LLWRC 959 - Get Started: The Art of Interviewing

Regardless of whether you write (or wish to write) for magazines, newspapers, the nonfiction audience, oral history projects, film documentaries, blogs, or simply for personal pleasure, interviewing is one of the most important tools in your repertoire. Interviewing is both science and art. Make the most of it by learning what works, what doesn't, and why. You will learn how to make your first contact, conduct research, produce questions, integrate strategies to strengthen communication and elicit concrete messages, and explore technical aspects of recording interviews. You will glean the effects of verbal and nonverbal cues, discern the differences between open and close-ended questions, navigate unwieldy interviews, and learn how to handle the myriad issues, from timing to weather, that might affect the complicity of your interview. Since the worth of an interview relies on the honest relationship between the interviewer and the interviewee, you will learn to how to create a bond, trust your instincts, and become an effective listener. Please bring a sack lunch; if you own a tape recorder, please bring it as well.