Interviewing

What the resources cover

Most of this page is mind maps. Many are short overviews with titles like What makes a good interview, Structure of an interview and Short interviews. Others go into detail. Interviews: What is What and Who is Who covers studying up on your interviewer and reviewing your key message points. Characteristics of a good interview looks at language and tone. Basic Questioning Techniques and the 6 Basic Types of Media Interviews round out the set.

Where to start

1. Begin with a general map such as INTERVIEW, which opens with a definition of an interview as a conversation in which one person obtains information from another.
2. Move to What is the structure of an interview? and Body of Interview to see how a conversation is laid out.
3. Go through the flashcards on questions and listening.
4. Finish with the quiz.

Using the flashcards

There are a few flashcard decks, and each covers a separate skill. Questions and their uses separates open, closed, probing and bipolar questions. Interviewing techniques covers non-questioning skills such as listening, encouraging and using silence. Telephone interviewing deals with manners, preparation and recording. Understanding interviewees and avoiding problems looks at what can go wrong and how to handle difficult interviewees.

Quiz and maps together

The quiz, Methods of Questioning, asks how many methods there are and what open questions are. Read the questioning maps first, then take the quiz without looking. Any answer you miss tells you which map to reopen. Because several maps share similar titles, compare two of them side by side and note what one includes that another leaves out.

Where this unit fits

Interviewing is a unit in the Journalism strand of Communication and journalism. It suits university students and professional candidates, school students, and teachers who want ready-made material to share.

Pick one map today, then write your own interview questions on a fresh set of flashcards.