Advice Offered for Interviewing Techniques

I came to this forum to learn and seek advice when needed to help with my writing. I figure that I am not the only one out there who has and I would like to help out where I can.

I have a lot of experience in conducting and teaching interviewing and questioning techniques. This includes a wide variety of interviewing types from debriefing to investigative interviews and the types of questions used to get the best results.

If you are planning on interviewing someone for research purposes or you have incorporated an interview into your writing, I will be happy to help out on the technical side of things.

JJ

Birol said:

JJ, is there a difference in conducting interviews in person, on the phone, and in e-mail?

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Yes Lori there is a huge difference. Where possible you should always try to conduct an interview face to face. The main reason for this is to evaluate the behaviour of the interviewee.

Research suggests the relative proportion of information is passed via three elements:

Verbal - 7% (what is said)

Vocal - 38% (how it is said)

Non verbal - 55% (facial expression, posture, gestures)

In normal open honest conversation, the verbal element is primarily used for passing the facts or opinions that a speaker wishes to convey to the listener. The vocal element is used to support the words and may also be used to support the non-verbal element which is used primarily for showing attitudes and feelings, though it can be a substitute for verbal messages, for example where there is a language barrier. As you can see the non-verbal component, which is more commonly referred to as body language, is the single largest component of person to person communication.

Each gesture is like a single word, and a word may have different meanings. It is only when the word is used in a sentence with other words that its meaning is fully understood. Gestures come in sentences/clusters and may indicate the truth about a person's feelings or attitudes. It is best that signals be read in clusters.

‘Perceptive’ or ‘intuitive’ are words used to describe a person’s ability to read another person's non-verbal communications. A 'hunch' or 'gut feeling' is a way of saying that a person's body language and their spoken word do not agree. Human beings are generally unaware that posture, body movements and gestures can tell one story while the voice may be telling another.

I have probably rambled on enough for now. Suffice to say that if you work at understanding body language the better chance you have at understanding what is really being said.

JJ

janetbellinger said:

Of course, there are people who might be more forthconing on the telephone, as they are also assessing the interviewer's non-verbal behavior and also might just be shy. Telephone interviews can seem less threatening, in my opinion.

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Shyness of the interviewee can be overcome by building rapport. It is easier to build rapport through the use of body language, the setting for the interview and your preparation.

It is difficult to evaluate behaviour via the telephone but not impossible. If you find it necessary to conduct interviews via the telephone and want to evaluate the information listen out for these key signs.

Truthful people will generally talk more because they have nothing to hide. They are unyielding as there is no need to modify or amplify their responses. They will generally anger easily to accusations. They give direct spontaneous answers and do not use qualifiers. They tend to use clear and concise speech in the 1st person active voice.

Dishonest/deceitful people will generally talk less and keep the information general and unspecific. They tend to modify and amplify their answers to please the interviewer. They are difficult to anger and use evasive techniques to gain time to think of a response and to decide what they can and can't say. When changing from a truth to a lie they often change from the 1st to the 3rd person and from active to passive voice.

These are just a couple of tips to look out for when conducting interviews via the telephone. Hope this helps.

JJ

Tish Davidson said:

I am interested in how you suggest getting information out of an interviewee that the interviewee does not want to give you. I was taught to prepare to ask for the information in at least 3 different ways by developing questions that approached the information from a slightly different angle each time. Each approach should be progressively more aggressive, and you should not ask the most aggressive questions until you already have all the other information you need because the interviewee might become hostile and end the interview. Could you comment on this and make suggestions?

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You have been given some good advice to start with Tish (apart from the aggressive stuff). In this situation the key is in the preparation and detailed lines of questioning. In my preparation for your example I would rehearse with someone who is very difficult and will only respond to open questions. Open questions are good for creating conversation. They allow the interviewee to give a free response but need parameters within which the interviewee can answer. Open questions are most effective when obtaining a person’s story. Here is a basic example of how a difficult person can frustrate an inexperienced interviewer.

Interviewer - Can you tell me what happened on the 4th of March.
Response - Yes.
Interviewer - Ok will you tell me what happened on the 4th of March.
Response - Yes.
Interviewer - Why won't you tell me what happened on the 4th of March.
Response - You haven't asked me to.
Interviewer - Will you just tell me what happened? (frustration now)
Response - Fair enough. I got out of bed....
Interviewer - No. No. I mean the incident.
Response - What incident?
Interviewer - The incident on the 4th of March.

As you can see this could go on for quite some time and achieve very little. One simple open question would have eliminated this.

Interviewer - Detail for me what your knowledge is of the incident that occurred at your house on the 4th of March?

Open questions should lead you to where you want the interviewee to be before you pose the difficult questions. The ones that you really want answered. From here I would commence with probe questions. Probe questions are used when seeking further information on facts that have already been established. They are most effective when cross-questioning a story. The first part of the question is a statement of fact and the probe, or second part of the question, seeks the new information. The question itself can be closed or open.

I would avoid getting aggressive during any interview especially when confronting an interviewee as it achieves very little. The word confrontation implies harsh, offensive even argumentative tactics that border on interrogation; this is not the case. Experience has taught me that the best interviewers will never raise their voice or become aggressive. If you persist with detailed lines of questioning more often than not you will get the results you set out to achieve.

If you have a specific example that you would like to send me Tish, I may be able to help you prepare or give some further tips.

JJ

chaostitan said:

Hi JJ and welcome! Thanks for the offer, that's very generous. You may also want to pop down to a board a few below this one, called Story Research, and post your offer there, as well.

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Thank you Kelly. I wasn't sure where to post this thread. I should have looked at the Story Research Board first. Oops. If a Mod would like to move it, I will be happy to continue from there. Either way I'm just happy to help out.

JJ

Tish Davidson said:

Thanks, that was helpful. Just to clarify, I didn't mean that the interviewer should ever be aggressive, only that the questions should become more pointed. More of a progression like:

Q:Were you at the council meeting on July 9?
A: I don't remember
Q: That's odd, the new development you are planning to build on South Street was on the agenda.
A: Well, I go to a lot of meetings.
Q: Jack Sprat says he distinctly remembers that you were there because that is the meeting when you asked for a special variance despite the drainage problem at the site. Are you saying Jack Sprat is a liar?
A: I don't know why Jack Sprat would remember if I was there.
Q: Is there some reason you don't want to admit that you were at the meeting on July 9? Something to do with the way Joe-Bob Jones switched his vote and voted for the variance?

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Ok Tish. Yes they should become more pointed. In your example you have a lot of good information you already know that you can confront him/her with. Poor Jack Sprat mightn’t be too happy that you mentioned he had supplied you with some information though. In order to make the link between Joe-Bob Jones and the interviewee you need the interviewee to admit to being at the meeting. This is one way I would approach it.

Q: When was the last council meeting that you attended?
A: I don't recall.
Q: But you have attended council meetings in the past?
A: Well I go to a lot of meetings.
Q: I understand and appreciate that you are a very busy person. Have you ever been to the council chambers?
A: Yes. (He/she knows that they cannot answer this in the negative because it is likely that he/she was seen there, but at this stage there is no link with Joe-Bob Jones so it is a safe enough answer)
Q: Which office in particular have you visited within the Council Chambers?
A: I haven't visited anyone's office in particular just the meeting room. (trying again to avoid a link with Joe-Bob Jones)
Q: So it is safe to assume that the only reason you would be going to the Council Chambers meeting room would be to attend one of their monthly meeting?
A: I suppose so.
Q: What was the date of the Council meeting that your planned South Street development made it onto the agenda?
A: I don't recall.
Q: But you do remember it was on an agenda for a recent council meeting?
A: Yes but I can't remember the exact date.
Q: I find it interesting that you cannot recall this significant date as this was around the same time that your South Street development site had those drainage problems. Who asked for the special variance to your planning development?
A: How did you know about that?
Q: The minutes of all council meetings are a public record. So again who asked for the special variance to your South Street planning development at the Council meeting on the 9th of July?
A: If you have seen the council meeting minutes than you would know that I did.

Sorry to take so long. So this is my first objective met. I would now move into a different line of questioning centring on the relationships that the interviewee has with Council members until I make the connection with Joe-Bob Jones.

JJ

Your welcome Tish. The best interviewers/interrogators that I know are women.

Teach your husband about leading questions and he will be able to fend off press questions easily.

I have to go out for a few hours but will address your question on the use of silence in an interview when I return (this is a favourite of mine and very effective when done correctly).

JJ

Silence is Golden

Silence from the interviewee

Silence, non-cooperation, hostility, and denial of knowledge are all forms of interviewee resistance. One of the primary causes of such resistance, is in fact, the interviewer’s behaviour.


One typical misconception is that interviewees resist because they are guilty or have something to hide. However, unwillingness to talk can be due to a number of reasons. It could be that the interviewee has a psychological block, such as fear, which can be caused by a number of actions such as the interviewer’s behaviour or the subject matter spoken about.


Another theory of resistant behaviour is that it originates from two dimensions: willingness to talk and degree of ability to tell. Potentially resistant interviewees are more likely to be motivated to converse when conversation management is appropriately conducted utilising the correct skills.


Planning and preparation for the interview should include the highlighting of potential barriers to communication with the interviewee. If the interviewer also displays: respect, empathy (thinking and acting from a two-sided perspective; self and other), support, responsiveness, openness, a non-judgemental attitude, and a commitment to talking across equals (as much as the situation allows), they will be more likely to facilitate cooperation from the interviewee.


Silence from the interviewer


There is only one reason for silence from the interviewer during the conduct of an interview - for effect. Silence that is not deliberate implies a degree of unprofessionalism or unpreparedness.

There are two ways that I have used silence as a tool for gaining information in the past. The first is to let the interviewee dig themselves in deeper with a cover story. In this case I have asked a direct question, leaning slightly forward, features remaining passive with the eyebrows raised as if awaiting an honest response. Human nature dictates that most of the time you will get a response. If you do not get a response within about ten seconds move on to another line of question as this tactic will not work. Not is all lost however as you have gained valuable insight into the will of the interviewee.


The second way is very difficult to maintain for everyone involved. It is a prolonged silence that may last for several hours and is only effective if the interviewee cannot leave the room. It involves the interviewer being pre-positioned in the room when the interviewee is brought in. You may have a simple message on a piece of paper or whiteboard that you want the interviewee to notice (may be a simple as YOU WILL CONFESS). The interviewer must not respond to the interviewee not matter what (except if he/she confesses). I have seen this work first hand. The interviewer must be very disciplined for this to work.


Try using the first method of silence as an interviewer as I have described with people you know and you may be surprised at just how quickly they will respond. The second one may be a good one for a book for some dramatic effect (thanks Tish I should have remembered this one earlier).


Again I hope I have answered your question Tish.


JJ

Pat~ said:

JJ, this has been fascinating. (It reminds me a bit of when I was in counseling several years ago...I can remember 'silent standoffs', lol!) Last night I was at my writer's group, and our group leader was recommending a book for those wanting to improve their interviewing skills; hope you don't mind my posting it here. It was the Paris Review Interviews, a book of interviews with various authors, including both questions and responses. I haven't yet read it, but it sounds like interesting reading.

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Hi Pat. Thanks for posting here. I was hoping that others would share their interviewing tips and experiences here as well. I am aware that counselling requires very good listening skills and empathy toward the interviewee. Although I have never been a counsellor, I have taught others who went into this field. I would be interested to hear how you used body language in these sessions if you don't mind.

I have not read the Paris Review Interviews but you have now spiked my interest. I will certainly look it up.

If anyone else out there has tips, examples of good and bad interviews and techniques, or even funny examples of what happened to you or someone you know I encourage you to share them with us. Thanks.

JJ

Tish Davidson said:

Do you have particular interviewers in the media that you admire or whose technique you have studies? I like Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air because she always seems utra prepared and because she seems to be able to come up with questions the interviewee hasn't answered a zillion times. Of course, these interviewees are there voluntarily and she isn't necessarily fishing for incriminating information.

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I have to admit that I stay away from main stream media due to the way the interviews are conducted. Too many leading questions for me. My favourite back here in Aus is a show called Enough Rope by Andrew Denton. This man is a comedian turned interviewer. An amazing show that gets the guests to really show their true colours. I am fascinated by how he does it. Some very good probe questions.

As for what have I studied. I learnt very early on that in order for my interviews to be effective I had to adapt styles depending on who I was talking to. So I researched everything that I could and it was a matter of trial and error until I found my own style that worked. As for particular techniques that I have studied, I will grab some more information and post soon.

JJ

Thank you Pat so much for sharing this with us. Apologies for making the wrong connection. It is a remarkable and powerful skill to be able to connect in the right way through the eyes. I am happy to hear that you found this type of counsellor.

JJ

I never really studied anything in particular when it came to interviewing. It was more of a trial and error with what I had observed and read until I found my own style. At one stage I found that I had the skills but was lacking an understanding of how an interviewee felt and so it was hard to validate these skills. I just happened to then meet Maj-Gen W.B. 'Sandy' Thomas CB DSO MC* ED Silver Star, USA. An extraordinary man and military legend and author of the book 'Dare to be Free'

Synopsis
When the Germans invaded Crete in 1941, Sandy Thomas was shipped to the Greek mainland as one of their prisoners. Despite being severely wounded in the leg he attempted several escapes, including being carried out of his POW camp in a coffin. He finally succeeded in a spectacular escape, and made his way across Greece to Mount Athos, a rocky peninsula populated solely by monks. Here he evaded capture for over a year, before finally stealing a boat and navigating his way through winter seas to freedom in Turkey. This, his story, is one of the great escape narratives of the Second World War.

I attended a presentation given by Sandy where he went into great detail of what it was like to be a Prisoner of War. It was captivating and entertaining. The type of presentation that had every one on the edge of their seats and a little disappointed when it had to end. Sandy gave me an insight into what it was like to be questioned under pressure and what techniques had worked against him. I was fascinated and commenced my research into trying to understand the pressure that an interviewee felt and how I could exploit those pressures. I believe it turned me into a better interviewer.

JJ