Conducting Interviews

"The purpose of interviewing...is to allow us to

enter the other person's perspective.” –

Michael Quinn Patton

Goals for the next 30 minutes:1. How to plan and conduct interviews2. Different types of questions3. The importance of listening4. Giving you a chance to practice writing

interview questions

Pre-Interview 1: Develop clear objectives:• Are you looking for facts/opinions?• Do you have Open (the interviewee will have

the freedom to go into details) or Closed (yes/no) questions?

• Are you asking the right person for the information you want?

• Will your interviewee be comfortable with your questions?

Pre-Interview 2: Decide how you want to conduct your interview:• In person?• By phone?• By email?

Pre-Interview 3: Where?Your home?Their home?Somewhere neutral?

Pre-Interview 4: Set-up an Appointment:

Introduce yourself and the purpose of your interviewDecide and agree upon a mutual time and locationDiscuss how much time you would like to speak to themExplain the question areas you want to pursue

Question Planning Advice: Questions should…

Be clearBe in a logical orderBe connected to the previous questionBe designed to allow the interviewee to answer freely (avoid leading questions)Be written down

The 6 Types of Topics in Interviews:

Behaviors – what a person has done or is doingOpinions/values – what a person thinks about a topicFeelings – how a person feels about a topicKnowledge – facts about a topicSensory – seen, touched, heard, tasted, or smelledBackground/demographics – age, education, etc.

You will need to spend some time deciding which of these question types will work best for collecting the information you need.

During the InterviewHave your questions in front of youBe prepared to write down new questions as they pop up while the interviewee speaksSeek clarification – what is your interviewee really saying?

Other Useful Interview Advice 1

Have a pen/pencil and paper ready to write – paraphrase whatever you heardIf you have something to record the person (audio or video), ask beforehand if they’re willing to have themselves recorded.

Other Useful Interview Advice 2

Small talk can be good! – weather, sports, flowers, whatever – if you’re both relaxed and having a good time, you’ll get a lot more informationShare your writings with your interviewee later – they can clarify or give you more details on a topic addressed in the interview