Breaking down the Ws of great interviews
In first year journalism school, students learn about the five Ws (Who, What, Where, When, Why). These five questions are at the core of what every reporter needs to know to tell a good story.
It’s not only reporters who need to tell a good story. Storytelling is also a great technique for non-profit organizations because it allows them to directly show the impact their organization has made on someone’s life. Donors make decisions on an emotional level; using storytelling techniques not only pulls on readers’ heart strings, it compels them to act.
If your organization is not currently using storytelling techniques, the type of questions you need to ask to tell a compelling story can feel overwhelming. Our founder, Deborah Evans, has a journalism degree and worked as a newspaper reporter for a number of years before moving into non-profit communications, so we asked her to share her insight.
(There’s also an art to interviewing when your goal is to tell a person’s story; the interview process isn’t about an interrogation, it’s about having a conversation.)
Who
The basic ‘who’ facts of a person are what add colour to the story — you want your reader to feel as though they know enough about the person to paint a picture. Ask these questions and then sprinkle that information throughout the story:
What is your name?
What is your age?
What is your job title or career?
Where do you live?
Are there any other personal facts relevant to the story? (e.g. kids' names and ages, spouse, etc.)
What
The answers to these types of questions are the bones of your story and if you really want to, you could use these answers to summarize the entire story into a single sentence. (Although we don’t recommend that!)
Where
The questions you ask here need to dig deeper than ‘where did the story take place?’ You want to get as many details as possible in order to show the reader rather than tell.
When
Just as in a news story, the ‘when’ are important facts. Someone’s story may take place over a period of time. You need to know when each event occurred to build a timeline that readers can easily follow.
Why
While the facts from the above questions are important, this is by far the most important question. The answer to ‘why’ is the reason you’re writing this story. If we don’t know the why, then the reader will wonder why they should care. This simple word asked as a follow-up question often gets you to the heart of a story.
Don’t forget How
The journalistic approach to storytelling goes beyond the five Ws by adding an H. Asking ‘how’ is sort of like asking why, it digs into meaning rather than just facts. Simply asking ‘how did this make a difference?’ is a great way to tie a story back to your organization.
Great storytelling isn’t limited to strictly non-profit donor communication and fundraising efforts. It is also a tool large and small businesses can use. Writing persuasive sales and marketing copy, pitching a winning presentation, or creating great customer experiences are all more effective when the 5 Ws and an H are weaved throughout the story.