Writing an Interview Script

Gathering information from interviews is really simple. You ask the right questions and get the right answers.

But what do you think will happen if you go to the interview without doing any preliminary research?

Let's imagine you are going to interview a Chief Executive Office of an organisation. Your brief for the article includes facts like this person is the youngest in the history of the company to reach CEO. He also sits on the boards of several institutes -- Again, the youngest person to attain this level.

As the interviewer, you want to know as much as possible about the person, the company he works for and his special interests. You want to go into the interview as prepared as possible.

During the interview if you mention information about him or the company, he will know you have done your homework and you are interested in what he has to say.

This is how I would prepare:

  • Telephone the organisation and ask for the public relations department. If the company doesn't have one, ask for the name of their consultant.
  • Request a media pack. This usually contains the latest press releases, profile of the company, perhaps a brochure, web site address, and so on. Tell either the public relations department or the consultant you are going to write an article about the CEO. This admission will prompt the person you are dealing with to ensure you are given everything they have on the top man.
  • Check the web site and download anything that could be of interest.
  • Put the person's name into a search engine in case he has written any papers or articles that have been published. Download them.
  • Look up the web sites for the institutes that he has a special interest in.
  • Read through all the gathered material and write a statement on what the article is about and also write a brief/detailed outline of what you want to include and the direction you want the article to take.
  • Write a script containing all the questions you are going to ask at the interview. Even if you have managed to find some of the details elsewhere, still ask the questions. This is a good way of double-checking the facts.
  • Without the script you may not ask the right questions and the answers will not reveal the information you need to write a strong well-rounded article that meets the editor's brief.

    barb clews is an award winning journalist with nearly 1,000 published articles to her credit. She has been a writer and editor for 15 years and is the author of "Article Writing for Freelancers" and "20 Tips to Increase Writing Skills" Visit barb clews to subscribe to "Words that Work", Barb's monthly ezine packed with tips for writers.

    tidy up service Glenview ..
    In The News:

    Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.
    Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.
    New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.
    A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.
    AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.
    A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.
    New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.
    The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
    Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.
    Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.
    Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.
    Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.
    Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.
    Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.
    Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.
    iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.
    Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.
    FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.
    Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.
    Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.
    Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.
    Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.
    Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.
    The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
    Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

    Visibility, Credibility and Position Through Articles and Celebrity Testimonials

    A huge problem for many people who are working on... Read More

    5 Powerful Article Writing Tips

    Writing articles is one of the most powerful, if not... Read More

    Writing: Getting Started

    Writing for web content is one of the easiest ways... Read More

    Write From Home: Lessons From The Editors

    Writers talk about rejection all the time ? just part... Read More

    The 2 Headed Dragon: Let Others Publish Your Material and Keep Your Site Unique

    Is Putting your Articles in the Public Domain really a... Read More

    Newbies Guide to Writing and Submitting Ezine Articles

    How many times have you read the following? If you... Read More

    Articles: Why You Need to Write Them

    Every webmaster knows that to gain ranking positions in search... Read More

    Direct Sales Reps CAN Write Articles - Heres How!

    We all know that article writing is a great way... Read More

    Create An Article Reference Box That Calls To Readers

    There are two primary factors in creating a successful reference... Read More

    How To Increase Your Chances of Getting Your Article Published

    Publishers and webmasters can spend massive amounts of time just... Read More

    What Can a 13-Year-Old Kid Teach Us About Article Marketing?

    Yesterday I met a 13-year old boy with a devilish... Read More

    Article Marketing: What Is It and How Can I Use it to Grow My Business?

    Ever read one of those web articles written by an... Read More

    Resource Box Rules: Winning Tactics

    Lets face it people use articles to send traffic to... Read More

    Writing Articles - Two Aspects Of The Surge

    Writing articles for publication on the Internet is, at the... Read More

    Web Content Barn Blasted by Shotgun Software - Article Marketers

    As we prepared to move our 12,000 article database from... Read More

    Need a Great Idea? Feed Your Brain

    A lot of great ideas happen when two or more... Read More

    Stop Struggling and Write Your Article - Part II

    Don't let overwhelm hold you back- follow this expert advice... Read More

    Eight Tips for Ezine Writers

    Have you ever wondered why Ezine Articles have become one... Read More

    An Article

    People love to hear stories. They'll identify with what you... Read More

    10 Profitable Tips For Article Writers

    1. Write to one person.When you're writing your article picture... Read More

    8 Sources To Research Awesome Article Topics

    Writing articles is by far the most effective online promotion... Read More

    Summer is the Perfect Time to Write

    As of July 1st, the year was half over! July... Read More

    Handling Rejection

    Rejection is part of a writer's life. You must cope... Read More

    How to Write Great Movie Reviews for Your Entertainment Website

    If you have an entertainment website then you're always looking... Read More

    $1036 in 12-hours From Writing A Single Article

    Would it be worth it to master a technique that... Read More

    maid service near Winnetka ..