Giving interviews

We are all actually familiar with the format of an interview. Whenever we read a newspaper, watch a news report, or open a magazine to check the entertainment section, there is no shortage of people being interviewed, and we expect to see all kinds of interview content, don’t we? Some interviews are interesting, while others are serious—but most importantly, every interview provides us with new information.

Whenever two people sit down to talk, we can gain fresh insights from their conversation. This has been a long-standing tradition. We can imagine prehistoric humans resting at night, sitting around a fire, talking about the past and present—chatting casually about who killed a mammoth or which member of the tribe had a bad limp. In fact, aren’t today’s interviews just like that? An interview is an opportunity to record whispers of history—through people’s conversations, we gather the information we need.

So, what exactly is an “interview”? It can generally be divided into three types:

1. Exploratory interviews (e.g., press conferences, job interviews, police questioning);

2. Promotional interviews (e.g., celebrity interviews, talk shows);

3. Companion-style interviews;

Today, we will be doing a companion-style interview. With a sense of partnership, we can share life experiences with the interviewee as if we were friends—almost like traveling together.

Steps to a successful interview:

1. Thorough preparation in advance

   • Prepare your questions;

   • Understand the interviewee’s background;

   • Prepare the necessary equipment (e.g., recorder, batteries, etc.).

2. Make the interviewee feel comfortable

   • Plan the details of the interview in advance;

   • Pay attention to clothing, tone of voice, speaking speed, etc.;

   • Outline the interview process beforehand.

3. Proper behavior

   • Remember you are their guest;

   • Be polite, listen attentively, be enthusiastic, and respond to their questions;

   • Know when to interrupt appropriately.

4. Control the interview situation

   • Follow your prepared questions as much as possible;

   • Be disciplined, show empathy, and use creativity;

   • Be able to think on your feet;

   • Watch the time and avoid going overtime.

5. Maintain contact afterward (a few days later)

   • If clarification is needed later, follow up with the interviewee;

   • Show appreciation (through a card, a phone call, or flowers).

These are the key points to keep in mind. To sum up, an interview is like going on a trip with the interviewee. Your responsibility is to accompany them, turn over every interesting little stone, and uncover the story of their life. For you, it will be an unexpectedly unforgettable journey. Bon voyage!

  我們其實都熟悉訪談的形式。每當我們閱讀報紙，每當我們看新聞報導，或者我們打開雜誌消息看看影劇，接受訪問的人比比皆是，我們也預期看到各種訪談資料，不是嗎?有些訪問很有趣，有些卻很嚴肅--但最重要的是任何一種訪問都帶給我們新的資訊。每當兩個人坐下來聊聊，我們就可以從他們的談話內容得到新的訊息，這已是一個由來已久的傳統了。我們可以想像史前人類在夜晚休憩時圍在火邊漫談人生的過去與現在--閒話家常，談談何人殺了一頭長毛象或者部落裡哪一位跛得厲害。其實現在的訪談不也如此嗎?訪談就是給我們機會去記錄歷史的呢喃，就從人與人的談話當中，我們得到需要的資訊。

「訪談」到底是什麼? 基本上可分三種:

(1) 試探性的訪談  (如記者招待會、工作面談、警察盤問等);

(2)正面宣傳的訪談 (如名人訪談、脫口秀等) ;

(3)友伴式的訪談;

    我們今天就要做友伴式的訪談。有了夥伴關係，我們就可以向朋友一般和受訪者一起共同分享生活經驗，好像一起旅行一樣。

 訪談成功的步驟:

(1)事先周全的準備

        -- 準備好問題;

        -- 了解受訪者的背景資料

        -- 準備訪問的相關器材(如錄音機、電池等。)

(2)使受訪者感到自在

         -- 事先規劃訪問的細節;

         -- 注意衣著、語調、說話的速度等;

         -- 將訪談的過程做個大概規劃;

(3)行為合宜

        -- 不要忘記你是他們的客人;

        -- 要有禮貌，注意傾聽，熱情以及要反應對方的問題;

        -- 要注意打斷對方談話的時機;

(4)控制面談的情況

        --儘量照著準備好的問題進行訪談;

       --要有規矩，要表達感同身受的感覺，要發揮創造力;

       --要臨場反應;

       --注意時間不要逾時;

(5)要繼續保持聯絡(數日後)

       --若有稍後需要澄清的問題，要繼續聯絡;

      --表達感謝(運用卡片、打電話或送花的方式);

       以上就是值得注意的地方。讓我們再一次提到，訪談就像和受訪者以起去旅行，你的責任就是陪伴受訪者，去翻遍每一顆有趣的小石子，並且把他/她的人生故事發掘出來，對你來說會是一個意外難忘的旅程，祝你旅途愉快。