Interviews

1

• Interviews

2
In choosing a person to interview, determine
three things

• what you want to find out
• who could provide this information
• whether the person is willing to be interviewed

3
Preparing for the interview

• Do your homework.
• Prepare good questions.
• Check your equipment.

4
Beginning the interview

• Arrive on time.
• Thank the respondent for taking the time to talk
  with you.
• State the subject and purpose of the interview
  and what you plan to do with the information.
• If you wish to tape the interview, ask permission.

5
Conducting the interview

• Take notes.
• Start with prepared questions.
• Be prepared to ask follow-up questions.
• Be prepared to get the interview back on track.

6
Concluding the interview

• Thank the respondent.
• Ask for a follow-up interview.
• Ask for permission to quote the respondent.

7
After the interview

• Write down the important information while the
  interview is fresh in your mind.
• Send a brief thank-you note.

8

• Surveys

9
Three reasons why questionnaires rarely yield
completely satisfactory results

• Some of the questions will misfire.
• You won't obtain as many responses as you want.
• You cannot be sure the respondents are
  representative.

10
To build an effective questionnaire, keep the
following in mind

• Use unbiased language.
• Be specific.
• Choose a format that allows easy evaluation and
  tabulation of the results.

11
Common types of questions used in surveys

• Multiple choice
• Likert scale (link)
• Semantic differentials
• Ranking
• Short Answer
• Short Essay