Turning Employee Interviews into Great Stories
November 8, 2021
Employee spotlights are a powerful tool for advancing communications messaging. According to Gartner research, “By cultivating and amplifying authentic employee voices, internal communications teams get important messages and themes across much more effectively than by broadcasting them through traditional corporate channels.”
Drafting interesting profiles starts with a good interview. We all know employees vary. One day you’re interviewing Jim Halpert, the next you’re talking with Dwight Schrute.
Here are tips for turning employee interviews into great stories – every time:
Think strategically. Before you start, confirm the key messages your manager, editor or internal client wants to communicate with the article. Make sure you know: What readers should think or do after reading the article; How will the article reinforce your company’s mission or values? What problem (for customers or for employees) did the subject solve?
Gather background information and develop a theme. Go to the usual sources, Google, the company’s website, trade magazine websites, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, LinkedIn and the company intranet. Adding statistics gives context to your article. Based on your research and key messages, develop an angle for your article.
Draft your questions. Your key messages and angle will drive your questions. Your first question should aim at making the subject feel comfortable. Ask them to describe their job or their accomplishment. When you’re drafting your questions, be results oriented. Did the subject save the company money? What was the effect of her work on the company or her team?
Send your questions to your subject ahead of time. You’re an internal communicator, not a reporter, so let your interviewee review your questions before the interview. Some subjects will be too busy to review them. Others will type up answers and share them with you.
Start with some softball questions to make your subject comfortable. Do this by asking them to describe what they do or how they overcame a challenge related to your key messages. Most people like to take about themselves.
Ask open-ended questions. You want the subject to say more than “yes” or “no.” To get more details, ask questions that start with “what” or “how.”
Give your subject time to think about their answers. It’s okay if there’s silence during the interview. Give your subject time to think. If the silence is for too long, make the question easier to answer by breaking it down into simpler questions.
Dig until you understand. Some communicators with less experience may report what the subject says verbatim. But that doesn’t propel the article if the quote is cliched, full of jargon, or dense. Don’t be afraid to ask the person to explain what they mean. If you don’t understand it, your reader isn’t going to understand it. When in doubt follow up with “Could you help me understand that better?” or “How would you explain that to your mother?”
Think in visual terms. As your subject is answering, is she saying something that creates a picture in your mind? Ask them for some details so you can paint that picture with your writing.
Keep the subject on topic. Sometimes you’ll need to reel in your subject if they go off on a tangent. Do this by sneaking in this line as the subject pauses or catches his breath. “That’s good background information, but getting back to the key message of the article…”
Remember internal communications is not reporting. The big difference between reporting and internal communications is you can edit quotes for clarity. Your number-one goal is to get employees to read the article and ensure that it communicates your key messages. You do this by making the quotes engaging and compelling. Your quotes should capture the essence of what the subject is saying and be succinct and interesting.
Get the emotional component. Remember to leave room in your article for emotions. Triumph, joy, fear, redemption—these emotions make your writing come off the page.
Remember, stick to getting information that supports your key message, but be flexible and listen. Even though you have a list of questions, sometimes your subject will make a pregnant statement and you’ll have to investigate it. Be curious and you’ll get the story!
