Interview Assignment: Composing a Narrative Essay
Directions: You will interview an individual from the ISU community, so that you may use that individual’s insights as part of a narrative essay you develop about that individual. This assignment will require you to complete a series of interrelated tasks: email a potential interviewee to arrange a meeting time and explain the circumstances of the interview, prepare and revise a series of open-ended interview questions, produce an interview transcript, and compose a narrative essay about the interviewee.
This narrative essay will require you to select and blend particular quotes from the transcript into the essay. Further, you will need to use strong observational skills and show the nature of the interviewee’s responses through your writing (show behaviors and non-verbal cues, for example).
Inteview Strategies
Before the Interview
- Do background research on individuals so you will be knowledgeable and able to formulate pointed, thoughtful questions.
- Email the individual—introduce self, explain purpose, and set time, date, and place for interview.
- Obtain human subjects permission (university requirement) if needed.
- Brainstorm initial set of interview questions.
- Rearrange interview questions for logical order and degree of complexity.
- For follow-up interviews, consider using stimulated recall (repeating former quotes).
- Prepare equipment—tape recorder, cassette tape, notes.
- Consider bringing prompts—newspaper articles, artifacts, etc.
- Dress appropriately (don’t overdress or underdress).
- Appear promptly or a few minutes early.
During the Interview
- Thank the individual.
- Explain the purpose again.
- Set up equipment quickly.
- Begin with easy questions—name, career, etc.
- Take notes as person speaks.
- Rearrange questions to help interview flow smoothly.
- Take field notes—setting; interviewee’s dress, facial expressions, appearance.
- Add, delete, and change questions as needs arise.
- Thank the individual.