Interview plan worksheet

The interview plan is one sheet in seven parts, filled in before a guest is invited and kept in view while the recording runs. A blank line is something still open. In part four, a blank or pending row holds back every piece that depends on it. A filled-in sheet, made up for this page, follows the blank one.

Part one, what the piece is for

Line	Answer
After reading or watching this, who will be able to do what?
The one reader it is for
The one next step the piece asks of that reader
The pieces expected from it, such as the full recording, an article, clips and a note to the guest
Target publishing date and time zone

Part two, what the guest receives

Each row gets a mark and the promised date. The guest hears this list at the start of the recording.

What the guest receives	Promised	Date
A copy of the full recording
A transcript
A draft of each public piece, with the number of days to reply
The credit line, word for word
Links once each piece is live
A note on where the guest may share each piece

Part three, what stays out

The host reads this list aloud before the first question.

Names of buyers, sellers or clients in any deal that has not been announced
Prices, terms and figures from any deal that has not been announced
Anything covered by a confidentiality agreement or a listing agreement
Anything the guest asks to keep off the record, noted with the time it was said
Other items for this interview

Part four, the permissions

At booking, the host asks which state each person will be in during the call. When anyone on the call is in a state that requires everyone's consent, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press advises assuming that stricter rule applies, and its guide lists those states.

Each row below is marked granted, pending or refused.

Permission	Who gives it	How it is given
Consent to record, from everyone on the call	Each person	Out loud at the start of the recording
Publish the full recording	The guest	Signed release
Publish short clips	The guest	Signed release
Publish written quotes and the transcript	The guest	Signed release
Use the guest's name	The guest	Signed release
Use the guest's face, photo or likeness	The guest	Signed release
Drafts go to the guest first, with a set number of days to reply	Host and guest	Agreed in the release
What happens if the guest later asks for a piece to come down	Host and guest	Agreed in the release
Anyone else who is seen or heard, such as a colleague	That person	Their own consent and release

The sheet plans the permissions. It grants none of them and does not replace a lawyer's advice.

Part five, the questions

The sheet has room for about ten questions, for a half-hour call that reaches six or seven of them. The examples in the third column are made up.

Stage	What it is for	Example
Opening	Context for the audience	"What do you do, and who do you do it for?"
Story	One specific case, start to finish	"Tell me about the last time this went wrong for someone you worked with."
Specifics	Steps and figures the guest will make public	"What did they have to gather, and how long did it take?"
Lesson	What someone in the same spot might do	"What would someone starting on this today need first?"
Close	Anything missed, and a next step for the audience	"What should I have asked that I did not?"

Each question passes four tests:

It asks for one thing.
It cannot be answered with yes or no.
It serves the purpose in part one.
It stays clear of everything in part three.

Part six, the opening

The host reads this at the start of the recording and waits for a clear yes from each person. If anyone says no, the recording stops and the notes are taken by hand.

"It is [date]. I am recording this conversation with [guest's name], [one line on who they are], for [the piece and the reader it is for]. [Guest's name], do I have your permission to record? As we agreed, you will see [which drafts] before anything goes out, and we will leave out [the part three list, in brief]."

Part seven, the day after

Send the guest what part two promised for this stage.
Note the time stamps of the strongest answers.
Mark anything the guest asked to leave out, at the exact time it was said.
File the recording, the transcript, this sheet and the signed release together.
Start a publishing brief for the pieces listed in part one.

A filled-in sheet for an interview with Sam

Invented for the example: a broker plans a short interview with Sam, a former owner of a commercial cleaning company, for owners who may sell in the next two years.

Part	Example entry
What it is for	After listening, an owner who plans to sell within two years will know which records a buyer asks for first.
Reader	Owners who plan to sell within about two years
Next step for the reader	A records check with their broker
Pieces	Full audio with a transcript, one article, one short audio clip with captions, a note to Sam, a note to past clients
Sam receives	The recording and transcript within two days, drafts with five days to reply, the credit line "Sam, former owner of a cleaning company", links when each piece is live
Stays out	The buyer's name, the price, the terms and the name of Sam's former company
Consent to record	Asked at the start of the recording; both people said yes out loud
Publishing permissions	Signed release covers the recording, clips, quotes and first name. Photos and video refused.
Opening	"It is March 3. I am recording this conversation with Sam, who sold a cleaning company last year, for a short audio piece for owners planning a sale. Sam, do I have your permission to record? As we agreed, you will see every draft before anything goes out, and we will leave out the buyer, the price and your company's name."

Because Sam refuses photos and video, the plan is audio only.

How to plan a recorded interview you can publish explains where each part comes from. The publishing brief that follows part seven is in how to release one conversation across several channels.