Beggenning journalism class...we are doing interviews in....?

Question

this class and i need to know what to ask her.

i have 15 questions so far and i need five more.

im not sure what to ask her so for getting to know somebody can anyone write down about 5 to 10 questions that i could possilby use?

thanks.

the more you have the better!

:)

Answer 1

Use your first 15 questions as a jumping-off point for the rest of the interview.

Really, you shouldn't have to rely solely on your pre-interview questions. Your questions should adapt to the interviewee's answers.

<i.e> journalist: "so, what impact has your gymnastics schedule had on your family?"

interviewee: "well, it's been really hard, especially since my mom developed Alzheimer's disease..."

journalist: "Oh, I hadn't heard about your mother's illness...tell me a little bit about that..."

So really, if your interviewee says ANYTHING interesting, jot it down on your notepad for future reference. This above all else keeps interviews going.

But you really can't go wrong with these baseline questions:

-Tell me a little bit about your educational background.

-Why did you choose the position/job you hold now?

-What dream job(s) did you have as a child? (if dream job is what they have now, run with it...)

-Bring up the Olympics. (You can never go wrong there...)

But more than anything, be sure to use questions that will help you when writing your article. SOOO many long interviews can be for nothing if you don't ask the right questions. Seriously, I know from experience.

btw, since it's a 15 year-old girl, change "position/job" to extracurriculars." Ask about her sports/hobbies, etc. Just make sure your questions are open-ended. No one word or yes-no answers.

Answer 2

it would help if we knew what type of person you were interviewing (teacher, singer, athlete, etc.?)

but maybe:

favorite designer/brand name?

fave perfume?

where were you born?

who's your best friend?

do you like horror movies?