NPR Radio Interview Analysis

Jennifer Bilek

MCOM 100W 12-1:15pm

October 15, 2008

Interview Analysis and Techniques

The interviewer knew some information about the author, Leslie Chang, before the interview began. She had read Chang’s non-fiction novel entitled “Factory Girl” which is set in China. The interviewer focused on finding more information about the protagonist in Chang’s novel. The interviewer asked about the protagonist’s age, lifestyle and cultural differences compared to the United States, such as the rise in prostitution.

The interviewer started asking questions that were very simple and easy to answer. Then she progressed onto in depth questions about the novel and began to incorporate her own opinions and speculations within the interview. She did this in a very professional way which made Chang feel comfortable and encouraged her to explain many points more thoroughly. She also asked Chang to elaborate on many sections of her book. This was the interviewer’s main tactic to encourage Chang to talk more about specific topics in her novel.

The interviewer had a very direct strategy for this interview. Every question was asked in chronological order in relation to the novel. This gave the listeners a synopsis of the novel through the descriptions presented in the interview. This also made it easy for Chang to know the exact section of the novel the interviewer was asking about.

The relationship between the interviewer and the interviewee was very friendly while staying professional. I sensed that Chang was very comfortable around the interviewer because she conveyed her answers in a causal yet confident way. This demonstrates the great deal of experience from the interviewer because she was able to gather difficult information while staying respectful and considerate of Chang’s feelings.

What I learned from listening to this interview is how vital it is to do research on the person you are interviewing ahead of time so you know what type of questions you should ask them. It is difficult for many people to open up to a complete stranger and talk about their work, but if you know what to ask, an interview can become very successful.