How to Organize Interview Notes

"Even a blind squirrel can find a nut." - Prof. John Lofflin


For my reporting class we have been learning and practicing the importance of note taking when writing stories. When listening to a speech or interviewing someone it is vital to get as much of what they say down as you can. Having direct quotes will be essential for later when writing the story.

After you've gotten the the speech or interview done on paper you end up with pages of scribbles without a real organization. Writing a story without know what the story is about can make this extremely difficult. But finding the story through the mess isn't always that easy.

Prof. Lofflin, my reporting teacher, teaches that you have to find the nut of the story or the heart before you can fully write it. Understanding what you are trying to convey will help you be clear and concise in your writing.

Here are my tips for organizing your notes into understandable sentences:

1. Type Out Your Notes

When your taking notes you probably don't make good penmanship a top priority. If you want to understand your notes deciphering them is the best first step. Typing your notes will make them easier to transfer when your putting them into your story. You can also eliminate the excess sentences that don't make sense.

2. Find Quotes

Instead of mixing my quotes in with all my informative text I like to separate them out into their own paragraphs. Putting your quote marks around them will help you distingush This will make it easier to see what you have and fill them in later.

3. Categorize

Once you can clearly see everything that you wrote look for the patterns. If there is anything that is on a similar topic divide it up into categories. After you get your lists you can start to see what the main idea is which can help you find the "nut" of your story.

Writing a good story is a process and requires time and effort. If you put work into your organization the writing section will be a breeze. Taking time to look at evaluate what you have and what you are trying to do will make you a more successful writer in the long run.


For an example of a great interview check out Terry Gross from NPR's fresh air.