Conducting interviews via e-mail

The next best thing is a feature based on answers gleaned from an e-mail exchange. But there are tricks to make sure you obtain the information you want.

How many questions?

You can't make a 500-word article out of two quotes and a "You've all done very well" statement, such as you often get out of senior managers. The answer is to ask plenty of questions.

I often start my e-mail with an apology, saying that I am sorry if the list of questions looks a little daunting, but they will help me produce a better feature that explains the role of "X" department in more depth. Nobody will object to you trying to make his or her feature better!

Having said that, more than 15-20 questions and your e-mail starts to look like something from the Spanish Inquisition.

Phrasing the question

In verbal interviews the secret is to use open-ended questions. But there is actually far more to it than that when it comes to using e-mail. Consider the following questions and their possible responses:

Q. Was your latest advertising campaign a success?
A. Yes

Hm, not much use that one. OK, let's try the a different approach:

Q. How successful was your latest advertising campaign?
A. Very

Ah! Let's try that one again wtih an open-ended question:

Q. How did you measure the effectiveness of your latest advertising campaign and what did the results tell you?
A. Well Steve…

Now we are getting somewhere. When considering questions in e-mails think about all the possible responses you might receive. Try to come up with a question that forces the interviewee to tell you much more about the subject.

In one famous interview, someone asked Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, how the Enterprise's warp engines worked. He replied: "Very well, thank you!"

Injecting personality

When you interview someone face-to-face you usually leave with a notebook full of very useable quotes. When you conduct the same interview via e-mail people may be less forthcoming.

The solution is to ask questions about how the person felt about something, or what emotions were stirred by the event you are discussing. This is likely to give you quotes that include words like delighted, ecstatic, disappointed, disgusted, elated, tired or exhausted - the words that make good quotes.

And finally

Always include a question like "Is there anything else you would like to add or is there a question I should have asked?" This shows that you are leaving the door open for the interviewee to add more material and that you recognise your own ignorance of the subject.

Finally, always thank the interviewee in advance for taking time out of their busy schedule to answer your questions and would they prefer a telephone-based interview next time. That way, the onus is placed back on them to make the time for you when you come to interview them again!

About the Author

Steve Nichols (www.infotechcomms.co.uk) runs InfoTech Communications, which specialises in online communications. Steve has acted as consultant and trainer for many blue-chip companies including Aviva, AWG, Shell, BT, Standard Life, HBOS, BNFL, Accenture and Australia New Zealand Bank.

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