Field Research: Conducting an Interview

1
Field Research Conducting an Interview
2
How to Conduct an Interview

• Making contact with your interviewee
• Preparing for the interview
• Coming up with Questions
• Meeting with your interviewee
• Following up on your interview

3
Setting up the Interview

• Contact the potential interviewee in advance
• Be sure that you ask for the interview. This
  person is doing you a favor
• Arrange a specific time and place, and let the
  interviewee know how much time it will take
• Identify the topic that you will be discussing
  during the interview

4
Preparing for the interview

• Be sure to write out a list of questions in
  advance
• Find out whatever information you can about the
  person youre interviewing
• Decide which questions are highest priority if
  time runs short
• Decide what your goals are for the interview

5
Coming up with Questions

• Ask yourself What is it that I need to know?
• Write down a list of things that you are hoping
  to find out
• Write a list of questions that you think will
  lead to these answers
• Check the questions carefully to see if the
  wording could be offensive to your interviewee

6
Meeting the Interviewee

• Always bring a stiff-backed notebook and several
  trustworthy writing instruments
• If you wish to tape-record your interview, always
  ask before doing so
• Keep notes on the interview, but make sure that
  you are still talking to the interviewee, not
  just scribbling

7
Meeting the Interviewee(cont.)

• Be sure that you come to the interview with a
  prepared list of questions (more than you think
  youll need!)
• Try to stick to the topic at hand, but be ready
  to be flexible if your interviewee brings up
  unexpected but valuable information.

8
Online Interviewing

• If you need to interview via email, dont forget
  to ask permission for the interview
• Make sure that you establish the scope of the
  interview and the amount of time the interviewee
  is committing to.
• Remember that the same rules of courtesy still
  apply

9
Following up the Interview

• Always be sure to thank your interviewee, orally
  and in writing
• Once you have written up your results, let your
  interviewee see the results, in order to confirm
  that youve represented him/her accurately
• Write up your results soon after the interview
  while theyre fresh in your mind

10
Conducting an Interview

• Remember, conducting a successful interview
  involves attention to each of the following
  steps
• Making contact
• Preparing for the interview
• Meeting the interviewee
• Following up on the interview