Wednesday, March 19, 2014

NPR Radio interview analysis

I listened to "Health Insurance Help for Laid Off Workers May End." Sarah Vandi interviewed a woman named Nicole Pelton who was affected by the lack of health insurance
Vandi overall made the interview more like a conversation so the interviewee could be more comfortable. She was prepared with in-depth questions and was able to get Pelton to discuss the situation in a way she might not have told anyone before. Vandi could get Pelton to talk by asking her questions pertaining to her children and husband which allowed her to get many quotes to create her story. I assume it was easy to get Pelton to talk about something that was relevant and close to her heart because her family's situation made her give great detailed answers. 
As for an apparent relationship, they sounded like friends talking which happens because of the interviewer. Vandi makes it look easy.
I learned that once the interviewer finds the sweet spot for the interviewee, the interview opens up and offers a lot of quality information to be used in their story. It's also interesting to see how a conversational interview can be used to an interviewer's advantage. Making the interviewee comfortable works and helps the interview go places it might not otherwise go had the interviewer not had a plan. Once the interviewee's trust is earned, more difficult questions can be asked and the answers will come out like hotcakes. 

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