Conducting an interview

[WanderingLorax]

A good friend of mine is a tribal member on the Colville Indian Reservation. I take him and a few other members excavators and dozers throughout the year. I am fairly well known there. I have guys stop to talk to me when they see me there, and I get a lot of waves (not all that uncommon in most rural areas of eastern Washington). I love going there actually. The Rez is a beautiful place.

 

We will sit down and talk whenever we get the chance. When I told my friend that my uncle quit hunting due to the complications with the cancer he developed from handling Agent Orange in Vietnam, he and his family put together a big pack of game meat for him. I was astonished. (I still well up thinking about their generosity.) We talk about gold, logging, hunting, and the Stick Indian.

 

My friend knows people on the Rez who have saw a lot of stuff. His neighbor has a video that I believe the neighbor and his brother took last year. It hasn’t gotten out yet. I saw a clip of it. My friend took a video of this gentleman’s video with his phone. The video is hard to see, but you can see a creature walking on two legs. Tribal tradition says that it’s bad luck to see a Bigfoot. These two brothers have not been back to the area since. They are very traditional, so I’m told.

 

I have been waiting for the right time to ask about talking to witnesses there. That time was today. My friend is asking his neighbor if they will talk to me about what they saw. I’m hoping the door will now open for me.
 

I also met a lady on the Rez who drives pilot car for the oversize loads there. I only talked to her on the cb when she took me in and helped me find an excavator I was looking for. My friend told me later to ask her about Bigfoot, she knows a lot. I am also working on getting her number.

 

I have never interviewed someone before. What questions do you think I should ask? Is there a thread here that I am missing? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 

I will only post videos with permission out of respect for the individuals who took them.

[gigantor]

You have a great opportunity there. I'm no expret, but the way I would do it is as follows:

 

1) Document the sightings in their own words without interruption first.

2) Proceed to ask your questions. For the SSR database we try to collect the information here. I'm sure there are other thing you want to ask.

 

 

 

 

[DrPSH]

@WanderingLorax this is a great opportunity. I agree with Gigantor's suggestions, starting with their uninterrupted explanation of their experience makes a lot of sense. I also suggest being prepared to explain how you plan to use the information they will be sharing with you out of respect for their willingness to speak with you. I've done a lot of interviewing for work and as crazy as it may sound, expressing appreciation for the opportunity to speak with someone up front can go along way towards maintaining and/or building trust. Finally, if you plan to record the interview, make sure to alert the interviewee out of respect for their experiences. In some states it is illegal to record someone without their permission although many state laws indicate that only one party has to approve the recording (and that one party can be the one recording....this could go into the why-is-that-dumb-law-needed file).

 

[wiiawiwb]

You obviously want to solicit their unvarished rendition of the events that occured from beginning to end. At this stage, they should be doing 95% of the talking and you 5%.  As they develop their story line(s), take notes. Certain things may jump out at you. Look for inconsistencies. 

 

Once they've told their story, you should be now able ask questions in an indirect and non-threatening manner and to begin scratching beneath the surface.  "That was interesting how you saw something large, dark, and hairy. Can you kindly tell me more about that?" Never challenge them as they will fold their arms and protect their storyline at all costs. Gently tease out questions when you pursue questions to their responses.

 

Finally, never form a conclusion while they're telling their story but if you do, don't show your hand. It's a cat-and-mouse poker game and you're not there to express your opinions. You're there to collect as much information as possible and that will only happen when you create an environment where they feel safe enough to open up and share things with you.

 

Good luck!

[ShadowBorn]

If allowed, video tape or record the interview with permission. So you do not rely on your memory.

Quote

Tribal tradition says that it’s bad luck to see a Bigfoot.

I guess that explains some of the bad luck I have had through out my years since my encounters. But I still feel blessed.

[WanderingLorax]

Thank you everyone. I plan on recording interview(s). I don’t want my memory corrupting what any witnesses have to say. I have been looking into recorders, and the Zoom H2n seems like a pretty decent choice. I would also record at night around camp. Does anyone have any experience with this recorder? 
 
https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Surround-Sound-Microphones-Ambisonics-Interviews/dp/B005CQ2ZY6?th=1

 

Now onto the above mentioned video. I have a copy of it that I shared with Doug Hijicek last night. The video is a reworked copy of the Freeman footage shot in the early nineties. Doug was the original forensic guy that worked Freeman’s video. He noticed it quickly. The video was zoomed in and the contrast was messed with. I’m colorblind, so the reworking fooled me. I hesitate to share the video here as it has language of adult nature. 
 

I still plan on going forth with this project. Now I know the video isn’t of value, but maybe this gentleman has more to say. I would like to talk to as many band members as I can to see what I can dig up. I’m not even going to mention the Freeman footage.