Interviewing techniques for journalists
Learn how to tease out the story (and the facts) from whoever you speak to in this one-day course.
Extracting solid information from your sources is probably the most crucial part of any journalist’s job. Improve your interview skills with this highly practical course. Hone your questions to tease out telling details and personal anecdotes as well as all of the important facts, and learn how to better navigate interviews in person and online by forging trust and connection with your subject. Follow where the interview leads instead of steamrolling through it, and learn to deal deftly with hostile or defensive subjects.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Properly research your subject and prepare carefully for your interview
- Select a solid location for the interview
- Prepare thorough, relevant questions that get your subject talking
- Use verbal and non-verbal cues to establish a relationship
- Listen and watch attentively
- Reformulate questions and answers to go deeper
- Elicit emotion and passion from your subject
- Embrace the awkward silence
- Identify magical moments in the interview
- Record and transcribe interviews using the latest technology
- Take useful notes and timecodes to speed up your writing process
Course Details
Duration: One day
Location: Johannesburg or online
Group size: 3-10 participants
How it works: This course can either be run as a one-day block course or one half-day of training weekly over two weeks.
Nala Academy prides itself on offering the best, by the best. We provide a range of online and in-person courses for journalists, editors and content producers. Our training is dynamic, contemporary and practical – with course content that evolves as quickly as the industry does.
Our core training team includes some of the most recognised names in media in Africa who have built, led and worked for some of the biggest media brands on the continent. We also bring in prominent global journalists and communicators as guest trainers.
To sign up for this course or enquire about our other offerings, get in touch.