Tips for interviewing victims of tragedy

• Establish credibility immediately: Name, paper, position. Perhaps mention an acquaintance in common.
• Make small gestures to help them feel in control: What title do you use? Do you want me to call you back on a land line to save your cell battery?
• Get them saying yes to you as quickly as possible.
• Find points you can agree on; find a common ground.
• Treat them with dignity and respect.
• Always be honest.
• Behind anger is fear; deal with the fear, not the anger.
• Find out as much as you can about the victim before the interview.
• Interview with empathy: It’s their tragedy, not yours.
• Phrase questions to get fuller responses and generate a conversation. Not: “What were her hobbies?” Try: “When she had some time to herself, what did she do for fun?”
• When you encounter a gatekeeper, sell them first.
• Ask the gatekeeper questions difficult for them to answer. This may lead them to give you access to primary family members who can answer your questions.
• You may need to create a sense of urgency.
• Don’t make what you need optional, although you can offer them options in providing it.
• Let people say what they’ve planned to say so they don’t sabotage
  your interview. Then pursue the questions you need answered.

(Originally published in the October 2006 issue of the Cox Academy Training Newsletter.)