One of the easiest ways to create an audio product is to interview an expert. You've invited the expert, prepared the set of questions, and now it's time for the interview itself! Whether you're doing it in person (with them sitting across from you) or remotely (via telephone, Skype or video), here are some tips for making sure it works effectively.
This can be a bit daunting at first - both for you and the expert being interviewed - but you will get better the more often you do it.
Before the interview
Well before the interview, explain to your guest the purpose of the interview and the typical listener. Prepare a list of questions, and send it to the guest, so they can make suggestions and corrections. Be sure you know their name, organization name, job title, and anything else they would like you to use to introduce them. If they have an unusual name, check the pronunciation carefully. You should have already agreed on the time, date, technology and venue. But contact your guest a day or two before the interview, confirming the time and date, and asking whether they have any final questions about the process.
Test your recording equipment, matching the interview environment as closely as possible. For example, if you're using a hand-held recorder with two lapel microphones, test the recorder batteries and both microphones. Print two copies of the questions, one for yourself and one for the guest (in case they forget).
Set up the environment
Have a glass of water, list of questions and a pen handy. If you're meeting face to face, make sure the guest has the same. Take your telephones off the hook, and close any doors and windows. Connect the recording equipment, including your microphones, as soon as possible, even before you're ready to start the formal recording. This gives you a chance to check your seating positions, length of microphone cords, and so on. Start recording as a sound check.
Explain to the guest how the process will work - in particular:
Instruct them to ignore the microphone and recording equipment; just act as if it is a normal conversation. Explain that it will be edited later, so they can stop if they get stuck and start their response again. Explain that you will keep track of time.Review the list of questions briefly, and ask whether they would like any last-minute changes. Then stop the recording and listen to it. Ensure that both parties are recorded, the recording is clear, and they are both speaking at a similar volume.
Conduct the interview
When you're ready, conduct the interview, broadly following the question list.
Some things to keep in mind:
In a face-to-face interview, when the guest is giving a long answer, nod and maintain eye contact, but don't interject, even with "uh huh" or "yes". If they make a detailed point, it might be worth summarising it at the end, and asking them to confirm that your summary is correct. If they get too theoretical (which can sometimes happen because they are experts), bring this back to reality with a question like, "So if you were to apply that to [a particular situation], how would that work?" Listen for jargon and other language that the listener might not understand, and ask the guest to clarify it. If either of you starts going off on an irrelevant tangent, just stop the conversation and re-start it. It's not necessary to stop the recording, because you will edit this out later. Keep an eye on the time, and make sure that you cover all the essential points.Wrap up
When the interview is complete, stop the recording. Ask the guest whether there is anything important that was not said. If so, start the recording again and record that point. Check that you introduced the guest properly, and remembered to ask for their contact information at the end of the program. If you didn't, re-record those sections now.
Keep in mind that it's better to do all the recording in a single session than to try reproducing the exact same environment to record any material later. So if you did miss anything, simply record it now - even if it needs to be moved later during editing.
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