Phone interview Tips in Journalism

In journalism, an interview is one of the salient tools to gather information for a story and can be conducted with targeted sources face to face, using Skype, mobile phone, Facebook or landline. Today l shall be sharing with you on the tips when conducting a phone interview. Do as much preparation as you can, a source will not want to give you lots of background over the phone. You will need every second of the time to coax something new and interesting out of the source. Make sure that you are speaking with the right person by asking whether that person is exactly the one you targetted. Begin by identifying yourself to the source by mentioning who you are and your publication or News Organisation clearly. Remind the source briefly why you are interviewing him or her since at times the source might not remember that you are doing a profile for him or her. Get essential details like full name, age, address, occupation at the start of the conversation in case the interview is terminated abruptly for some reasons. Double check spelling of names. It is easy to mishear on the phone and to assume someone is called Pious instead of Peter. Keep the questions brief and straight to the point, complicated ones will lose other people. Avoid leading questions also. Use open-ended questions. Always sound bright, friendly and alert and do not mutter. Speak loudly and clear do not rush. Listen to the other person’s tone of voice, and check if you are not sure about something they have said. verification is important in journalism. Try to avoid long pause, otherwise, the interviewee might think you have been cut off. At the end of the interview, thank them for their time and check whether they will be contactable for the next twenty-four hours or so, in case you need to clarify anything with them. If appropriate give them your mobile number or email address in case they want to contact you.