quotations from your source are placed in quotation marks, and any paraphrasing is done without quotation marks. Don’t put words in your subject’s mouth, and respect the words that do emerge from it.
