Science Writing and New Media: Communicating Science to the Public

Strategies for Interviewing Strangers

1. Capture attention and interest in your initial contact (email/phone) 
   • Introduce yourself (e.g. “I’m an MIT undergraduate student working on a class project…”)
   • Be transparent and explicit about the purpose of the communication and the interview
     • Why are you contacting this person?
       • If sending an email, the subject line should indicate the purpose of the communication
     • Why do you want to interview them?
       • “I want to learn about you and your work…”
   • Why should this person take the time to respond?
     • Share what you hope to gain from the interview
     • Describe what you plan to do with the information provided
   • When do you need to meet?
     • Be specific with the deadline!
       • This deadline should be well in advance of your assignment due date
   • How long will the interview take?
     • Be specific or provide an approximate range (e.g. 20-30min)
   • Where will the interview take place?
     • Be flexible with the location: what works best for the interviewee?
2. Prepare targeted and open-ended questions 
   • Focus on the person’s experiences
     • Resist the temptation to offer solutions
   • Prioritize your questions, as you will likely not be able to ask them all
   • Record the interview (audio), if possible, but ask for the interviewee’s permission
   • If you don’t yet have a photograph of the person, ask them for one, or take one
     • You can be creative: think back to the pic of the astronomer tying his shoe
3. Plan to improvise 
   • Ask “why?” after brief answers
   • Ask follow-up questions when you’re curious to learn more
   • Ask for explanations when you do not understand an answer
     • Listening to the way in which they explain their work to others is likely valuable for your profile article
   • Don’t be afraid to go off script
   • Enjoy the conversation
4. Be gracious and kind 
   • Time is precious, they’ve given you a gift
   • Reiterate the impact of their help
   • This person might be a helpful contact in the future
5. Have FUN 
   • Interviewing strangers is an adventure of discovery!

Generate a list of questions to ask the interviewee(s) in order to learn more about their experience. Write down as many questions as you can.