A week or so ago I met with Lina and Bob and we made a plan for the next few weeks before our next retreat.

Today I am posting the first update of what that plan entails…

Mission One: Ten Questions For Future Interviewee(s)

The questions I came up with were-

• 1 What do you think about the dairy industry? (should I use the specific company they’re affiliated with?)
• 2 Do you consume dairy?
• 3 Why do you think the dairy industry makes so much money?
• 4 Have you considered the process of making milk and what that entails? (meh, I should use something not so… accusing I suppose. Maybe “How do farmers get milk from the cows?”)
• 5 I’ve heard of veal and all the horror stories that come with it, can you tell me more?
• 6 Dairy is important to Vermont, without it where do you think we’d be?
• 7 Many people are concerned about the animal cruelty surrounding the dairy industry, what do you have to say about that?
• 8 Where do large dairy companies get their milk from?
• 9 Would you change anything about the dairy industry?
• 10 In the future do you think there will be a difference in how people see the dairy industry?

They’re not necessarily in order but they could be put in a structure to flow easily in conversation.

Then I decided questions weren’t going to cut it and brainstorm some tips for interviewing.

• Maybe email questions to the interviewee ahead of time? (could avoid long awkward pauses and wasting time)
• Know where the camera is. (don’t want to flail hands in front of it)
• Practice questions. (as much as possible so as not to stammer or make nervous mistakes)
• Keep full focus on interviewee. (I’d feel unimportant if my interviewer fidgeted and looked everywhere but me)
• Remain calm. (not only could this give a false sense of confidence but also remember that they agreed and chose to be there)
• Stick to a structure. (manages the time of things so you don’t cut things short)
• Tell them why you’re conducting the interview. (OH and introduce yourself and your purpose so that reminder is present to guide the topics)
• Ask questions. (most of what YOU say should be a posed question and rarely, if the conversation calls for it, should you provide insight or information)
• You should talk less than they do. (THEY are being interviewed, not you)
• Keep it professional. (the interviewee is to give opinions, facts, and emotion. so your job is to be the unbiased voice provoking them to speak)

I can’t wait to actually use this information.