Best Interview Techniques Published in “Professional Chat”

Translator: Natalie Haghverdian

2015-7-26

The audience in “Professional Chat” book is not an oral historian but is the Interviewer of Oral Memories. Instead of looking into documents and evidence we located people who had created events or witnessed incidents directly. Applicable key points were published by Reza Mostafavi in Professional Chat regarding interviews for oral memories.

The book consists of eighty sections with different topics such as “setting the point of view right”, “people and their memories are two groups”, “focus on mutual emotions”, “dialogue is not part of the interview”, “don’t start with silence”, “don’t ask simple questions”, “don’t judge”, “ask for vague words to be interpreted”, “fact sheets of revolution and war topics”.

Reza Mostafavi, author of the book, in the introduction of his book says: “There are many publications covering interview methods and techniques but here we are conducting an interview to understand a culture and history; a history buried in the heart of people of war and interviewer considers it his responsibility to extract national treasure and human and intellectual capital. However, many topics covered in this book, in every interview, are solutions.”

People of war were thirteen to nineteen year old men and women who have lived during the 1980s who went to combat when revolution of Iran and borders of their country were endangered and their hearts are full of memories of their combatants and martyrs and have achieved highest human and spiritual values and are those who simply live in the world surrounding us. Many have breathed the chemicals of war and their life is as short as the life a spring flower!

These memories are waiting for men and women to record them otherwise these memories and treasures will be lost sooner or later; hence recording oral history of the Holy War is an essential cultural activity.

It is important to realize that our audience in this book is not oral historian but is the interviewer. In oral history we are not dealing with history hence instead of going for evidence we are looking for those who created incidents and witnessed them directly. The historian or the interviewer analyzes these events. In oral memories the interviewer, hears the words, narratives and memorable subjects.

Before we learn how to ask questions and how to listen in order not to waste the words of the interviewee and what the interviewer hears we should know that the interview itself is a culture and narrative of a culture. Its strategy is an art and its implementation is a technique and strategy. This technique, like many others needs training and practice; we have to be inspired by professionals of the technique.

The book in hand is a summary of key issues and lessons I’ve taught to interested students involved in media and is the result of a group of students who felt that these lessons and experiences can be a resolution for those willing to fight in this combat. I honor their efforts and hope that the book is what they wished for.

Don’t expect the book to make you a professional interviewer. To become an interviewer you have to read a lot and exploit the competence and experience of professionals and practice.

No one becomes a professional interviewer by reading a book but practicing them and gaining experience shall provide you with reasonably acceptable interviews. Rewriting these key points I realized that some intersect and might be covered under one topic but there was a reason I avoided it. However, the lessons and dialogues shall continue and there will be more and diverse know how, there will be changes and modifications in next editions.

Persian Source:

گپ و گفت حرفه‌ای