Interviewing Basics Help You Focus on Content

by Dalya Goldberger

Interviewing is an excellent primary source of information for any research project. Interviews with subject-matter experts can expose the most up-to-date information and introduce new material that may shatter your originally held ideas about a subject.

Interviewing tends to be most useful when conducted toward the end of your project, after you have read what the experts have already written. During the course of your research, you may have formulated your own ideas and theories about the subject, and you now wish to determine if they have merit. Interviewing allows you to pose these ideas, in the form of questions, to the subject-matter expert who will either substantiate or discount them in response. In either case, you will have gained more knowledge about your subject.

The interview process can be divided into three stages: setting up the interview, planning the interview, and conducting the interview. By developing basic skills for each stage, you will be able to focus on the content of the interview rather than on the process.

The First Hurdle: Setting It Up

The hardest part of interviewing often isn't the interview, but getting the subject-matter expert to agree to it. At this stage, the biggest obstacle between you and access to the interviewee is time. A commitment of one to two hours for an interview in the hectic schedule of a subject-matter expert may be a lot to ask; be flexible in setting up a time and location for the interview.

Being open and honest about the purpose of your project will show the interviewee that you are an ethical, reasonable person. If possible, answer as many of the interviewee's questions in advance as possible, such as the type of information that you are seeking, whether your work will be published, or whether he or she will be given the opportunity to review what you have written.

Being Prepared

Once your subject-matter expert has agreed to be interviewed, make an effort to keep the interview as short as possible. Be fully prepared. Preparation for the interview will help you avoid shuffling through your notes, or thinking about questions you want to ask while the interview is in progress. Points to keep in mind when preparing for an interview include:

Research the subject matter. As an interviewer, you are responsible for possessing a certain degree of background knowledge. For example, learning key terminology in the subject area will boost your confidence, give you a better understanding of the interviewee's answers, and help you to avoid asking embarrassing or irrelevant questions.
Anticipate the direction the interview will take. Starting an interview with a list of questions will help you steer the interview in the right direction. Preparing the questions and anticipating possible answers will help you maintain control. Don't let your list tyrannize the interview, though; use it as a guide, not as a crutch.
Be prepared for little mishaps. Prepare for the unexpected by bringing an extra set of batteries for your tape recorder (if you use one). Always bring a notepad and pen in case the problem with your tape recorder is more complicated than dead batteries, and to record details about the interview that you wish to examine more closely later on. Bring more than one pen.

During the Interview

If you have prepared for the interview, you can focus your attention on the interviewee and the answers to your questions. Consider the following tips for conducting a smooth interview:

Make the interviewee feel comfortable. The most important factor in conducting an interview is ensuring that the interviewee feels relaxed and comfortable. You can quickly put the interviewee at ease by allowing him or her to state their purpose for coming, or by explaining your reasons for conducting the interview.

Creating a relaxed atmosphere also extends to the physical environment: conduct the interview in a quiet and private area if you know that the subject-matter expert is easily distracted or is irritated by interruptions. In other cases, the interviewee's discomfort may be lessened in a busy bar or restaurant where the presence of a crowd and "white noise" reduces the impact of being the centre of attention.

Take the lead in focusing the interview. A skilled interviewer can unobtrusively guide the conversation along specific and relevant paths. Consciously decide when to give the interviewee free rein, when to ask questions, when to observe, and so on.
Be a good listener. At the beginning of the interview, encourage the interviewee to talk. Listen to what is on the "top" of the person's mind in connection with the interview. Become acquainted with the way he or she speaks—for example, literally or figuratively, using the vernacular or literary language, and so on—then, adjust your way of speaking accordingly.
Learn how to read and use body language. Try to gauge the way the interviewee is feeling by observing positive and negative body language. Leaning back in a chair with arms resting comfortably may indicate a willingness to share information. Arms folded across the chest, however, reflects tension and may be a sign that the person is uncomfortable and unreceptive to your questions. Flushing may indicate embarrassment or excitability.

Mirroring the interviewee's positive body language may help put the interviewee at ease: for example, if the interviewee leans forward to make a point, you may choose to lean forward the next time you ask a question. If the interviewee laughs, you should laugh along. Never mirror negative body language. By observing the interviewee's positive and negative body language, you'll be able to determine when to alter your own body language or tone of questioning.

Know when to ask open-ended and leading questions. Open-ended questions encourage the interviewee to talk at length about a subject: for example, "What did you do on the weekend?" Leading questions require more detailed or specific responses and place certain parameters on the interviewee's answer. "How did you hurt yourself on the weekend" is an example of a leading question.

Asking open-ended questions will help you to get to know the interviewee and to probe for a specific topic without directly asking for it. Many of the questions you plan to ask the interviewee may be answered in advance by listening to the responses of open-ended questions. When the interviewee hits on a topic that is significant to the interview, you should politely interject with leading questions that will narrow the interviewee's response.

Avoid asking questions that require only a simple "yes" or "no" answer. Otherwise, you will be forced to ask several more questions to get the details you need.

Use lulls in conversation to your advantage. Uncomfortable silences are sometimes created when the person being interviewed pauses to formulate the next thought, or when he or she is reluctant to go on. Inexperienced interviewers try to fill the gap with hasty interruptions that may result in the loss of important information. Instead, use the silence to coax the interviewee to elaborate on points that require more detail.

Internalize the Basics

As a research method, interviewing subject-matter experts can enhance a project and inject new ideas. Making the most of an interview, however, takes practice. By internalizing basic interviewing skills, you will be free to focus on the content of your interview rather than on the process.

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