CONDUCTING AN EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW
Learning Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Define “In-depth Interview”
• Describe 3 skills for effective communication
• List the qualities of a good interviewer
• Identify and describe effective interviewing
techniques
In-depth Interviews
“In-depth interviews are
excellent tools to use in
planning and evaluating
programs because they use
an open-ended, discoveryoriented method, which
allows the interviewer to
deeply explore the
respondent’s feelings and
perspectives on a subject.
This results in rich
background information that
can shape further questions
relevant to the topic. ”
Characteristics of In-depth Interviews
• Open-ended Questions: Give respondents the
freedom to answer questions using their own words.
• Semi-structured Format: Interview should be
conversational, with questions flowing from previous
responses when possible.
• Seek Understanding and Interpretation: Interviewer
should continually seek clarity and understanding
throughout the interview.
• Recording Responses: Written notes include
observations of both verbal and non-verbal behaviors
as they occur, and immediate personal reflections
about the interview.
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Effective Communication
• People like to share with people
who are sincere, approachable, and
non-judgmental.
• These qualities are communicated
primarily by facial expressions,
followed by tone, and, to a limited
extent, by words.
• People often remember more about
how a subject is communicated
than the speaker’s knowledge of
the subject.
Types of Communication
• Verbal
– Spoken words
• Nonverbal
– The way we sit/stand
– Facial expressions
– Silence
Nonverbal
– Eye contact
– Gestures (smiling, leaning forward, nodding)
Effective Communication Techniques (1)
1. Active listening
Attending fully to what the speaker is saying
by focusing wholly on what is being
said. Requires the listener to give full
attention to the speaker until either the
message has been received or the speaker has
finished speaking.
Active Listening
Effective Communication Techniques (2)
2. Reflective listening: The process of
verbally “reflecting” back what someone
has said
• Helps the interviewer check whether s/he
understands the interviewee
• Helps the interviewee feel understood and
respected
Reflective Listening
Confirms that you have understood the
interviewee by using statements such as:
– “So you feel frustrated that there’s not enough
time to do a complete physical exam.”
– “It sounds like you’re concerned about this
patient’s ability to adhere to treatment.”
– “So you’re wondering if this training will address
the performance gaps you’ve identified.”
Effective Communication Techniques (3)
• Summarizing: Process of synthesizing and
re-stating what the interviewee has said in
order to capture key concerns and issues
Summarizing
• To confirm that you have understood the
interviewee’s story or issue
• To change topics, close discussion, or clarify
something
• To collect your thoughts
• To show the interviewee that you have heard
and respect his/her point of view
Listening Activity
Qualities of a Good Interviewer
• Open-minded
• Flexible and responsive
• Patient
• Observant
• A good listener
• Friendly
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Effective Interview Techniques
• Create a rapport
• Use open-ended questions
• Use probes to go deeper into a subject
• Avoid leading questions
• Clarify vague or hard-to-understand responses
by summarizing or presenting a scenario or
example
Create a Rapport
•Learn culturally-specific styles and techniques
for building rapport
•Be an engaged listener with a neutral attitude
•Tune into non-verbal communication cues and
adjust your interviewing style depending on the
interviewee
•Make eye contact and smile
•Ask about family or other appropriate small talk
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Open-ended Questions
Open
• Leave the answer very open
to what the interviewee
wants to say
Closed
• Ask for specific answers,
such as “yes” or “no”
• Results in a long, narrative
answer
• Quick, easy to answer, give
you facts, answer with short
word or phrase
• Often start with:
• Often start with:
– “How”
– “Do”
– “What”
– “Are”
– “Describe”
– “Will”
– “Explain”
– “How many”
– “If” or “Would”
‘Opening up’ Closed Questions
• Do you have enough resources for your
program?
• Is it challenging to learn counseling skills
through a computer?
• Would you say your Internet is reliable?
• Do participants ever drop out of your DL
program?
• Did facilitators have experience before they
taught your eLearning course?
Probes
• Probes are neutral questions, phrases,
sounds, and gestures used to encourage
participants to elaborate on their answers
• A highly effective way to encourage further
sharing without the interviewer imposing
him or herself into the narrative
• One of the most important tools in in-depth
interviewing
Types of Probes
• Silent
• Echo
• “Uh-huh”
• Long question
• “Tell me more”
• Summarizing
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When to Use Probes
• Response to your question is unclear/brief
• Interviewee seems to be waiting for a reaction
from you before continuing to speak
• Interviewee appears to have more information
on the subject
• To get more detail about what the interviewee
thinks or feels in relationship to the topic being
discussed
• To further or confirm your understanding or
encourage more explanation
Examples of Probes
1. “Can you give me an example of that?”
2. “Please tell me more about . . .”
3. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
4. “How typical is that (occurrence, thing)?
5. “What are some of the other ways to do . . .”
6. “Mmm,....really?”, “interesting…”, “I see…”
7. “Why do you think that is?”
Leading Questions
• Leads interviewee along a particular line of
thinking
• Subtly prompts interviewee to answer in a
particular way
• Risks revealing your own value judgments and
biases
• Interviewees often provide a response in accord
with the question because they are reluctant to
contradict the interviewer
Examples of Leading Questions
• How challenging is it to learn how to diagnose
patients using a distance learning method?
• Most students with few technical skills will
struggle in this eLearning program, is that right?
• Was one reason you stopped staffing the
telementoring line because the mentors weren’t
interested in adding to their responsibilities?
• Do you think the reason facilitators don’t follow
up with participants is because they don’t have
access to a computer or internet connection?
Exercise: Observe an In-Depth Interview (1)
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Exercise: Observe an In-Depth Interview (2)
• What did the interviewer do well?
• Discuss how the interviewer phrases questions.
• What are some ways the interviewer solicited clarification
on answers that were unclear?
• When does the interviewer ask open-ended questions?
• When does the interviewer follow up interview questions
with probing questions?
• What could the interviewer have done to improve the
quality of information he received?
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Interviewing “DOs”
• Prepare in advance! Understand purpose of the
assessment
• Only ask questions interviewees can reasonably be
expected to answer
• Be thoroughly familiar with informed consent documents
and be able to explain them to the interviewee if
necessary.
• Know the questions well in advance and be able to
rephrase or produce follow-up questions and probes
• Know the flow of questions so you can adjust the order to
match conversation flow if necessary.
• Use culturally-specific styles and techniques for building
rapport.
• Remain neutral and remember that your body language
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and reactions can convey your own biases.
Interviewing “DON’Ts”
• Don’t let the interviewee have too much
control over the interview
• Don’t lead the interviewee based on
preconceived notions
• Don’t be judgmental toward responses
• Don’t ask dichotomous questions (when
they can be avoided)
• Never tell a participant they’ve contradicted
themselves
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QUESTIONS?
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