Exam 1: Ch. 1-4 Flashcards
What is an interview?
i. Interactional communication process between two parties, at least one of whom has a predetermined and serious purpose, that involves the asking and answering of questions
Elements of an interview
- Exchanging, or sharing, of roles, responsibilities, feelings, beliefs, motives, and information.
- Roles switch…and then switch back
- Takes two tango: collaborative in nature
- Disclosure is needed…and yes, it is a risk
Characteristics of interviewing relating to process
- It is a complex, ever-changing process
- No interview occurs in a vacuum.
- An interview is an ongoing process.
Interviewing relating to Parties
- A dyadic process involves two parties
- It’s not an interview if more than two parties are involved.
Characteristics of the layout of an interview?
- Some degree of structure exists.
a. Predetermined and serious
b. Structures v. semi-structured - An interview is a conversation and much more intent and purpose
traditional forms of interviewing: a. Information-gathering interviews
i. Primary purpose: gather accurate, insightful, and useful information though the skillful use of questions (prepared and spontaneous)
ii. Examples: surveys, exit interviews, research sessions, investigations
traditional forms of interviewing: Selection interviews
i. Example: recruitment interviews
ii. Primary purpose: to determine the ideal placement of applicant/staff member
traditional forms of interviewing: c. Interviewee’s behavior review interview
i. Primary focus: interviewee’s skills, performance, abilities, or behavior
ii. Example: annual performance review
iii. The emphasis is on goal-setting and coaching the interviewee to continue good behaviors
iv. Depending on severity, the emphasis may change…
traditional forms of interviewing: Interviewer’s behavior review interview
i. The emphasis is on the interviewers behavior, performance, or attitudes
ii. Ex: common setting involve receipt of complaints
traditional forms of interviewing: persuasian
i. Purpose: one party attempts to alter or reinforce the thinking, feeling, or acting of another party
ii. May be formal, or informal
iii. Ex: fund-raising, sales pitch
Nontraditional forms of interviewing: a. The focus group interview
i. A small group of people (usually 6-12) is interviewed by a highly skilled interviewer (moderator or facilitator)
ii. Focus: opinions, insights, and responses gleaned from careful listening and recording
Nontraditional forms of interviewing: b. The telephone interview
i. Examples: initial employment screening interviews, fund-raising campaigns and opinion polls
ii. Advantage: time and cost efficient
iii. Disadvantage: lack of “presence” of parties
iv. Remember: phone etiquette
Nontraditional forms of interviewing: c. The videoconference interview
i. Length of answers matter
ii. Body language matters
iii. Volume matters
iv. Technology matters
v. Advantage: cost efficient; lack of location constraints
vi. Disadvantage: technology glitches
Nontraditonal forms of interviews: The e-mail interview
i. Advantage: lack of scheduling/location constraints
ii. Disadvantage: reluctance of parties to type lengthy answers
Interview as collaborative (4)
1) Each party consists of unique and complex individual
2) Each party’s motivations inform the situation
3) Relational history or memory plays an important role
4) Relational dimensions
Directive approach
A directive approach allows the interviewer to maintain control.
Nondirective approach
i. A nondirective approach enables the interviewee to share control.
ii. Ex: doctor-patient interactions
Level 1 interaction
- Avoid judgments, attitudes, and feelings
- Are safe and superficial
- Dominate interactions where there is little relational history, where trust has yet to be established, and hierarchy is obvious.
Level 2 interaction
- Require trust and risk-taking
- More revealing ideas, feelings, and information
- Although riskier, can be ended easily
- Ex: news story interview
Level 3 interaction
- Involve full disclosure
- Deal with intimate and controversial areas of inquiry
- Requires a positive relationship
- Ex: magazine-story interviews
Non-verbal interactions
i. Nonverbal signals send many different messages
ii. Any behavioral act, or its absence, can convey a message.
iii. In mixed messages, the how may overcome the what.
iv. Verbal and nonverbal messages are intricately intertwined.
Feedback
a. Be perceptive, sensitive, and receptive
b. It is difficult to listen with your mouth open and your ears closed.
4 different listening approaches
i. Listening for comprehension: teacher-student
ii. Listening for empathy: parent-child
iii. Listen for evaluation: employer-employee
iv. Listening for resolution: psychiatrist-patient
Highly open questions
i. Specify a broad and general topic
ii. Allow the respondent considerable freedom in determining response (the amount and kind of information)
iii. Example: tell me about your summer
1. What do you remember about your childhood?
Moderately open questions
i. One level more specific than highly open questions
ii. Example: summer —summer vacation in Italy
1. Childhood—experiences with siblings growing up
Advantages of open questions
i. More information
1. Lengthier answers
2. Less threatening
3. Complex responses that reveal more than information
Disadvanteges to open questions
i. Time-consuming
ii. Off-track
iii. Information overload
Characterisitcs of closed questions: high and moderate
a. Narrow in focus
b. Moderately closed questions
i. Summer—monuments you visited in Italy
c. Highly Closed questions:
i. Summer—monuments you visited first and your favorite
Advatages of closed questions
i. Specific information
ii. Replicable
iii. Quick
iv. Easy to analyze multiple interviews
disadvantages of closed questions
i. Too little information
ii. “Why” remains unanswered
iii. Depends on knowledge level
Open vs. Closed questions
a. Narrower question: data decreases
i. Control
ii. Precision
b. Broader question: data increases
i. Less control
ii. Less precision
c. Best: combination of approaches
Primary questions
a. Primary: introduce topics or new areas within a topic and can stand alone even when taken out of context
Probing questions
b. Probing: attempt to discover additional information following primary and secondary…
Types of probing questions (7)
1) Silent probes: providing space for response
2) Nudging probes: “go on” right” “I see”
3) Clearing house probes: use when wrapping up one area and moving on to the next. “Anything else I need to know about this job” “do you have anything else to add?”
4) Informational probes: follow-up to a closed question. “Tell me more about” “why do you think…” “How did that make you feel?”
5) Restatement probes: rephrasing original questions when answers lacking
6) Reflective probes: used to clarify, verify; NOT to “trap” the interviewee
7) Mirror probes: summarize response to ensure accuracy
Neutral and leading questions
a. Neutral questions encourage honest answers
b. Leading questions direct interviewees to specific answers
i. Reveal interviewer bias – “whatever you like”
ii. Lead to “dictated” responses
Loaded questions
another level of leading, have assumptions built in
a. How did Batman 3 compare with the previous ones Versus. Don’t you think the second Batman movie was better than the most recent one?
Common question pitfalls: The Bipolar trap
i. Asking yes/no questions when more is needed
ii. Questions that allow for only two opposing options as an answer
1. E.g.” do you, did you, are you, have you”
iii. Avoid it by beginning questions with words like “how”, “why”, “explain”, “tell me about it”
common question pitfalls: Tell me everything
i. Too open, does not provide the interviewee with direction
ii. “tell me everything about yourself”
Common question pitfalls: the open-to-close switch
i. Occurs usually when questions are being phrased on the fly
ii. Ex: Why did you purchase a hybrid car?…
Common question pitfalls: The curious probe
i. Asking irrelevant questions
ii. Relevance is contextual
Common question pitfalls: Complexity vs. Simplicity
i. Long-winded questions can be confusing
ii. Provide clear, concise instructions on surveys
Common question pitfalls: Don’t ask, don’t tell
i. Be aware about what might be acceptable/not acceptable to ask
ii. Touch on “sensitive” areas only once you’ve established rapport and gained trust
Common Question Pitfalls (8)
a. The Bipolar trap
b. Tell me everything
c. The open-to-close switch
d. The double-barreled inquisition
e. The guessing game
f. The curious probe
g. Complexity vs. Simplicity
h. Don’t ask, don’t tell
The interview guide: content arrangement
- A carefully structured outline of topics and subtopics to be covered during an interview
- Ensures that all important topics and subtopics are covered
- Assists in recording answers and recall
ii. Visual frame work
- Main point
a. Subpoint
i. Sub-subpoint
ii. Sub-subpoint
Outline sequences for interview guides
- Topical: main points explore different topics
- Time: main points follow time pattern
- Space: main points follow directional pattern
- Cause-to-effect: main points explore cause-effect relationship
- Problem-solution: main points explore cause-effect relationship
Nonscheduled interview schedules
a. Merely an interview guide with no questions prepared in advance
b. Use when interviews are short, preparation time is scarce
c. Extremely flexible (maybe more flexible than needed)
d. Disadvantage: unintentional interviewer bias
Moderately scheduled interview schedules
a. Contains all major questions with possible probing questions under each
b. Lessens the dangers of instant question creation
Highly scheduled interview schedules
a. Includes all questions and the exact wording to be used with each interviewee.
b. Highly scheduled interviews sacrifice flexibility and adaptability for control.
c. Necessary for precision, replicability, and reliability
Tunnel sequence:
a series of similar questions, either open or closed, it works well with informal and simple interviews
- Ex: I understand you participated in Big Event last year. I was hoping we could talk about that experience today.
a. When did it take place?
b. Why did you participate?
c. How many aggies participate?
d. Can you describe your task?
Funnel sequence:
begins with a broad, open-ended question and proceeds with evermore-restricted questions, it works well with motivated interviewees.
Inverted funnel sequence:
begins with a closed question and proceeds towards open questions. It provides a warm-up time for those reluctant to talk.
Combination sequences:
begins with open questions, proceeds to one or more closed questions, and ends with open questions
Diamond sequence:
enables interviewers to begin with closed questions, proceed to open questions, and end with closed questions.
Opening the interview
a. It takes two parties to launch an interview successfully.
b. Two step process:
i. Establish rapport: goodwill and trust
ii. Orient the other party
c. Rapport and orientation are often intermixed and reduce relational uncertainty.
Verbal opening techniques: *do not talk in monologue – make it open to discussion
i. State the purpose
ii. Summarize the problem
iii. Explain how the problem was discovered
iv. Offer and incentive or reward (if appropriate)
v. Request advice or assistance
vi. Draw on background research
vii. Refer to the person who sent you
viii. Refer to your organization
ix. Request a specific amount of time
x. Ask a simple, open question
Nonverbal opening techniques:
i. Territoriality
ii. Face, appearance, dress
iii. Touch
iv. Reading non-verbal communication
Closing the interview
a. Take your time and be tactful in what you say and do in the closing.
b. The closing often signals the continuation of a relationship.
Closing the interview guidlines:
i. Be sincere and honest.
ii. Do not rush the closing.
iii. Do not introduce new topics or ideas during the closing.
iv. Leave the door open for future contacts.
v. Avoid false closing when the interview is not really over.
vi. Avoid failed departures when you soon meet up again with the party after having concluded the interview.
techniques for closing the interview
i. Offer to answer questions.
ii. Using clearinghouse questions.
iii. Declare completion of the intended purpose.
iv. Make personal inquiries. (What are your plans for the rest of the day?)
v. Make professional inquiries. (What are your plans in the future?)
vi. Signal that time is up. (“Looks like we are out of time.”)
vii. Explain the reason for the closing
viii. Express appreciation and satisfaction
ix. Arrange for the next meeting
x. Summarize the interview
