As part of our current Neighborhood to Neighborhood workshop, a group of Rookies are reporting on the NYPD's Stop and Frisk policing policy in public housing projects on the Lower East Side. WNYC's award-winning reporter Ailsa Chang has reported extensively on stop and frisk. She met with Rookie Reporters Temitayo Fagbenle and Vincent Marrero to give them some ideas about how to deepen their investigation.

Vincent asked Ailsa how she starts off a conversation with people she's interviewing--and she answered with an amazing list of reporting tips: 

• Don't start off by saying, "ok, tell me your story"--instead begin with some ice breaking questions, like asking people about their background
• Introduce yourself and share some information about your background to put people at ease and let them know who you are
• Make people feel important and let them know that you want to hear what they have to say
• Maintain eye contact and be conscious of what facial expressions you're using while people are talking so you can better encourage them along
• Let people know that this is an opportunity for their voice to be heard 
• Spend time with people--let them know you care what they have to say
• Ask follow up questions! Let people know that you're listening

Temitayo used Ailsa's reporting tips to interview Vincent about being stopped and frisked on his way home from his grandma's house on the Lower East Side: