Capitalism: Extended Interviews

Example 1: Episode 1, 0:00-6:56

John interviews John Fullerton, a former managing director at JP Morgan who left Wall Street to become an advocate for economic reform.

Example 2: Episode 1, 19:01-25:38

John interviews Cassandra Brooks and Charlene Brooks, early childcare providers whose stories illuminate the economic pressures facing this industry.

Example 3: Episode 8, 6:50-16:08

Reporter Lewis Raven Wallace interviews Esteban Kelly, a leader in the worker co-op movement whose views on capitalism and politics began taking shape during his teenage years.

Example 4: Episode 8, 31:58-36:18

Reporter Lewis Raven Wallace interviews Evan Caldwell, a cochair of the Young Democratic Socialists of America who was a child during the 2008 economic crash.

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.)

StoryCorps is a non-profit organization that records, preserves, and shares the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs. Check out their ten tips ➚ to add to your understanding of what makes a great interview.

Choose an interview partner whose experiences connect to your topic.

Before the interview, think about who might have experiences that can help you better understand the issue you’re exploring. Reach out, explain your project, ask whether they’re willing to participate, and ask for permission to record the conversation.

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 building rapport. Share about yourself, and ask questions that help your interview partner feel comfortable. Test your recording equipment while you break the ice!
• Part 3: Ask questions about your interview partner’s experiences that are connected to the topic you’re exploring.
• Part 4: To close the interview, thank them and ask if there’s anything else they’d like to share.

Ask questions that invite stories.

Strong questions encourage people to tell stories about their experiences rather than give short or general answers.

Use open-ended questions. These invite people to explain their thinking instead of answering with a simple “yes” or “no.” Open-ended questions often begin with:

• Can you tell me about…
• What was it like…
• Can you describe…
• How did you…

Start by asking people to describe their concrete experiences. Journalist Chris Colin offers this advice:

When I was starting out as a journalist, I thought Big Questions are the way you get to Big Answers. Not so, at least in my experience. Overly ambitious and reaching questions often shut people down — it’s just too much pressure to come up with the meaning of life or whatever. Far more effective, I think, is when you ask them about smaller details. What did your room look like when you were a kid? What kind of stuff was on your wall? Did you like being in there or not really? Non-small information invariably bubbles up between the cracks.

For example, instead of asking, “How did the Great Recession shape your political beliefs?,” you might begin with:

• “What do you remember about the Great Recession?”
• “When did you first realize your family was struggling?”
• “Can you tell me about that time?”

Those smaller stories often lead naturally to larger insights. Save broad, abstract questions for later in the interview.

Listen actively, and follow interesting threads to better understand your interview partner’s experiences.

Give your interview partner time to think and respond, and don’t be afraid to go off script. Ask brief follow-up or clarifying questions when something interests you or if you get the sense that your interviewee has more to say. Show you’re listening through eye contact, nodding, and attentive body language.