Day: February 18, 2017

Brandon Stanton, the creator of Humans of New York, expressed that what’s most important in an interview is getting to the truth. Stanton explained that he wants to put out the actual story of the individual he is speaking to, not a pre-planned message about society. This has become increasingly difficult as people know about HONY and may try to sound more “purposeful” in their conversations with him. Aware of this, he knows how to move the conversation away from phony responses and get to what is real. The point is; if you’re trying to fit someone into a box, you’re not listening.

Truth was one of the main focuses in Getting People to Talk: An Ethnography & Interviewing Primer as well. They emphasized that an interviewer should not write from their own perspective, but from the perspective of the person they are interviewing. In other words, don’t filter what you hear through your own frame of mind. They also mentioned that people may believe they are speaking the truth about themselves, but may not be. Similar to our reading, where the interviewer said that he speaks to the friends of the person he is profiling to get a better idea of who the person is. Sometimes our friends know more about ourselves than we do. That is why ethnographers go to their interviewee’s homes, or where they are most comfortable, so that their belongings, in a sense, can speak for them.

The best way to get to the truth is to connect with the person you are interviewing. If someone feels that they are not being judged, that they can speak openly and honestly, and that they are genuinely being heard, a much greater story may come out of your interview. Today, the question “How are you?” isn’t viewed as a genuine question, which is why everyone responds superficially and often dishonestly with “good”. Interviewing can go similarly unless it is clear that you want to know their real answer to your questions, and that you are interested in what they have to say.

Interviewing someone to learn about them can be a daunting and uncomfortable task for both the interviewer and interviewee. By creating a warm, open, and honest environment while taking steps to build rapport, a real relationship will develop, and you will find that the interviewee will begin to “sing”, as Dr. Elizabeth Tunstall puts it.

The key to a successful interview starts with treating the interviewee as one would treat any person they wish to build a relationship with. Make them feel comfortable with some light silliness, compliments, and  show true excitement to hear them talk. Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York told the Harvard Political Review that one should focus on the individual and try best to tell their story; not some bigger one. Once the person in front of you, the interviewer, is just another friend, you can hear the realness of their stories and how it makes them who they are, rather than how it fits into your larger story.

Some of the most valuable insight from these two videos, I think, are the pitfalls one can run into when interviewing. There are two I’d like to highlight. Pre-constructed answers from the interviewee and poor response/seqways from the interviewer. Brandon often encounters responses that the interviewee thinks he/she should be saying, rather that the straight up honest story. Encourage people to dig deeper and steer them away from those pre-constructed answers. Thats where the stories are. When in that zone of comfort, one can get push further. Once you get your interviewee in a place of comfort and honesty, you need to engage them but more importantly keep yourself engaged. Staying engaged is one of the hardest thing to do, and during the clip where Jeremy Alexis kept says “that’s interesting” I realized that in past interviews I have done the same thing myself. It’s a proper phrase to use, but perhaps when using it one should follow with a related question to show there is genuine interest.

Again, a successful interview starts with a real relationship. Understanding what the person has gone threw on a real level, when possible, will make all the difference in your narrative perspective, as well as it improve your relationship.  I particularly liked the rock climbing example, and I noticed that the more successful interview clips involved physical action. One interviewer tried on different pairs of jeans. Be a participate observer, rather than a fly on the wall.

Between “Getting People to Talk: An Ethnography & Interviewing Primer” and “On the Record: Humans of New York Interview”, I can say I have a better understanding of how to interview someone for a narrative piece. Both videos were thorough and clear in their messages, and I look forward to putting them into action.