Your how-to guide on interviewing families for stories
Written by Niki Juhasz
When it comes to storytelling, you’re already sold. You know stories about your work help demonstrate your organization’s impact in a personal, relatable way.
Now, it’s on to actually telling the stories. That starts with interviews. And this—this is the step when even seasoned communications professionals can get a little nervous. From how to ensure you’re getting consent to asking questions in a respectful way, it can be a little tricky!
Here’s Forthright’s true-blue formula for asking for initial consent and asking questions.
Step 1: Give Context + Gather Consent
Ensuring that every person who is interested in sharing a story with you (and therefore your audience) understands and consents to having their story told is critical. That’s why we recommend giving interviewees an introduction to what you’re working on, and how their story will be used, before beginning an interview. It’s important that the person you are interviewing understands the purpose of the story, where the story will appear, and who will read it.
Sometimes a mother who wants to share about her experience with foster care is comfortable with a story being sent to a specific email list, but not posted on social media.
Here’s an example of how you can share that information:
“Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today. Before we get started, I wanted to share a bit more about what we are doing and why. Our goal through storytelling is to share about our organization’s impact, and, of course, the tenacity and strength of families we work with. We often share these stories on our website, in emails, in designed pieces like brochures and on Facebook and Twitter. Donors, partners and foundation leaders often read these stories. Once a story is online, it is searchable—so for example, a family member could Google your name and they will find the story.
You will have final approval of the story we are writing. We want to ensure you’re 100 percent comfortable with everything we share. Do you have any questions? Are you comfortable moving forward with this story?”
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Ensure the person you are interviewing has a chance to ask questions and raise any privacy concerns. And, be open to any feedback they may have about how they want to be featured, where, and when.
Step 2: Conducting the Interview
If they are comfortable, then move forward with the interview! While there are countless questions you can ask, here are five steps we never skip:
Start by sharing a bit about yourself to help your interviewee feel comfortable!
Then, get to know your interviewee. Starting with more general questions, and then getting more specific, can be a great tactic to give your interviewee time to get comfortable.
Example: Could you share a bit about yourself?
Once you know you can paint a vivid picture about your interviewee, dive into how they are involved with your organization.
Example: How did you get involved with [INSERT YOUR ORGANIZATION HERE]?
When you’ve completed your questions, ask if your interviewee has anything else to share. You will be surprised at what great information this question can lead to.
Example: Is there anything else you would like to share or you think I should know?
Finally, check in on what you just talked about! Sometimes when families are comfortable with you (cause you’re a great interviewer!), they forget they are “on the record”–and share personal details they don’t want highlighted. This is a great way to make sure you aren’t featuring parts of their story they don’t want to share.
Example: Is there anything we discussed today that you want to make sure does not appear in the story?
Every interviewer has their own style—but by incorporating consent and thoughtful questions into your work, you’re ensuring both you and your stakeholders win through storytelling.
