Interview Analysis
In this report, I will be looking at two different interviewers and recording analysis based on various different topics:
The purpose of the interview, including the style and context.
The different types of questions that the interviewer uses.
How the interview is structured (beginning, middle and end).
How the interviewer communicates with the interviewee.
Interviewer 1 - Michael Parkinson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_2ZsMFY0fg - Jeremy Clarkson interview - Parkinson - BBC
What is the purpose of the interview?
Parkinson tends to do his interviews to entertain the audience, as during this interview with Jeremy Clarkson you can hear the laughter of audience in the background which suggests that this interview isn't meant too seriously and is more made for the purpose of entertainment.
When Parkinson begins asking Clarkson about the time he punched Piers Morgan, he askes him 'I know you aren't a sporty person, but I think you're a bit of a boxer' which suggests that Parkinson is asking Clarkson about the incident in a jokey manner. Clarkson replies rather sarcastically with 'I knew you'd bring that up' which shows that he isn't offended by this comment and he sees it in the same humerous way as Parkinson. Clarkson further elaborates in the incident by stating 'I don't get on with Piers Morgan, and so i punched him', and this again suggests that Clarkson isn't taking the whole interview too seriously and he can afford to say things in a humerous manner. Parkinson tends to use humour with a touch of sarcasm to get across his questions and this technique works in this particular interview because his interviwee is also a very sarcastic person and this works well, as the two get on and Clarkson doesn't seem to take offense to any of the questions.
In this image, we can see that Clarkson is smiling towards Parkinson which shows that he isn't offended by the question that's been asked and he sees it in a humerous way.
What type of questions are used?
Parkinson firstly uses an very suggestive question, as his comment about Clarkson being a 'bit of a boxer' leans towards that he may have punched somebody. This particular type of questions forces Clarkson to give an answer that's to do with that question, and there is no real way for him to dodge around the question because his answer has already been hinted.
Later on, Parkinson asks Clarkson whether he is becoming annoyed with any aspects of life, and this is typically an open-ended question as Parkinson has used it to gather more information from Clarkson. Clarkson responds that 'some aspects of life has become tiresome, computers for instance' and this answer opens up the question as Clarkson gives an example of something that annoys him, which can allow him to give a more detailed answer and can even make way for another question that's to do with the same topic.
After Clarkson finishes talking about computers Parkinson brings the topic over to 'air travel', which Clarkson then proceeds to talk about how that annoys him too. Parkinson uses a very subtle technique by which he mentions another topic to do with the question that he's just asked, which encourages the interviewee (in this case Clarkson) to talk about the topic he just mentioned. Its a very subtle but clever technique by which he can get his interiewee to effectively give him a detailed answer to any question he askes them.
How is the interview structured?
Parkinson's first question about Clarkson being 'sporty' only gives him a very brief 'no' answer. But he uses this short question as the basis for the interview, as he expands on it further asking Clarkson about punching Piers Morgan. This gives Clarkson more to work with and he begins to give a more detailed answer that lasts over half of the interview. Parkinson's next question about whether Clarkson get annoyed with anything in his 'middle age' leads on from the previous question, and Clarkson gives off a lot of information with this question too and he's able to keep the flow of the interview going. This question is further expanded by Clarkson, who goes on to talk about not being able to find Terminal One at Heathrow Airport and his 'bad' experience with an Australian boarding inspector.
The interview is fairly well structured as Parkinson includes a close-ended question to start with, before expanding that same question into a suggestive question designed to make the interviewee (Clarkson) give off more detailed answers. That serve as the midpoint of the interview, and then he concludes the interview by asking Clarkson about his experiences at Heathrow Airport. Parkinson keeps a good structure throughout and this is key because the interviewee might get bored if the interviewer strays too long on a particular question or if they don't ask the right type of questions. Its essential to an interview that the interviewer asks the interviewee the right types of questions and that they spend the right amount of time on each question, so it keeps the flow of the interview going.
What are the different communication skills used?
Parkinson seems to have built a good rapport with Clarkson, as they are both smiling and are happy throughout the entire interview. Clarkson seems to become a little agitated when Parkinson brings up the incident where he punched Piers Morgan, but as they begin talking about it a bit more he become less agitated and is more humoured by the incident. Clarkson becomes more comfortable talking about the incident as he goes into more detail about it, and Parkinson and the audience find him telling the story hilarious.
Parkinson uses humour and sarcasm to make the interviewee feel comfortable with him, and in this particular interview there is a lot of humour involved so the interviwee (Clarkson) can feel more comfortable and give suitable answers to the questions. If Parkinson didn't use humour then his interviewees might feel uncomfortable around him and therefore they woudn't be able to answer the questions correctly or as detailed as Parkinson would hope.
Interviewer 2 - Conan O'Brien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRQmEdW2LHI - Jenna Coleman On How Best To Enjoy "Doctor Who" - Conan on TBS
What is the purpose of the interview?
Just like with Parkinson's interviews, Conan peforms entertainment interviews and you can easily tell from the laughter of the audience in the background. In a serious interview that was conducted e.g. outside of a tv studio and in someone's home, the atmosphere would be much different because they would not have the audience's laughter and therefore the interviewer's approach towards the interview might be different and more serious.
In this particular interview with actress Jenna Coleman, Conan makes a point about the show appearing to never make any sense, and he brings up a still image from one of the lastest episodes containing Coleman's character 'Clara' with the 'Doctor' and 'Santa Claus'. This part is done in a humerous way, as Coleman replies with 'Oh yeah, we met Santa' and when Conan asks her if 'It's a bit odd for a science fiction show to encounter Santa Claus', she replies with 'Oh that's just a normal day for me'. This shows that Coleman is happy to play along with Conan's joke and it also shows that she isn't offended by the joke, and is perfectly happy to make a joke of it too. It also shows that Conan uses humour to get across his questions, much in the same way that Parkinson uses humour in his interviews, and it also shows that they may both use humour and sarcasm to make the interviewee feel more comfortable with them.
The still image of Coleman's character 'Clara' with the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Santa Claus (Nick Frost).
This style of interviewing is used all the time in entertainment interviews because some interviewers might have a different style towards their interviewees then others, and so they commonly use humerous questions with a hint of sarcasm to make the interviewee feel more comfortable around them. Its an effective technique to use because once somebody feels more comfortable with you, they are more likely to give you better and more detailed answers to questions you may ask them.
What kind of questions are used?
After some explanation on the principals of the show itself, Conan asks Coleman why she and the 'Doctor' are with 'Santa Claus', and she replies with a simple 'Oh yeah, we met Santa',. This is a very close-ended question as it only leans towards one answer and Coleman isn't really given an chance to think of any different answers that she could give, although she does elaborate a little bit explaining that's 'just a normal day for me, and that's just what happens'. Coleman's attitude towards the question seems laidback and open and there's nothing to suggest that she feels uncomfortable with Conan at all.
Later on, Conan asks Coleman how the character of Santa Claus would fit into the role of a science fiction show, and she replies with 'Because we time travelled, and i think we kind of just hooked up along the way and decided to go and meet Santa'. This is seen as a very direct question as it forces Coleman to give a specific answer and to give an explanation to back up her answer. She doesn't appear to give a very detailed answer, and she seems to just give the first answer that comes to her head. It seems that she is trying to make the interview flows faster and she's giving a quick answer that's not very detailed in order to get it over with.
Conan tends to ask questions that are more straight-to-the-point, and he does this by asking less open questions that force the interviewee to give a short and perhaps less detailed answer to his questions. Depending on the question itself, Conan may still be able to gather the information that he needs, even if his interviewee doesn't give off the best amount of information. This is unlike Parkinson who asks his interviewees very open questions which allow his interviewees to give detailed answers to the questions he asks them.
How is the interview structured?
Conan gives his own short explanation of the show 'Doctor Who', where he explains that you'll sometimes be watching the show and you'll have 'no idea what the hell is going on', and this leads him on to his first question about why there's a fictional childrens' character in a science fiction show. Conan asks Coleman how long the show has been on for, and he asks 'I think it's been on since the 1960s', and Coleman replies with 'Yeah, I think it's officially 51 years old'; Conan asks Coleman a question that gets Coleman to reveal more information about the show. This allows him to gather more information that furthers the context for when he asks his next question, and this is a very useful ability in interviews especially when the interviewer isn't so sure about what they're talking about, and so they use specific questions to draw information from the interviewee that they can use later on.
Conan's next question about the character of Santa Claus being in Doctor Who includes more context then the previous question because of the build up that his previous question made. The laughter that's made from the audience in the background may create confidence for Coleman as she can see that the interview is more informal, and so she can give less serious answers then she would if the interview was more formal. Coleman then extends her answer further by stating that 'bizarrely, Santa that you see there is actually called Nick Frost' and that he was 'made to be Santa Claus'. This little comment from Coleman leads Conan back onto his first question, which originally Coleman didn't answer properly but Coleman's comment has brought Conan back onto his original question. This tactic of Coleman bringing up another point related to the previous question allows Conan to lead her back onto the original question, and allow her to give a more detailed answer because more context has been created.
What are the different communication skills used?
Conan seems to have built up a good rapport with Coleman as they're both smiling during the course of the interview and Coleman doesn't look uncomfortable at any point. Coleman does seem to be a little bored in the first part of the interview as she replies with 'yup' a lot when Conan is giving an explanation of the show, but once they begin talking a bit more about how creative the whole aspect of the show is she become more involved with the interview because they begin talking about more of what Coleman knows and understands.
Coleman shows that she is understanding and taking onboard what Conan is saying to her as she is constanly nodding her head throughout the interview, and she replies with 'uhuh' a lot which shows Conan that she's paying attention to what he's saying. She seems to be very relaxed towards Conan as she is sitting forward and is looking him in the eyes which shows that she is activetly listening to him and is taking in what he says. She also make a lot of hand gestures particulary when she is explaining things to Conan and when she is giving out the interesting fact of the Santa Claus character being played by an actor called Nick Frost.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that both interviewers are conducting their interviews purely for entertainment purposes, they conducted their interviews in different ways. Parkinson uses more in depth questions that will force his interviewees to give him detailed answers and for them to explain their answers with detail. Whilst Conan uses shorter questions that doesn't put his interviewees under so much pressure and so they can give shorter answers, that may still give off the same amount of information. Both do use humour, as they both conduct their interviews in a studio and so the laughter of an audience can be heard throughout both of their interviews. This means that they both conduct more informal interviews and so the questions they ask and the answer that the interviewees give can be less serious and in a more humerous manner, well as if the interviews were more serious the questions asked and answers given would have to be much more formal.
In this report, I will be looking at two different interviewers and recording analysis based on various different topics:
The purpose of the interview, including the style and context.
The different types of questions that the interviewer uses.
How the interview is structured (beginning, middle and end).
How the interviewer communicates with the interviewee.
Interviewer 1 - Michael Parkinson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_2ZsMFY0fg - Jeremy Clarkson interview - Parkinson - BBC
What is the purpose of the interview?
Parkinson tends to do his interviews to entertain the audience, as during this interview with Jeremy Clarkson you can hear the laughter of audience in the background which suggests that this interview isn't meant too seriously and is more made for the purpose of entertainment.
When Parkinson begins asking Clarkson about the time he punched Piers Morgan, he askes him 'I know you aren't a sporty person, but I think you're a bit of a boxer' which suggests that Parkinson is asking Clarkson about the incident in a jokey manner. Clarkson replies rather sarcastically with 'I knew you'd bring that up' which shows that he isn't offended by this comment and he sees it in the same humerous way as Parkinson. Clarkson further elaborates in the incident by stating 'I don't get on with Piers Morgan, and so i punched him', and this again suggests that Clarkson isn't taking the whole interview too seriously and he can afford to say things in a humerous manner. Parkinson tends to use humour with a touch of sarcasm to get across his questions and this technique works in this particular interview because his interviwee is also a very sarcastic person and this works well, as the two get on and Clarkson doesn't seem to take offense to any of the questions.
In this image, we can see that Clarkson is smiling towards Parkinson which shows that he isn't offended by the question that's been asked and he sees it in a humerous way.
What type of questions are used?
Parkinson firstly uses an very suggestive question, as his comment about Clarkson being a 'bit of a boxer' leans towards that he may have punched somebody. This particular type of questions forces Clarkson to give an answer that's to do with that question, and there is no real way for him to dodge around the question because his answer has already been hinted.
Later on, Parkinson asks Clarkson whether he is becoming annoyed with any aspects of life, and this is typically an open-ended question as Parkinson has used it to gather more information from Clarkson. Clarkson responds that 'some aspects of life has become tiresome, computers for instance' and this answer opens up the question as Clarkson gives an example of something that annoys him, which can allow him to give a more detailed answer and can even make way for another question that's to do with the same topic.
After Clarkson finishes talking about computers Parkinson brings the topic over to 'air travel', which Clarkson then proceeds to talk about how that annoys him too. Parkinson uses a very subtle technique by which he mentions another topic to do with the question that he's just asked, which encourages the interviewee (in this case Clarkson) to talk about the topic he just mentioned. Its a very subtle but clever technique by which he can get his interiewee to effectively give him a detailed answer to any question he askes them.
How is the interview structured?
Parkinson's first question about Clarkson being 'sporty' only gives him a very brief 'no' answer. But he uses this short question as the basis for the interview, as he expands on it further asking Clarkson about punching Piers Morgan. This gives Clarkson more to work with and he begins to give a more detailed answer that lasts over half of the interview. Parkinson's next question about whether Clarkson get annoyed with anything in his 'middle age' leads on from the previous question, and Clarkson gives off a lot of information with this question too and he's able to keep the flow of the interview going. This question is further expanded by Clarkson, who goes on to talk about not being able to find Terminal One at Heathrow Airport and his 'bad' experience with an Australian boarding inspector.
The interview is fairly well structured as Parkinson includes a close-ended question to start with, before expanding that same question into a suggestive question designed to make the interviewee (Clarkson) give off more detailed answers. That serve as the midpoint of the interview, and then he concludes the interview by asking Clarkson about his experiences at Heathrow Airport. Parkinson keeps a good structure throughout and this is key because the interviewee might get bored if the interviewer strays too long on a particular question or if they don't ask the right type of questions. Its essential to an interview that the interviewer asks the interviewee the right types of questions and that they spend the right amount of time on each question, so it keeps the flow of the interview going.
What are the different communication skills used?
Parkinson seems to have built a good rapport with Clarkson, as they are both smiling and are happy throughout the entire interview. Clarkson seems to become a little agitated when Parkinson brings up the incident where he punched Piers Morgan, but as they begin talking about it a bit more he become less agitated and is more humoured by the incident. Clarkson becomes more comfortable talking about the incident as he goes into more detail about it, and Parkinson and the audience find him telling the story hilarious.
Parkinson uses humour and sarcasm to make the interviewee feel comfortable with him, and in this particular interview there is a lot of humour involved so the interviwee (Clarkson) can feel more comfortable and give suitable answers to the questions. If Parkinson didn't use humour then his interviewees might feel uncomfortable around him and therefore they woudn't be able to answer the questions correctly or as detailed as Parkinson would hope.
Interviewer 2 - Conan O'Brien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRQmEdW2LHI - Jenna Coleman On How Best To Enjoy "Doctor Who" - Conan on TBS
What is the purpose of the interview?
Just like with Parkinson's interviews, Conan peforms entertainment interviews and you can easily tell from the laughter of the audience in the background. In a serious interview that was conducted e.g. outside of a tv studio and in someone's home, the atmosphere would be much different because they would not have the audience's laughter and therefore the interviewer's approach towards the interview might be different and more serious.
In this particular interview with actress Jenna Coleman, Conan makes a point about the show appearing to never make any sense, and he brings up a still image from one of the lastest episodes containing Coleman's character 'Clara' with the 'Doctor' and 'Santa Claus'. This part is done in a humerous way, as Coleman replies with 'Oh yeah, we met Santa' and when Conan asks her if 'It's a bit odd for a science fiction show to encounter Santa Claus', she replies with 'Oh that's just a normal day for me'. This shows that Coleman is happy to play along with Conan's joke and it also shows that she isn't offended by the joke, and is perfectly happy to make a joke of it too. It also shows that Conan uses humour to get across his questions, much in the same way that Parkinson uses humour in his interviews, and it also shows that they may both use humour and sarcasm to make the interviewee feel more comfortable with them.
The still image of Coleman's character 'Clara' with the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Santa Claus (Nick Frost).
This style of interviewing is used all the time in entertainment interviews because some interviewers might have a different style towards their interviewees then others, and so they commonly use humerous questions with a hint of sarcasm to make the interviewee feel more comfortable around them. Its an effective technique to use because once somebody feels more comfortable with you, they are more likely to give you better and more detailed answers to questions you may ask them.
What kind of questions are used?
After some explanation on the principals of the show itself, Conan asks Coleman why she and the 'Doctor' are with 'Santa Claus', and she replies with a simple 'Oh yeah, we met Santa',. This is a very close-ended question as it only leans towards one answer and Coleman isn't really given an chance to think of any different answers that she could give, although she does elaborate a little bit explaining that's 'just a normal day for me, and that's just what happens'. Coleman's attitude towards the question seems laidback and open and there's nothing to suggest that she feels uncomfortable with Conan at all.
Later on, Conan asks Coleman how the character of Santa Claus would fit into the role of a science fiction show, and she replies with 'Because we time travelled, and i think we kind of just hooked up along the way and decided to go and meet Santa'. This is seen as a very direct question as it forces Coleman to give a specific answer and to give an explanation to back up her answer. She doesn't appear to give a very detailed answer, and she seems to just give the first answer that comes to her head. It seems that she is trying to make the interview flows faster and she's giving a quick answer that's not very detailed in order to get it over with.
Conan tends to ask questions that are more straight-to-the-point, and he does this by asking less open questions that force the interviewee to give a short and perhaps less detailed answer to his questions. Depending on the question itself, Conan may still be able to gather the information that he needs, even if his interviewee doesn't give off the best amount of information. This is unlike Parkinson who asks his interviewees very open questions which allow his interviewees to give detailed answers to the questions he asks them.
How is the interview structured?
Conan gives his own short explanation of the show 'Doctor Who', where he explains that you'll sometimes be watching the show and you'll have 'no idea what the hell is going on', and this leads him on to his first question about why there's a fictional childrens' character in a science fiction show. Conan asks Coleman how long the show has been on for, and he asks 'I think it's been on since the 1960s', and Coleman replies with 'Yeah, I think it's officially 51 years old'; Conan asks Coleman a question that gets Coleman to reveal more information about the show. This allows him to gather more information that furthers the context for when he asks his next question, and this is a very useful ability in interviews especially when the interviewer isn't so sure about what they're talking about, and so they use specific questions to draw information from the interviewee that they can use later on.
Conan's next question about the character of Santa Claus being in Doctor Who includes more context then the previous question because of the build up that his previous question made. The laughter that's made from the audience in the background may create confidence for Coleman as she can see that the interview is more informal, and so she can give less serious answers then she would if the interview was more formal. Coleman then extends her answer further by stating that 'bizarrely, Santa that you see there is actually called Nick Frost' and that he was 'made to be Santa Claus'. This little comment from Coleman leads Conan back onto his first question, which originally Coleman didn't answer properly but Coleman's comment has brought Conan back onto his original question. This tactic of Coleman bringing up another point related to the previous question allows Conan to lead her back onto the original question, and allow her to give a more detailed answer because more context has been created.
What are the different communication skills used?
Conan seems to have built up a good rapport with Coleman as they're both smiling during the course of the interview and Coleman doesn't look uncomfortable at any point. Coleman does seem to be a little bored in the first part of the interview as she replies with 'yup' a lot when Conan is giving an explanation of the show, but once they begin talking a bit more about how creative the whole aspect of the show is she become more involved with the interview because they begin talking about more of what Coleman knows and understands.
Coleman shows that she is understanding and taking onboard what Conan is saying to her as she is constanly nodding her head throughout the interview, and she replies with 'uhuh' a lot which shows Conan that she's paying attention to what he's saying. She seems to be very relaxed towards Conan as she is sitting forward and is looking him in the eyes which shows that she is activetly listening to him and is taking in what he says. She also make a lot of hand gestures particulary when she is explaining things to Conan and when she is giving out the interesting fact of the Santa Claus character being played by an actor called Nick Frost.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that both interviewers are conducting their interviews purely for entertainment purposes, they conducted their interviews in different ways. Parkinson uses more in depth questions that will force his interviewees to give him detailed answers and for them to explain their answers with detail. Whilst Conan uses shorter questions that doesn't put his interviewees under so much pressure and so they can give shorter answers, that may still give off the same amount of information. Both do use humour, as they both conduct their interviews in a studio and so the laughter of an audience can be heard throughout both of their interviews. This means that they both conduct more informal interviews and so the questions they ask and the answer that the interviewees give can be less serious and in a more humerous manner, well as if the interviews were more serious the questions asked and answers given would have to be much more formal.