Interview Basics, Part 2

On Wednesday, you are going to interview a partner in class, in preparation for your real interview that is coming up next week.

Here are the directions:

1. pick a partner in class to interview
2. write down at least 20 interview questions that you'd like to ask.
- think about the interviews you watched yesterday and which questions are going to produce the best answers.
- you should have questions that cover the basics (like how do you spell your name... where were your born...) and questions that get people to talk (tell me about your best childhood memory... or describe what it was like when you moved from california to seattle...)
3. take turns interviewing your partner and taking notes
4. Write down any observations you have about that person. Funny things that they do, the clothes they are wearing, their mannerisms, etc.
5. LISTEN for QUOTES.
6. Quotes are something funny, memorable, interesting. Quotes add "color" to your story. Quotes are something that you couldn't have said better yourself.
7. Title the story in less than five words. Think back to the titles in the "1 in 8 million" series you watched.
8. Write a short story, no longer than a page double-spaced, about the person you interviewed. Include as many basic details as possible, include observations, and include your three quotes.
9. Don't worry about how to start your story. The point of this exercise is to get as much information in the page as possible.
10. You will be assessed on the quality of your QUOTES.

Please leave your finished story in the comments section of this blog entry.

Thank you!

Interview Basics, Part 1

Hello Journalism Class! This is your assignment for Tuesday, September 28. You are going to watch two interviews today. As you watch, you are going to think about what makes a good interview.

First, watch Barbara Walters interview Miley Cyrus. Everyone must watch this one.

UPDATED 9/28/10 - this isn't working, sorry...

Then, go to www.charlierose.com, click on "Guests" or "Topics" at the top, and watch at least one interview of your choice. Anybody you'd like. Please ask the substitute teacher for some headphones if you don't have any.

If you can't find any that you are interested in, watch one of the following:

Charlie Rose interviews LeBron James, CLICK HERE.
Charlie Rose interviews Jay-Z, CLICK HERE.

At the end of the day, turn in answers to the following questions:
1) Who did you watch Charlie Rose interview?
2) How would you describe the difference in interviewing styles, between Barbara Walters and Charlie Rose?
3) What do Walters and Rose do or say to make their interview subjects feel more comfortable?
4) What kind of research do you think Walters and Rose did before their interviews?
5) Did any of the questions that Walters or Rose asked surprise you? Which ones? Why?
6) What do you think good interviewing is?
7) Write down 3 questions that Walters or Rose asked, that you thought produced good answers.