Interviewer Skills

There are times as a Wave TV reporter you might need to conduct interviews. Read the interviewer tips below then view the junior reporter videos below that. While you are watching you can think about what the interviewers do well and about anything you may do differently.
Interviewer Tips (adapted from E-How- Television Interviewer)

1. 1) Be Adaptable

   • A television interviewer must be to adapt to talk to different types of people. Some guests will be easier to talk to than others. A good interviewer will talk easily with even the most difficult guest to interview her successfully.

   2) Ask the Right Questions

   • The purpose of a television interview is to get a descriptive response from the guest. You don't want a "yes" or "no" answer. A television interviewer must ask open-ended questions. For instance, asking "Do you like what you do?" will give you a yes or no answer, but asking "What do you love about what you do?" will bring out more information. 

   3)Be Flexible

   • Sometimes a television interview will change focus and go into a direction that the interviewer did not originally plan. The interviewer must then come up with new interview questions on the spot to keep the interview interesting. 

   4) Be Polite

   • The interviewer must know how to pronounce the guest's name correctly.  The interviewer must also learn appropriate greetings and closing remarks to clearly show the start and end of the interview.

   5) Be Prepared

   • A  television interviewer must be prepared and organised. They must know who the guest is and the key points to talk about during the interview. The interviewer needs to write the interview questions.