MCOM 101 Part II

What is in store for the rest of the semester?

Improving your storytelling

  • Learning storyboarding
  • Reading War of Art
  • The art of interviewing
  • Simple audio and video techniques
  • Being on time

On conducting interviews 

Part One – The agenda

  • Determine the purpose or goal of the interview.
  • Develop a brief statement that tells why this interview is being conducted.
  • Specifically identify how this information will be used.
  • Make a list of the information required.
  • Draft questions that, when answered, will provide the necessary information to satisfy your goal. 
  • Make the questions flow. 
Part Two – Questions and questioning techniques

  • Open questions – questions of feeling, perspective, prejudice or stereotypes "How would you?" Make the demand about something. 
  • Closed questions – yes/no tunnel sequence often needs more open and probing questions to round out the interview. 
  • Probing questions – Follow-up questions on vague, superficial or inaccurate information.
Part Three - push the probe


Elaboration – “What happened next?” “Could you go into that more?” “How did you feel about that?”

Clarification – “What do you mean by the word BLAH?” “Could you provide examples of what you mean by BLAH?”

Repetition – When the interview didn’t hear or is trying to evade the question. Repeat the question exactly as originally stated.

Confrontations – Calls attention to inconsistencies, misinterpretations or contradictions. These are best asked at the end of the interview after ideas are established from open and closed questions.

Mirror statements – Reflective or summary statements that indicate if the interviewee is being understood. “In other words, you are saying" . . .” Let me see if I am understanding you . . .”

Neutral phrases – Demonstrates attention, indicates interest and encouragement to keep people talking. “Oh” “I see” “Go on” “Wow” “And then?”

Silence – A powerful probe that gives both the interviewee and the interviewer time to think. Don’t rush through as this may be the only opportunity to talk with this person. Silence distinguishes the novice from the skilled interviewer.

Here is good info from CJS

 Ira Glass on interviewing 

How to start an interview 

Turn on your recording device NOW
Have them say and spell their name

Have them say their title
Listen, actively
Your source is a teacher
If they say something you don’t understand, ask them a follow-up or ask them to explain it in a different way

Even if you are recording, keep a pen and paper handy to write a note to yourself about something you might want to ask later.
Quotes, Quotes, Quotes

As the novelist Elmore Leonard said, “When people talk, readers listen.” In interviews, the writer listens for the telling remark that illuminates the person or the situation. Leonard says he lets his characters do the work of advancing his story by talking. He gets out of the way.

“Readers want to hear them, not me.”
Listen to the singer Lorrie Morgan talk about her problems: 

After her husband, the singer Keith Whitley, died of alcohol poisoning, Morgan was only offered slow, mournful ballads by her songwriters, she said in an interview with The Tennessean of Nashville.
“I mean, it was all kinds of dying songs,” she said. But then she fell in love with Clint Black's bus driver, and she decided to change her tunes.
“I said, 'I'm not going to do that. I'm not basing my career on a tragedy.' I live the tragedy every day without it being in my music.” Her life, she said, has turned around, thanks to her new love. “He's a wonderful, wonderful guy. This guy is very special, and I'm into him real bad.” However, not too long afterward Lorrie’s love life took a detour ¾ her affections switched to a politician.

For reader interest, for enthralled reading and viewing, direct contact with the individual interviewed is best achieved by letting interviewees speak.
Research shows that quotations are useful. S. Shyan Sundar of Pennsylvania State University found “the credibility and quality of stories with quotations to be significantly higher than identical stories without quotations.”
For Friday interview activity

Interview one of your classmates and write up his/her responses in narrative (story) form. The purpose is to create an informative and fun-to-read profile on one of your classmates. You will share parts of your interview with the class. Your write-up should be 400 to 500 words. As you pre-interview think about what theme(s) might emerge based on the questions you are asking and how the interviewee responds. Most of what you write is description and quotes. 

  1. What interests you about media (web design, writing, photography, graphic design, power, prestige, etc)?
  2. Why did you sign up for the class? What are you expecting?
  3. Do you consider yourself a self-starter? Why or why not?
  4. Define, in your own words, what it means to be independent.
  5. What does it mean to be a team-player?
  6. How well do you think you work under pressure? Why?
  7. What motives you?
  8. What are you passionate about?
  9. What is your greatest strength (academically)?
  10. What is your greatest academic weakness? What do you struggle with?
  11. Would you rather do something just to get it done, or do it with the intent of doing it well?
  12. How do you define the term "quality?"
  13. Would you rather explain a complex idea simply or a simple idea complexly? Why?
  14. Why types of media do you read? When, and for how long?
  15. What is your favorite publication? Do you have a favorite writer or columnist?


  1. What do you do when not in school?
  2. Do you work?
  3. What sports do you play? Activities? Musical instruments?
  4. Are you in or do you plan to join any clubs? If so, what and why?
  5. What are some of your fears? Hopes? Dreams?
  6. Give an example of a time you failed.
  7. Give an example of a time you succeeded. How did you feel? Why?
  8. Who are your role models? People you look up to or think are cool?
  9. Who or what do you aspire to be?
  10. What do you hope to be doing in 10 years?
  11. Describe some of your biggest challenges.
  12. What comes easy to you?
  13. Do you consider yourself a cat (more independent) or a dog (less independent)?
  14. What kind of music do you like? Why?
  15. What kind of music do you dislike? Why?
  16. Describe your ideal outfit. What do you like to wear?
  17. What would you never be caught dead in?
  18. What is your favorite movie/food/sports team/book/performer/politician? Why?
  19. If you could meet three people, alive or dead, who would they be? Why?
  20. What do you consider yourself an authority on? What do you know a lot about?
  21. What are you good at?
  22. What are some things you aren't knowledgeable on? What would you like to learn about?
  23. List some shortcomings or deficiencies.
  24. What part(s) of yourself would you like to improve?
  25. If you could visit three places, anywhere in the world, where would they be?
  26. What is your favorite animal/plant/insect/color?
  27. If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be? Why?
  28. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

Here are examples of 100 great pieces of journalism.  


Here are three of these that I like for examples: 

Is That a Tape Recorder in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Unhappy to See Me?

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