Thursday, February 21 you should come to class with the date and time of your initial interview with the subject of your profile. If you haven't done so already, you will need to start making phone calls and sending emails to the person, requesting a meeting. Be persistent. Interesting people tend to lead busy lives. Sometimes it takes several tries to reach a subject. Though you leave a message, don't wait for the person to return your call. Try again later the same day—several times if need be. Be polite and resolute. Once your subject has agreed to meet with you, be sure to thank him or her in advance. If you have already met with your subject, set up an interview with someone close to him or her (co-worker, spouse, etc.). Bring the date and time of these meetings to class.
You will also need to bring to class on Thursday either a draft of your profile or detailed notes on the background of your subject. Ask yourself exactly what specific information you can find out about the person prior to the interview. Has the person published articles, books, opinions or letters in newspapers? What do public records tell you? What does an internet search reveal? Knowing something about your subject's field of work or other interests will give you valuable information for your profile and help you shape the questions you ask in your interviews.
For example, if you were profiling a campus police officer who you knew also bred Arabian horses and ran a travel/adventure business, you would want to know a little about being a police officer at SBC, Arabian horses, and the adventure travel business before you interviewed your subject.
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