GTEE1111 Presentation Skills at the Workplace

WHAT IS AN INTERVIEW
Why a need to have an interview?
There are many types of interview. As a college student, interview is viewed as
something that you need to face when you graduate or finish your studies at the college.
Interview, to most people is when you attend a question and answer session in a face to
face situation especially in a job interview. However, as college students, there is another
kind of interview that you have to do and this is done for the purpose of gathering
information for a piece of research. It is sometimes referred to as research or
investigative interview. This kind of interview is done to collect information and
according to Lucas (2004:p.158) it is also an excellent way to gather materials for
speeches.
In view of the course requirement for students to interview an informant for the topic of
your choice, an interview of this nature will need to be conducted as part of your public
speaking preparation. For some of you this may come as an easy task but for others it
can be a new experience and may be seen as an arduous task. Some may even question
the necessity of this requirement as you can already gather most of the information from
the library, internet, journals, etc. Using an interview approach to gather information can
be easy and more efficient. In addition, an opportunity to interview an individual who has
actually experienced domestic violence or one who has the experience of counseling a
problematic teenager, would be completely different and more interesting. Not only can
you address various questions related to him or her experience but more importantly, you
are able to acquire information and his/her personal perspective on the issue. This is
because he/she can share with you his/her first-hand experience of his/her involvement or
association in your related persuasive speech topic.
As the course requires you to submit evidence of your interview there are a few important
things that you need to remember before embarking on the task. These simple
preparations can be divided into three easy-to-follow steps: pre-interview, during
interview and after interview. Let us get started.
Pre-interview
At the pre-interview stage, the following reminders may assist you in your preparation.
Stage 1: Identify your Interviewee
At this stage, it is assumed that you would have already chosen your persuasive speech
topic, done some library research and identified your potential interviewee appropriately.
Identify someone who can provide you with a broad understanding of your chosen topic.
You should not get your friend or someone close to you to pretend to be the interviewee.
It is necessary for you to furnish details of your interviewee and contact number for
reference. Unless the friend or relative member is also associated to the topic, your course
lecturer would not have any objections to it.

ARMZ/KSOct2011

Page 1

GTEE1111 Presentation Skills at the Workplace

Stage 2: Make an appointment
The next thing to do is to make an appointment with the interviewee in mind and request
necessary permission if you are required to do so. Your potential interviewee may have a
busy schedule hence it is crucial that you get the cooperation of the interviewee and
schedule the interview session that is convenient for him or her. You are strongly advised
not to cancel the appointment to avoid upsetting the interviewee.
Stage 3: Request to record the interview
It is also important to get permission from your interviewee to record the interview
session as it is part of the course requirement. Explain to the interviewee that you need to
submit a copy of the recording to your course lecturer for the purpose of assessment.
Hence, it would be subject to confidentiality. Your interview has to be conducted in
English and hence you need to ensure that your interviewee is able to converse in the said
language.
Stage 4: Obtain an official letter (if asked)
In some cases, the interviewee may need an official letter from the department regarding
the need to conduct the interview. This official letter can be obtained from your course
lecturer before hand. You are to bring along the letter and tape recorder or other recording
methods to carry out the task.
Stage 5: Write out your interview questions
Remember to prepare your questions well before the interview session. Include a variety
of questions in your interview. All questions should be edited and organized to ensure that
there would be no repetitions. You also need to check on the relevance of your questions.
According to Lucas (2004) your questions should be formed sensibly, intelligently and
meaningfully. You can get the assistance of your course lecturer to check on the language
accuracy of your interview questions. (Refer to Section on How to Write Out Your
Interview Questions). The interview should not take more than 10 minutes as you do not
want to take up too much of the interviewees time.
Once all the above are looked into you are now ready to make your way to meet your
interviewee for an interesting session. It is always advisable to make a call to your
interviewee a day before the interview date to remind and check with him/her if he/she is
still available for the appointment or if it needs to be rescheduled. And please remember
to bring along the permission letter (if required) and your tape recorder/other modes of
recording. You are now ready for the next stage which is conducting the interview.
You can use the following frame when writing out your Interview Questions (IQ).
A. Blooms Taxonomy of Learning Objectives
This is one suggested way to organize your interview and it is in the following order of
question types:
1. Knowledge questions
Examples of recall questions involving:
What, Where, When , Who & Which
ARMZ/KSOct2011

Page 2

GTEE1111 Presentation Skills at the Workplace

2. Inference questions
E.g.: Why do you?
3. Application
E.g. : How can this principle apply to real life?
What is its relevance to real life?
4. Analysis
E.g.: What are the parts?
Which are facts and which are opinions?
Which are important issues and which are minor issues?
5. Synthesis
E.g.: What is the theme/sum total/main issue?
What is the relationship between the various parts?
6. Evaluation
E.g.: What is your opinion are strengths/weaknesses?
Based on your experience, what is the value of this method?
What benefits has it brought to you?
What do you think you are getting out of it?
What difficulties do you face?
B. Questions in logical order
Chronological/General to specific so that one question could be seen as
following on from the previous.
C. Closed to Open-ended
Beginning with Yes/No and Guided questions and developing to open-ended
questions on opinions such as What do you think about recent government
legislation on this? Or What are your views on the future of the profession?
D. The use of prompts and probes
When an interview comes up with elements that are unique or peculiar to them,
you can use prompts to enable them to focus on common components that are of
interest to you (for your presentation later). Prompts start with What about?
During Interview
Assuming that your appointment has not been rescheduled, please be punctual as it is not
encouraged to keep your interviewee waiting. Dress appropriately and comfortably. So
you are now anxiously waiting for your interviewee. Quietly go through your prepared
questions and ensure that your recorder/other mode of recording is in working condition.
You can do this by testing it again and record your details and other information required
by your course lecturer. This can also be done prior to you leaving for the interview
venue. Examples of information that should be included before the actual interview are
name of your interviewee, time and location of the interview. It is also good to time
yourself as your interview should not exceed 10 minutes of recording time. Your marks
would be deducted for not adhering to the time limit stated. Your interviewee is ready for
the interview. The following reminders may assist you during your interview:

ARMZ/KSOct2011

Page 3

GTEE1111 Presentation Skills at the Workplace

Stage 1: Greet your interviewee
Always greet your interviewee and thank him/her for making time to assist you in the
completion of your assignment.
Stage 2: Remind your purpose of interview
It is good to remind the interviewee the purpose of your interview as it can help the
interviewee to focus on the topic of your speech. Also remind him/her that you will be
recording the whole interview session. Seek permission to begin the session and be ready
to ask your first prepared question. Make sure that your recorder is switched ON.
Stage 3: Ask your prepared questions
It is always easy to begin asking your first prepared question. The first question is an
opening question and is usually quite general.
Stage 4: Be attentive to the replies
When you have finished asking the opening question, listen attentively to the replies
given and look at the interviewee. Inexperienced interviewers have the tendency to worry
about the next question and hence do not listen to the responses given. Imagine the
embarrassment you face when you were told that he/she has already given you the
information earlier. But because you were too busy getting ready to pose a new question,
you failed to listen. By listening attentively, you can always improvise your prepared
questions and skip when necessary. Your alertness and sensitivity to what is being said
can show in the way you pick up and respond to the nuances in meaning and this can only
be done if you focus on the interviewee rather than on yourself. Also, leave time and
space for the interviewee to respond and avoid rushing in when there is a pause and
answering for them.
Back-channelling
You need to use some friendly back-channelling strategies such as yeah, uh-huh,
ok, wow or really? and other verbal signals to indicate on the CD/tape that you are
listening attentively and responding in an interested way to the interviewer. Also showing
understanding and compassion is important, for example, That must have been very
difficult or I understand how you must have felt.
Use appropriate body language/use a tone showing interest
Also use body language such as nods and leaning forward slightly to show that you are
interested in what is being said. It is also not necessary for you to write the answers as
you are recording the interview as you need to give adequate eye contact to your
interviewee. You can always replay the recording later when you are alone for any notetaking. Without sounding false or unnatural, ensure that your voice shows your interest
and enthusiasm about whatever the speaker is saying. This is reflected in the responsive
tone you use throughout the interview.
Ask for clarification/further elaboration/stay on track/reflecting
You do not need to ask all the time as you can also share what you know from your
research, confirm your understanding, rephrase your questions if you think the questions
ARMZ/KSOct2011

Page 4

GTEE1111 Presentation Skills at the Workplace

are not answered because they are too confusing or request for a more elaborate answer.
Examples would be By saying, do you mean that? or Did I understand you to
say/mean ? or Did I get you right when you say that?. This form of probing is
referred to as Reflecting, because it is a technique of giving back the essence of what
the interviewee has just said in his/her own words. Reflecting helps to summarize the
overt content and focuses the interviewee on the essence of what has been said. It also
indicates an awareness of the emotional state behind what has been said.
I dont quite understand that. Could you explain further? This is what is known as
probing. In a sense, it puts the interview in control. It gives the interviewee a chance to
tell you further and help you to understand. To an important degree, it allows the
interviewee to own the interview. While you as the interviewer is in control of the
direction and topics covered, probing gives the interviewee a share of this control.
Relevance
Also, in interviews as in conversations, people can be elliptical, making leaps from one
topic to another which may be connected in their minds but may be slightly confusing to
an outsider. Try to get them to show you the connection between ideas by asking
questions like Can you explain the connection between (a) and (b)? or I cant see how
these two ideas are connected. Can you explain the link?
Giving examples/extending the narrative
Also ask the interviewee to give examples to explain abstract points or issues. If the
interviewee is giving a narrative or account and cuts it short to go on another track, say
something like Tell me a bit more about that experience.
Gently bring the interviewee back on track if he or she is diverging too much from your
topic. However, keep interruptions to a minimum. The session should be more interactive
and not be so rigid by you only throwing your questions and your interviewee providing
you with the answers and you with complete silence on your side. It should be an
enjoyable interactive session where you can also display your knowledge of the topic and
your preparedness for the interview.
Stage 5: Adhere to time
Remember that your interviewee may have a busy schedule and has kindly agreed to be
interviewed. In return you need to value the time spent and do not take up too much of
your interviewees precious time unnecessarily. Remember to thank your interviewee
again before leaving and say what new things you have learnt.
Stage 6: Check your recording
If necessary, request for permission to check that the audio of the recording is acceptable
by playing it back at the end and listening to ensure that the recording is successful. This
is so that you do not need to repeat the interview. Once checked, you can now look
forward to after the interview stage.

ARMZ/KSOct2011

Page 5

GTEE1111 Presentation Skills at the Workplace

After the Interview
Stage 1: Listen to the recording immediately
Stage 2: Identify any information to quote in your Persuasive speech presentation
Stage 3: Rewrite your interview questions accordingly (to be submitted together with
CD)
Stage 4: Transfer to your CD/tape and keep a copy for yourself
Stage 5: Submit CD/tape and IQ list to your lecturer before giving your speech
Visit the following sites (see Spectrum) to view some tips on interviews conducted:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aCmWoVrHDc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eOynrI2eTM&feature=related
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ers0506/rs/ers050610.pdf
http://www.indianscribes.com/preparing-questions-for-a-qualitative-research-interview/
References
Gillham, B. (2000). The Research Interview. Continuum. London and new York.
Lucas, S. (2004). The Art of Public Speaking. (8th Edition.). McGraw Hill: New York.
Asking the right questions. In The Star (August 7, 2006).

ARMZ/KSOct2011

Page 6