To Record or Not to Record

Should writers record their interviews? I faced that question when I started researching my narrative nonfiction book. Would a recorder, especially during in-person interviews, make subjects nervous and hold back information? I weighed that possibility against knowledge that taking notes wouldn’t match the accuracy of a recorded interview transcript. In the end, I recorded the majority of my interviews.

Fortunately, only a few people, unaccustomed to being interviewed, stared at the recorder and spoke slowly and deliberately, as if contemplating every word. Most relaxed after a few minutes, speaking quickly and seemingly forgetting about the recorder.  Recording over the phone didn’t seem to impede interviews, perhaps because the device was out of sight.

Depending on your interview’s purpose, consider assuring your subjects that they can contact you later if they’ve misspoken or forgotten to tell you something that they think you should know. That’s also a good time to ask permission to recontact them in case you forget to ask a question or need to clarify an answer. Such a request left open the doors of communication for me about ninety-five percent of the time.

Here are some considerations to think about when deciding whether to record an interview:

• Is your subject likely to have crucial and detailed information?
• Is he/she likely to only reluctantly agree to the interview or act hostile towards you?
• Will he/she probably challenge the accuracy of what you report that he/she said?
• Is the interview likely to be lengthy?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, you probably want to record the conversation. But you may decide to skip using the recorder if you are searching for a lead to locate someone or are trying to confirm non-critical information. Or you can record but not transcribe. Keep in mind that transcribing interviews tend to be very time-consuming and sometimes boring!

What are the up sides to recording? The most obvious reason to record is to create a permanent record of the interview. Taking notes is much less accurate simply because people talk faster than the average person can write. Recordings also eliminate the problem of deciphering one’s own handwriting! But for me, the huge advantage of using a recorder is the ability to re listen to the interview. That’s when you can relive the conversation as you hear the subject’s tone, inflections, emphasis or reluctance in answering questions. That helps  you paint the picture of the interviewee to the reader. And, it’s easy to pick out compelling quotes.

Another advantage to recording is discovering later what questions that you intended or forgot to ask. That’s why it is so important to seek permission during the interview to ask follow-up or clarifying questions at a later time.

Do you need permission to record an interview? That depends. In Colorado, only one person needs to consent to a recording. That’s true in most but not all states. I request permission to record because I want to be upfront.

So what’s a good approach when asking for permission to record?

• First, identify yourself and explain what you are writing: an article and a book.
• Inquire if they have some time to chat if you’ve cold called.
• Ask if they would mind if you recorded the conversation and give a reason: you are trying to be as accurate as possible. Of all the people I asked permission to record, only one refused: a representative of the American Kennel Club! I honored the refusal even though both Colorado and North Carolina are one-party consent states.

  

Once you have the go-ahead, start recording and state the name of your subject, the date, time and location (over the phone) or at such and such offices. Then specifically ask permission to record the conversation. Once they consent, thank them and proceed with the interview.

A couple of final words of caution:

• Test and charge your recorder to make sure it works!
• Learn where to place the recorder for the best possible recording.
• Bring an extension cord for in-person interviews even if your recorder runs with a battery.
• Take notes just in case your recorder malfunctions. It happens!
• As soon as possible after the interview, check to see if your recorder worked properly.
• Download the interview to your computer and back it up.

If your device malfunctioned, type out your recollection of the interview immediately with the assistance of your notes and fresh memory. Remember that a reinterview may be impossible because interviewees change their minds and that is their right!

Good luck with your interviews!