What Interview Technique Training Costs and What Moves the Price

Why people ask about cost first

When newsroom managers and freelancers write to us about interview technique, the first question is nearly always the same: what will it cost, and what does that money buy? It is a fair thing to ask, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a vague one. Interview Technique is one of the training areas we run from our classroom in Shrewsbury, and it covers three connected skills: structuring questions, listening properly, and shooting an interview so that it cuts together cleanly afterwards.

I coordinate bookings and schedules here, so I see how enquiries turn into courses, and I see where the fee comes from. This article is about that, not about the craft itself. The tutors cover technique in their own sessions. My job is to explain, in these mid autumn weeks when many teams are planning the winter schedule, what shapes the figure on a quotation so that you can decide with the facts in front of you.

What the fee actually covers

A quoted price for interview training pays for tutor time, preparation and the practical side of the day. Tutor time is the obvious part: a working instructor leading you through question structure, listening exercises and recorded practice interviews. Less obvious is the preparation behind it, because a good session needs scenarios that suit the people attending, whether that is a regional newsroom team or a small group of students.

The fee also covers the room, the cameras and microphones used in the exercises, and the review of your recorded interviews with the tutor afterwards. Reviewing footage is where much of the learning happens, since you see where a question ran on, where a pause was left open, or where a cutaway would have been missing. Written confirmation of what is included arrives with your quotation, so nothing is left to assumption.

• Tutor-led teaching on questions, listening and shooting
• Preparation of practice scenarios for your group
• Use of classroom cameras, audio kit and space
• Recorded practice interviews reviewed with the tutor

Group size and who is in the room

The biggest single driver of price is how many people attend and how the day is arranged around them. Interview practice works best in small groups, because each person needs time in front of the lens and time behind it, playing interviewer, subject and operator in turn. Keep the numbers modest and everyone gets a proper go. Add more people and we have to add time or a second pair of hands, and that is reflected in the quotation.

Mixed groups can also change the shape of the day. A team that already shoots daily needs less on framing basics and more on structure and follow-up questions, while newer reporters may need a gentler start. We do not charge for guessing; we ask you who is coming and what they already do, then build the session from the answers, and the price follows the plan rather than the other way round.

Length of session and depth of practice

Length is the second driver. A short session can introduce a clear method for planning questions and listening without drifting into small talk, but it leaves little room for repeated practice. A longer day lets each person run several interviews, watch them back and try again with the tutor's notes in mind. Repetition is what makes the habit stick, so more practice time usually means more value, and also a higher fee.

It helps to be honest about what you need. If your reporters already interview well and want to tighten how their material cuts together, a focused half-day may do. If you are preparing people who have rarely conducted a filmed interview, a full day gives them room to get comfortable. We would sooner recommend the shorter option when it suits than sell you hours you will not use.

• Shorter sessions suit a single skill or a refresher
• Full days allow several practice interviews each
• Follow-up review time is part of the length

Location, kit and what changes the quotation

Most interview training happens in our Shrewsbury classroom, where the equipment is already set up and no one loses time to travel. That keeps costs predictable. If you would rather we worked at your own premises, travel and set-up time become part of the figure, and we will say so plainly in the quotation. The same goes for any special requirement, such as practising with your own cameras or a particular kind of subject.

Other things that move the price are the number of separate dates, any request for a bespoke scenario drawn from your own coverage, and how much written material you want to take away. None of these are hidden extras. Each one is named when we talk through your needs, so the total on the quotation matches what you asked for and nothing more.

How ordering and payment work

There is no shopping basket or card form here. You send an enquiry through the contact page, telling us who is attending, roughly what you want to cover and when you would like to run it. We reply with a written quotation or confirmation setting out what is included, the price in pounds sterling and the proposed date. Once you are happy, we issue an invoice, which you pay by bank transfer.

If plans change, cancellations and refunds follow our payment and refund policy, which you can read before you commit. Our current prices are listed on the Prices page, so you can see a figure before you write. I would rather you asked a question first than guessed, so if anything on a quotation is unclear, ring me on 01743 358216 or use the contact form and I will go through it with you.