Interview Toolkit

Expert Interviews

What are they?

Expert interviews help journalists understand complex topics by talking with people who have studied, researched, or worked in a particular field. These interviews help reporters better understand complicated issues, examine evidence, and answer larger questions.

Learn from Scene on Radio

Throughout Season 7, John, Ellen, and other journalists share clips from interviews with experts – economists, political scientists, historians, or business owners. We listeners hear only a few minutes of these interviews, though the reporters likely spent much longer talking with each person. Instead, we hear how they incorporate the interviews into their reporting.

Listen to at least two of the examples and notice:

  • Why do you think John chose this person (or these people) to interview?
  • What is their expertise, and how does it connect to the questions John is exploring?
  • How does this expert help John better understand those questions?
  • What questions do you think John may have asked to elicit these responses?

Example 1: Episode 2, 9:19-20:35

John interviews archaeologists Karen Dempsey and Ben Jervis at a restored medieval village in Wales to learn more about life for rural peasants in the Middle Ages.

Example 2: Episode 4, 33:46-46:00

John interviews political scientist Glory Liu, whose book Adam Smith’s America traces the reception and influence of Adam Smith’s ideas in American thought, politics, and culture from the eighteenth century to today.

Example 3: Episode 6, 31:23-38:30

John interviews economic historian Brad DeLong about why he sees the decades after World War II as the best era of American capitalism to date.

Learn from other interviewers and organizations

The resources below provide additional advice from expert interviewers and organizations about planning and conducting interviews with experts. As you read and watch, jot down tips and ideas you’d like to borrow as you plan, conduct, and record your own interviews.

The NPR podcast series “The Students’ Podcast” helps students make podcasts. This 9-minute episode ➚ on interview tips is helpful for anyone who plans to interview another person – even if you’re not going to use that interview in a podcast. (Transcript available here.)

Fresh Air is one of National Public Radio’s most popular programs. The show consists of interviews with prominent figures in a variety of fields. Check out these examples of expert interviews:

  • “The ‘End Of Loyalty’ And The Decline Of Good Jobs In America” aired on July 5, 2017. Host Terry Gross interviews author Rick Wartzman about his book, which shares the episode’s title. Listen from 00:00-8:13.
  • “The world’s insect population is in decline — and that’s bad news for humans” aired on February 24, 2022. Host Dave Davies interviews environmental writer Oliver Milman on the critical role insects play in our world. Listen from 0:00-10:57.

Principles of Strong Expert Interviews

The examples and resources suggest a few principles for what make expert interviews strong.

Principle  1

Choose an interview partner whose knowledge and expertise connect to your research questions.

Before the interview, identify someone whose work or research can help answer the questions you’re investigating. Reach out, explain your project, ask whether they’re willing to participate, and ask for permission to record the conversation.

Principle  2

Make a plan for the conversation in advance.

Create a simple interview roadmap:

Part 1: To open the interview, introduce yourself, explain your project, and ask for permission to record.

Part 2: Spend a few minutes learning how the expert became interested in or involved with the topic of your research. Test your recording equipment while you do this.

Part 3: Ask questions that help the expert explain important ideas, evidence, and examples related to your research.

Part 4: To close the interview, thank them and ask if there’s anything else they think people should understand.

Principle  3

Ask questions that clarify and deepen your understanding.

Strong questions help experts explain ideas and concepts clearly. Open-ended questions invite people to explain their thinking instead of answering with a simple “yes” or “no.” Open-ended questions often begin with:

  • Why…
  • How…
  • To what extent…
  • What evidence…
  • What misconceptions…

For example, “What misconceptions do people often have about shareholder capitalism?” is more likely to spark conversation than “Do you think people understand shareholder capitalism?”

Principle  4

Listen actively, and follow interesting threads to deepen your understanding. Remember that your job is to help the expert share what they know!

Give your interview partner time to think and respond.

Prepare thoughtful questions ahead of time, but don’t hesitate to ask follow-up or clarifying questions when something is interesting or confusing.

If the expert uses unfamiliar language or refers to ideas you don’t understand, ask them to explain in a different way or provide an example.

Stay focused on the conversation. Show you’re listening through eye contact, nodding, and thoughtful follow-up questions.

Preparation Checklist

Ready to interview? Use this checklist 💻 📄 ➚ to guide your preparations.

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