Interview
(Factual, Story or Response genres)
An Interview is a process for obtaining information, a story or a response

Structure
• Background information to avoid questions about well-known facts
• Clear idea of the purpose of the interview
• Carefully prepared questions
• Ask questions in an appropriate manner
• Record and interpret answers
• Identify key points
• Reconstruct the results


Language features
• Register : politeness and formality
• Body language and inter-personal manner
• Open-ended and closed questions
• Modality; care in the use of why questions
• Follow-up questions and unexpected leads
• Transition strategies when switching topics


More information
More ideas and examples of interviewss can be found in
•Targeting text (series), Blake Education, Glebe N.S.W.
• Anderson, M 1997, Text types in English, Macmillan, 1998.
• English Elements (series), Jacaranda Wiley, Milton, Qld.
• Whitfield, M 2001, Targeting writing across the curriculum, Blake Education, Glebe, N.S.W.
• Schill, J 1998, On track: working with texts, Heinemann, Port Melbourne.
• Excel essential skills (series), Pascal, Glebe, N.S.W.

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