Introduction
An interview is undoubtedly one of the most accurate forms of getting detailed information from the source itself (Solly, 2007). There are several types of interviews, varying from the type of questions asked to the strategic approach applied to them. Interviews can be direct or indirect. Direct interviews involve both the interviewer and interviewee being physically present and communicating by questions and answers. For example, in a live T.V show (Harcup, 2009). Indirect communication entails asking questions via a third party. This paper discusses the various modes of conducting interviews and their effectiveness.
Types of Interviews
Informal (conversational)
The individual interview is also known as the personal interview—the most common type of interview I used in most of my interviews. This type of interview involved a face-to-face question-and-answer forum, where I was allocated a stipulated period to seek answers. The allocated time ranged from thirty to ninety minutes. If the allocated time was on the minimum side, then I opted to draft down the questions in a logical yet concise way. This enabled offering brief, straightforward answers to the questions. However, in certain situations, I did use longer periods as an advantage to dig deeper into details and reduce generalizations, which I had earlier made. The allocation of time was dependent on the prevailing circumstances. For instance, in the interview titled remembering Belleau Wood, I would use much time to ask questions I thought were more important than the others were, hence, the times in bracket.
General interview guide approach
In this type of interview, I meet with important decision-makers of a committee or organization. In this case, the decision-makers were usually the interviewees while the interviewer was a single individual or a group represented by a single individual. This type of interview is practiced when an individual is seeking a job opportunity at an organization. It is usually advisable to expect a wide range of perceptions and interpretations of answers from a single question that one asks as an interviewer. Certain aspects of conversation need to be cautiously observed during these types of interviews such as eye contact and confidence in speech. I also saw the necessity of knowing the names of the interview participants and their job titles. Osprey Gunny is an example of an interview in which employed the use of the general guide approach.
Standardized (open-ended interview)
In standardized (open-ended interview), the interview was usually preceded or proceeded by an individual interviewer or a panel of interviewers. In most cases, the interviewees called back to add more information that he or they felt was necessary. Only on rare occasions did I find a group of decision-makers disagreeing on the selection and final report of candidates shortlisted for a second interview. For example, when studying the interview on Newtok, Alaska Relocation, or on a title whose subject matter is the scramble for independence in a country, such as Ghana, I was likely to interview surviving freedom fighters of that period. After the first encounter, the interviewee would decide to add more information to what they had provided during the first interview. During such interviews, I would reflect on the asked questions and try to build on them. This, in some instances, led to the uncovering of information that might have not come out clearly in the first face of the interview. For instance, learning more about important events, their happenings and the core reasons why they occurred during the scramble of independence of that particular country may enable the interviewer to assess the outcome better (Publishing, 2001).
Closed, fixed-response interview
This format was useful to me for I was inexperienced in interviewing. This is usually more of a brain challenge to interviewers (Allan, 2005). The interviewer is offered a set of tasks and asked to choose the appropriate one for their handling. The task bestowed upon the interviewer involves using critical, analytical, technical, as well as basic interviewing skills. In task-oriented types of interviews, the ultimate requirement is to produce an appeasing report of what one was asked to do.
Types of interview questions
Introduction
Succeeding in an interview involved understanding the task itself and the type of interview to be used to accomplish the goal. Furthermore, the types of questions to be asked during that period served as an important factor to reveal all the necessary information required. There are three major types of questions that an interviewer or interviewee can ask or answer—an open-end question, a closed-end question, and a hypothetical question. The open-end and closed-end questions are the most used types of questions as compared to the hypothetical ones, which breeds generalization. To ace the interview, one should be aware of their differences (Solly, 2007). The preference of question type varies depending on the specific circumstance.
Open-end questions
Open-end questions are asked to simply know more about the interviewee. They demand more than a brief affirmative or negative response, i.e. yes or no. Generally, the open-end question tells more about the condition of the interviewee’s thoughts and aids to put them at ease with what they are answering. An example of an open-end question can be, “tell me about your childhood experiences.” Such a question, by all manner of sounding, requires neither a simple yes or no, nor a one-liner sentence. It calls for a tale of a chain of events that occurred chronologically one after the other. Failure to give a full response to such a question may lead to a vague understanding. Therefore, it all depended on my ability to pose the questions correctly in a manner understandable by the interviewee. The interview titled Osprey Gunny is a good example in which I employed open-ended questions to allow for answers from any perspective.
Close-end questions
Close-end questions are the exact opposite of the open-end type; they accept a yes or no for an answer. However, as succinct they might be, these questions usually require a supporting relevant example. An example of a closed-end question can be phrased as follows, “have you ever had a car accident?” This question will automatically require a yes or no. However, to aid the interviewer in making their report, it will require support in form of a date, specific time, and location at which the accident occurred, if it did. While phrasing a question, it should be done in a way that will not offend the respondent in any way. One can do this by coming up with several questions of the same kind that require the same answer, then choosing the most appropriate one (Stephenson, 1998). In “The Lioness,” I employed several open-ended questions. Nevertheless, it still never went well.
Hypothetical Questions
A hypothetical question, as the name suggests, is that which is based on mere suggestions. Most of these questions begin with the phrase ‘what if’. They are used to determine the stability or plans of an individual indirectly. For instance, while interviewing a group of enthusiastic performers, and one would like to know how serious they are with an upcoming event in which they are likely to feature, one can ask, “what if the judges turn you down because of your inability to please to them?” Such a question will draw several answers from more than one perspective.
Strategies
Different journalists use different approach strategies to arrive at the answer they require for the final reports. Some journalists prefer the ascending order of questions based on their chronology and depth to the descending, whereas others prefer the opposite. Other journalists prefer posing the questions as they come to juggle up the thoughts of the respondent. I was privileged to choose the strategic approach that I wanted to use. In two of the conducted research interviews from Marine TV, it is quite evident that I used an ascending order of questions to retrieve information from the viewers. In other interviews, I used the descending and indirect means of getting answers to questions.
The first case of such an approach is the Sgt saxophone future, whereby, I first gave an overview of the event and what it entailed. Introducing the audience followed this to Sergeant Jackson who introduced himself and his occupation. Note that at this point the sergeant gives background information on his history as a marine. There was also use of the indirect open-end question that led the sergeant to state all the information. Another use of the open-end question led the Sergeant to tell more about his past. This is seen at the point where he states that he graduated from boot camp and returned to try to complete his undergraduate degree. I further narrowed it down to see the perception of students on the characters’ behavior. A third party, Kyle, was interviewed. From Kyle, the audience understands that the sergeant understands people’s strengths, weaknesses, and offers encouragement.
A similar case is an interview on the Newtok—Alaska’s relocation. Ascending order of questions is seen when I have begun by giving a slight overview. The marine leader then tells of their accomplishments and achievements and what they plan to do. After this, I asked about the challenges they have faced during the period in which they were struggling to relocate. This is also an ascending type of question because I first boosted the morale of the respondent and then asked a question not many proud achievers would like to answer. The respondents willingly answered the posed question due to the previously asked questions. To get more answers, a genuine question that is more of an open-end was posed thus drawing several answers from the correspondents.
The interview on Lioness shows a descending way of asking questions. Immediately after the overview information is given out, I head straight to the main question of the interview. This leads the respondent to give out an unsatisfactory answer and thus minute information is obtained. The flows of questions from one to the other seem to obtain satisfactory answers but are ambiguous to the interview.
Critiques of Various Interviews
An environment that least distorts the information one is passing across is professionally recommended for interviews. Failure to find a suitable environment may lead to interference of information, resulting in poor translation by the receiving end of the interview (Verity, 2004). Another factor that needs to be considered is time. Adequate time is required during an interview to avoid the interviewee just placing answers for the sake of answering a question. Some of the interviews on marine TV did not adhere to these professional requirements (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2007).
Remembering Belleau Wood
It is obvious from the onset of the interview that there was a lot of interruption from the external environment. Flyovers, marine hymns, and other sounds are a disruption to the accuracy of the interview. The noises due to technical problems of the team led to too much interviewing time getting lost. Furthermore, I had to paraphrase a question differently every time to ensure that he gets answers from the respondent.
In addition, the time factor is to be considered. The time at the end of the interviewee’s statements is approximate to the total time he took to digest the question and respond to it. I was fast in asking questions, therefore, assimilated the interviewee to respond to them at the same pace. From a critical point of view, the answers given are not as accurate as expected; enough time should have been allocated for the consideration of the questions asked and producing satisfactory answers. Also, from the onset of the interview, the respondent is somehow not willing to give out every detail they know about Belleau Wood.
Lioness
From the interview of Todd Hunter and Pam, it is quite clear that there is ineffective communication between the two parties. In the section where I interrogate Pam, there is an answer although it is different from the required answer. For instance, at this point:
“Narration –before that can happen, female service members must first learn local customs and cultures. They’re also trained in marine corps, martial arts, weapons handling, and rules of engagement. It’s usually a far cry from their everyday duties, but it’s a job they volunteer for. This is the story of one lioness…
Pam – we called her boo. That was her nickname, boo.
Narration – proud mothers hardly ever hold back.
Pam – because she cried a lot when she was a baby|”
Recommendations
From the two critiques, it is better to allocate more time to the respondent to allow them to think about what they are answering, not to create unwanted suggestions that might at one-time tamper with the respondent’s rapport. Time allocation will serve to make the interviewee think about the matter being questioned. This will lead to them giving accurate answers that will not call for onsite interviewing.
An environment serene that is conducive enough should be chosen to avoid interferences from external factors. For example, keep away from noise and destruction as much as possible. The tranquility will allow for composure and avoid any wrong structuring of the statements. It will also lead to one getting accurate information and avoiding answers unplanned answers. Double-checking the conditions of the devices that are being used, such as the sound system is important. Failure to do so may result in interference during the interview, leading to many inconveniences.
Listening Skills and Roles Of Non-Verbal Cues
Listening skills allow for an interviewer to receive maximum information from an interview. Non-verbal communication allows one to understand the mood of the interviewee. From that, one can know whether to ask a question. Depending on the emotional expressions of the respondent, the interviewer can either change or continue with the chain of questions that have been drafted. There are several listening and non-verbal communications skills used to reap the maximum benefit from the interview.
Listening skills
Always do the following:
Maintain eye contact with the interviewee. The need to refer to the notebook occasionally is obvious. Nevertheless, maintaining eye contact helps focus on the conversation and encourages full participation during the interview.
Focus on the content and give the delivery a lower hand.
Avoid emotional involvement. Being too emotionally involved in listening can make one hear what they want to believe, and not what is being said. One should always remain open-minded and objective.
Avoid any form of distractions. Listening is a challenging mental task and should be treated as an important element.
Stay active by asking mental questions. The gap between the rate of speech and the rate of thought of both parties can be used to compare the response times of the different candidates. The interviewer can think faster than the interviewee can respond and thus give an unpleasant response.
Non-verbal communication
This is used to analyze whether a person is not listening or not interested in the questions. It is done by simply taking note of the emotions and expressions displayed by the respondent.
Conclusion
Most interviewers and interviewees consider scheduling for an interview the most difficult part of the whole process of interviewing. Once an interview is scheduled, it is usually interesting and interviewers can find themselves performing tasks that they could not perform earlier due to stress and fatigue. An interview is also considered an experience from which people learn and from which they can strengthen a weak point they have when it comes to asking questions or answering questions. However, several factors are to be considered before indulging in an interview process.
Irrespective of the interview, one will be involved in, be it a job interview or a press interview; it is good to make sure that one follows certain criteria that have been set down to achieve the maximum from an interview. To begin with, setting one’s mind right and tuning their mind to what is in store for them is important. This is because as an interviewee one is likely to encounter an individual who does not give room for unnecessary time consumption. Also as an interviewer, one is likely to interview top-of-the-notch personality. Some of these people pay so much respect to their egos. A slight mistake or lack of concentration may see the interviewer lose a lifetime chance of ever getting such a chance again.
Secondly, observing humility and politeness is also important. This will allow one to ask questions more strategically and chronologically and get to make a breakthrough of getting information that might be worth the effort. Politeness is also required to make one feel obliged to the interviewee making them respond to question respectively and politely as well; it is more of a give what you want interaction.
Also in conformity with humility and politeness is confidence. However, much inferior one feels to the interviewer or interviewee, always one should be determined in whatever they ask or answer. Lack of confidence shutters chances of even making it to the question-answer part of the interview itself. Confidence confirms what one is up to and what they need when answering certain questions or even, better, asking them. However, one should learn to tune their voice’s pitch before they get wrapped with the thought that leads them to use a tone that is usually misinterpreted by the other party of the interview.
Of most importance is the introduction of the interview. This allows the involved parties to know what they are talking about and what they are answering. Failure to give an appropriate introduction can lead the respondent to be irrelevant. An introduction is backed up by background information on what the interview entails. For example, when interviewing a celebrity, the interviewers can summarize the life history, failures, and success in the introduction.
The background part allows one to narrow down to what they want to know more about. For instance, at the introductory phase of an interview, one can say this: After trying, several times Mr. Easy went down a heartbreaking twenty-four times. However, before he could give up, he gave it another shot, which proved to work out wonders in his life. Then in the background, one asks, Mr. Easy, it takes perseverance to make the such number of tries and keep failing. How did it feel back then? This appropriately sets the mind of Mr. Easy to know that he is supposed to talk of the misery stages of his career.
References
Allan, S. (2005). Journalism: Critical Issues. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill International.
Harcup, T. (2009). Journalism: Principles and Practice. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Kovach, B and Rosenstiel, T. (2007). The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know And the Public Should Expect. London: Three Rivers Press.
Publishing, T. (2001). Journalism(2rd ed.). London: Crimson Publishing.
Solly, R. (2007). Journalism. London: Career FAQs Publishers.
Stephenson, D. (1998). How to Succeed in Newspaper Journalism. London: Kogan Page Publishers.
Verity, J. (2004). Succeeding at Interviews: Give Great Answers and Ask the Right Questions Edition3, revised. Oxford: How To Books Ltd.