6 minute read
The Heart of the Interview
Methods and Media
Methods and media abound for hosting and publishing interviews. The purpose of the interview and style are primary considerations. Hosts may choose between an interrogative (Q&A) style and a conversational style. Some interviews are conducted for public sharing, while others are conducted for private research, such as book projects or articles. If the plan is to submit the interview to a publication, where can I find their guidelines and style? Is our purpose for hosting the interview to inform, persuade, entertain, or minister to others?
Before the interview, some choices for hosting include:
•In person or virtual
•Live or pre-recorded
•The duration of the interview
The shortest interview I’ve hosted, “Angelina Lives! A Hope Filled Pro-life Story,” where my guest, fourteen-year-old Angelina, shares her powerful story and insights, is only 12 minutes. My longest is just under two hours. Sometimes I split longer interviews into two segments.
The interviews I’ve conducted as part of my research have ranged from 15 minutes to a couple of hours. Research may require speaking with an individual multiple times.
Another consideration is which methods and media are best suited for the subject.
On-the-go (out in the community, such as on the street or at an event)
A pen and paper, a phone, or other portable audio or video recorder, or professional equipment works for this. At the local Memorial Day weekend event “Troops in the Spotlight,” I used a notebook and pen to record my interviewees featured in my article titled, “In Appreciation of Our American Military.”
On social media (live or pre-recorded, audio, video, or typed)
Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are among the social media platforms that enable users to go live on video within the app, either from their phones or by using software to stream from computers.
Spaces (audio), a feature offered on X (formerly Twitter), enables users to host live audio conversations either solo or with co-hosts, and the option to permit live audience interaction. Spaces can be recorded for playback and re-posted in timelines later. X provides information on updated features and instructions for their use on its help site, such as those for Spaces, available at this link: https://help.x.com/en/using-x/spaces. Typed interactive chats, such as #HealthyFaithChat on X, can also be used to host interviews. (More on this in an upcoming article.)
Email back and forth.
This method allows busy interviewees to answer questions bit by bit over a space of time as their schedule allows. Like other formats, this method of interviewing also provides the host with an opportunity to ask new questions inspired by the interviewee’s responses.
For writers, a written interview provides an opportunity to contemplate and craft their answers, thereby drawing out their voice. The first time I interviewed author Pastor Michael Duncan was via email.
Phone Conversation
I find this the most relaxed. For the interviewee, this method offers the convenience of speaking from home, while doing other tasks, or when traveling. (I conduct these using my iPhone’s speakerphone and record using the Voice Memo App and Otter.ai software simultaneously on separate devices.)
In-person
Face-to-face interviews can be powerful, though sometimes more challenging as there’s less control over the setting. I almost cried at the responses of two pastor interviewees. I explained my vision was to bring an understanding to congregants so they could better appreciate and support ministers and their families. They froze mid-task, studied me silently for a minute, their expressions questioning, astonished, and moved. It saddens me to see ministers appear stunned when someone expresses interest in them and their families, when someone genuinely cares and shows appreciation for what they do.
I record interviews with my phone, keeping pen and paper handy to capture new questions that come to mind. There are many small, portable microphones available that plug into phones and computers.
Audio (e.g., podcast or radio)
The audio format for consuming media is in high demand. These files are typically downloadable for offline listening, allowing the audience to fit listening into their busy schedules, such as while doing household chores or during commutes.
Video (e.g. YouTube, Rumble, Zoom, StreamYard, TV)
Sometimes, it’s more impactful for the host and audience to see the interviewee than to hear their audio or read about them.
Video interviews reveal a little more about interviewees (and hosts). A person’s demeanor communicates a great deal, including initial and sometimes subtle body language in response to a question or statement. Sometimes this helps build audience trust.
•Rumble
The platform Rumble is known for its policy of shunning censorship. Some hosts who have been censored or canceled on other platforms use Rumble as a backup for storing their video content or streaming their programs directly from there.
•StreamYard
With StreamYard, you may host live or recorded audio and video presentations. This software also enables streaming live on Facebook, YouTube, X, and other platforms.
•Zoom
Zoom automatically provides both a video and an audio file of live or pre-recorded presentations simultaneously.
Videos, if not streamed live from the platform, may be broadcast or uploaded afterward to online platforms such as YouTube, Rumble, and websites, as well as audio files, to podcasts and websites.
For Zoom interviews conducted for public viewing, I embed the video and audio files in blog posts on my website.
The second time I hosted author Pastor Michael Duncan via Zoom, I didn’t provide him with my questions beforehand because I wanted spontaneous answers rather than contemplated ones. Besides, he’s humble and might have balked at my using his quotes, which I’d collected from months of his X posts, as a springboard for my questions.
When I hosted Officer Lewis and his wife, Mickey, I had the pleasure of doing so via Zoom video. However, since they needed anonymity due to the nature of their work, we didn’t use their real names during the conversation, and I only published the audio file of our interview, “A Master Police Officer, Veteran, Former Atheist, and His Extraordinary Wife.”
My goals in hosting interviews are to expose falsehoods, uphold the truth, represent guests effectively, promote reconciliation, educate, instruct, encourage, and inspire. I hope to serve and minister to both my audience and interviewees.
Author, Rachael M. Colby
Rachael M. Colby has a heart for reconciliation and a passion to uplift those who serve in tough places. She writes to connect cultures’ questions with Christianity’s answers, inspire faith, and motivate. This Jamaican-born multi-genre award-winning writer, wife, and mom resides in Massachusetts, runs on chocolate, and blogs at TattooItOnYourHeart.com.
