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WHO’S IN CONTROL?

When interviewing someone, you may have carefully planned questions but…

• the interviewee might provide an answer that goes in a completely different direction than you were intending

OR

• the interviewee wants to talk about something different altogether

OR

• the interviewee gives you “nothing” with their answer

As the interviewer, you have to keep command of your interview by leading your interviewee in way that they feel they are in control.

HOW DO YOU DO THAT?

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS

• Follow-up questions do exactly what the name implies: They follow up on something the interviewee has said.

• For example:

Q: What was the best thing that happened to you in high school?

A: I guess that would have to be when my boyfriend broke up with me at the prom.

(WAIT…WHAT???!)

***Follow-up Q: That doesn’t sound like a very good thing. Why was it the best thing that happened to you?

• Why do you think that way?

• That sounds interesting. Could you tell me more about it?

• What happened next?

• How has that influenced your life?

A FEW WAYS TO FOLLOW-UP ON AN ANSWER

PRACTICE

Write a follow-up question for each of the Q&A scenarios:

Scenario #1

Q: What kind of friends did you hang out with in high school?

A: Mostly jocks, like me.

Follow-up Q: __________________________________________________________

Scenario #2

Q: What is your worst memory of high school?

A: A kid I knew was badly injured in a car accident.

Follow-up Q: __________________________________________________________

*NOW MAKE UP YOUR OWN QUESTION AND ANSWER ABOUT A PERSON’S GOALS IN HIGH SCHOOL and INCLUDE A GREAT

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION.

VIEWING AN INTERVIEW

We are going to watch a few celebrity interviews.

On a piece of notebook paper, create a chart like the one below:

INTERVIEWER: INTERVIEWEE:

QUESTIONS: ANSWERS:

As you watch the interviews note the questions that are asked and summarize the answers in the two columns.

AFTER WATCHING – PG. 50

Go back to your notes and identify the kinds of questions Charlie Rose asked.

• In one color, highlight the first question and any questions that start a new line of questioning.

• In a second color, highlight the follow-up questions.

• Put a star by the question you think was the best/most successful?

• Put a sad face by the question you think was the worst/least successful?

RATE THE OVERALL INTERVIEW:

1 – I learned a lot about the person being interviewed.

2 – I learned some things about the person being interviewed, but I wanted to learn more.

3 – I did not learn very much about the person being interviewed.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE RATING?