Interview transcripts: curse or blessing?
When I do an interview I tend to write near-verbatim notes. This is an old habit from my days as a journalist. However, it gets me into some interesting problems when I do it for corporate clients. For example (and without naming any names!):
- One client who, on hearing that I did this, tried to claim that they should get copies of all the transcripts automatically. (I did this once with another client and I ended up having to rewrite a case study three times because different people liked different quotes from the interview. Ouch. More importantly, there’s a big difference between my unproofed, unedited transcripts and something I would be happy to show a client. Also, there’s still something of the confessional about an interview and I don’t like to share notes like this.)
- Another client who asked for summaries of all the interviews I did, by way of contact reports. That’s fine but it was the best part of a day’s work. It’s one of those things that easier to ask for than to do.
- Another client who wanted me to send all my interview transcripts (done for a general business article, not case studies) to another agency so that they could produce case studies out of them. It’s hard to explain that an interview for an article isn’t necessarily the same thing as an interview for a case study.
Also, on reflection, it’s obvious that transcripts involve a huge burden of typing and note taking. A 30m call will generate 1200-1500 words of notes. I do a lot of interviews so this is by far and away the biggest chunk of my typing. Even thinking about it gives me RSI.
So, am I being over-punctilious taking transcripts? Do they open me up to more trouble than they save? What do other folk do?
Technorati Tags: Transcripts, interviews
Tom Chandler wrote:
I don’t know if it’s a bad idea to write the transcripts, but it’s certainly not in your best interest to announce the fact…
Posted on 10-Jul-07 at 3:56 pm | Permalink
owen booth wrote:
Unless there are legal issues involved, I never transcribe interviews. Interviewing business people is more often than not about steering them to provide the quote/s you already know you want: turning off your tape recorder and relying on a notepad and a pen is the best way of making sure you get them.
Posted on 10-Jul-07 at 4:46 pm | Permalink
Matt wrote:
We keep notes from interviews on our online project management tool. But sometimes we feel the need to have a little more detail. So we might keep transcripts or MP3 recordings. They’re there if our client needs to refer back to them. It’s certainly difficult to balance being thorough and avoiding getting swamped in admin (and typing).
Posted on 10-Jul-07 at 5:06 pm | Permalink
Cheryl wrote:
You are taking too many notes. When you begin an interview, asking for the general story, you should be noting only key words.
Otherwise, you are not really listening. You are not grasping the big picture. You will miss the opportunity to pursue tangents that may actually lead to something significant.
When you go back over the story for the details, you can make notes of the specifics (mush as you would when completing something like an intake form).
Posted on 10-Jul-07 at 7:36 pm | Permalink
Stilgherrian wrote:
I’d look at this in terms of “What are the deliverable the client is paying for?” If the deliverable is a 1000-word case study, then that’s what they get. If that first client says they also want transcripts, then that’s extra — that “huge burden” should just be a cost that’s passed on. There shouldn’t be fear of or shame in saying “That’ll take another half-day so that’s another £3000.” Or whatever your charge-out rate is.
Posted on 10-Jul-07 at 7:52 pm | Permalink
David Bradley wrote:
Possible solution: Record the interview and use voice recognition.
Posted on 10-Jul-07 at 7:54 pm | Permalink
Nathania wrote:
I think there’s two ways to approach this
1. Write the case study to be approved. In other words, let people approve quotes that you write - as is done with Press Releases.
2. If you like the quotes you’re getting from interviews, but the transcript is burdensome, then just refer to the contract. If a copy of the transcript is not included in your contract, don’t provide it - unless as an extra fee as Stilgherrian suggested.
Posted on 11-Jul-07 at 1:37 am | Permalink
richard pelletier wrote:
I find that this is also the biggest time killer of all. I record all my interviews - whether phone or live. I used to transcribe but nearly went insane. So now I have a document open with my questions and as I listen to the recording I make copy points and work from that document. I always have the recording to refer back to if I feel I need more than the points I’ve grabbed.
Posted on 11-Jul-07 at 12:29 pm | Permalink
Bruce Pilgrim wrote:
For a case study, I will record the interview and pay a typist to do a transcription. (It’s a lot less expensive than you might think, and the cost is built into the contract up front.)
That way, I can listen more carefully and as Cheryl said above, pursue interesting tangents.
I still do take notes, but nothing close to a verbatim transcript. This is just in case the recording doesn’t work for whatever reason.
This way, a transcript becomes a handy tool for zeroing in on key words, instead of a burden. Scanning a transcript is considerably less tedious than listening to sections of a recording over and over.
I got into this habit as a result of doing video testimonials. If you’ve ever had to watch a snippet of video dozens of times during an editing sessoin, the advantage is immediately apparent. A transcript lets you identify “likely suspect” quotes worth viewing, saving you from having to watch a talking head for what can seem like days on end.
Posted on 11-Jul-07 at 12:52 pm | Permalink
Matthew Stibbe wrote:
Some really interesting things here. Oddly, I find that taking notes during a call stops me talking too much and improves the interview.
However, I love Bruce’s idea of recording the call and paying someone else to transcribe. I’ll look into that. It could be the best of both worlds. A really big improvement.
Posted on 11-Jul-07 at 1:03 pm | Permalink
Philippa Kennealy wrote:
I do a lot of phone interviews that I record (have to get permission to record) and then I have the interview transcribed at $1 per audio minute. There are automated services that will transcribe for even less than that.
Posted on 11-Jul-07 at 4:03 pm | Permalink
Lisa Shaw wrote:
What equipment do you interview-recorders recommend? Are there any that create mp3 files automatically? This sounds like a great way to capture the details while freeing your mind to follow an interesting thread.
Posted on 11-Jul-07 at 8:38 pm | Permalink
Owen Booth wrote:
Coming from a news journalism background (way back in the day) I never got into the habit of having interviews transcribed - there was never enough time (or money).
I’m with you on the note taking Matthew - it also means you can see exactly what you’ve got (or haven’t got) while you’re still interviewing, and stops you having to follow up later with questions you missed.
Posted on 11-Jul-07 at 9:30 pm | Permalink
Anonymous wrote:
Just nitpicking, sorry:
How do you place a 30 meter call?
Shouldn’t it be a 30min call?
Posted on 29-Jul-07 at 4:55 pm | Permalink
Matthew Stibbe wrote:
I have always thought that 30m was a perfectly acceptable abbreviations for 30 minutes. The context makes it clear even if it isn’t widely used (and I think it is).
Posted on 29-Jul-07 at 5:10 pm | Permalink