5.3 Crafting an effective interview outline
3 min read•august 6, 2024
Crafting an effective interview outline is crucial for a successful interview. It involves setting clear goals, prioritizing questions, and managing time wisely. This preparation ensures you get the most valuable information from your interviewee.
The outline should include that encourage elaboration, for deeper insights, and to maintain momentum. Structuring the flow with smooth topic transitions and being adaptable to unexpected insights helps create a dynamic and informative conversation.
Defining Interview Goals
Establishing Clear Objectives
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- Determine the main purpose of the interview, which guides the entire process
- Identify specific information or insights you aim to gather from the interviewee
- Align the interview objectives with the overall goals of the project or assignment
- Consider the unique perspective or expertise the interviewee brings to the topic
Prioritizing Questions
- Create a question hierarchy that ranks questions from most to least important
- Ensure the most critical questions are asked early in the interview in case time runs short
- Group related questions together to maintain a logical flow and avoid jumping around
- Be prepared to skip lower priority questions if the interviewee provides unexpected valuable insights that require follow-up
Managing Time Effectively
- Allocate an appropriate amount of time for each section of the interview based on priority
- Allow flexibility within the time structure to explore interesting tangents or unexpected insights
- Monitor the time during the interview to ensure all high-priority questions are addressed
- Practice active listening and avoid getting sidetracked by irrelevant details to stay on schedule
Crafting Effective Questions
Encouraging Elaboration with Open-Ended Questions
- Use open-ended questions that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no (What led you to pursue this career path?)
- Craft questions that encourage the interviewee to provide detailed responses and share their experiences
- Avoid leading questions that suggest a particular answer or bias the response
- Use "how" and "why" questions to elicit more thoughtful and reflective answers
Digging Deeper with Probing Questions
- Ask probing questions to clarify unclear responses or gather more specific details
- Use phrases like "Can you tell me more about..." or "What do you mean by..." to encourage elaboration
- Ask for specific examples or anecdotes to illustrate the interviewee's points (Can you share a time when you faced this challenge?)
- Use probing questions to explore the emotions, motivations, or thought processes behind the interviewee's actions or decisions
Maintaining Momentum with Follow-Up Questions
- Listen actively to the interviewee's responses and ask relevant follow-up questions
- Use follow-up questions to build upon previous answers and explore new angles or perspectives
- Ask for clarification if an answer is unclear or seems to contradict earlier statements
- Use follow-up questions to probe for lessons learned, insights gained, or changes in perspective over time
Structuring the Interview Flow
Guiding the Conversation with Topic Transitions
- Organize the interview outline into logical sections based on themes or topics
- Use transitional phrases or questions to smoothly guide the conversation from one topic to the next (Now let's move on to discussing...)
- Summarize key points from the previous topic before introducing the next to maintain clarity and coherence
- Allow for brief pauses or moments of reflection between topics to give the interviewee time to collect their thoughts
Adapting to Unexpected Insights
- Remain flexible in questioning and be willing to deviate from the planned outline if the interviewee shares unexpected valuable insights
- Ask follow-up questions to explore interesting tangents or new perspectives that arise during the interview
- Balance the need for flexibility with the importance of covering all essential topics within the allotted time
- Make note of unexpected insights or areas for further exploration to potentially revisit later in the interview or in future research
Key Terms to Review (17)
Body: In the context of interviews, the body refers to the main part of the interview where the bulk of the questions and discussions take place. It’s during this segment that the interviewer dives deeper into topics, exploring details and nuances that reveal more about the subject. This part is crucial for gathering substantial information and insights that contribute to the overall effectiveness of the interview.
Chronological order: Chronological order refers to the arrangement of events or information in the sequence they occurred in time. This organization helps create a clear narrative flow, making it easier for the audience to follow the progression of thoughts or events during an interview, ensuring coherence and clarity in the conversation.
Communication skills: Communication skills refer to the ability to convey information effectively and efficiently through verbal, non-verbal, and written means. These skills are crucial in establishing rapport, building trust, and ensuring clarity during interactions. In interviews, mastering communication skills helps in formulating the right questions and organizing thoughts, making it easier to engage with the interviewee and achieve desired outcomes.
Confidentiality: Confidentiality refers to the ethical and legal obligation to protect the privacy of information shared by individuals during an interview. This concept is crucial for building trust with interviewees and ensuring that sensitive information remains secure and is not disclosed without consent.
Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information objectively, evaluate different perspectives, and make reasoned judgments. It involves questioning assumptions, recognizing biases, and using logic to reach conclusions, which is essential for effective communication and decision-making. This skill enhances the ability to formulate insightful questions and develop a well-structured interview outline.
Distractions: Distractions refer to anything that diverts attention away from the primary focus of a conversation or activity. In communication, they can stem from external sources like noise or interruptions, or internal factors such as wandering thoughts or emotional preoccupations. Managing distractions is crucial to ensure effective interaction, especially in situations like interviews where clarity and understanding are paramount.
Environment: In the context of interviewing, the environment refers to the physical and emotional surroundings in which the interview takes place. This includes factors such as location, ambiance, comfort, and psychological atmosphere that can greatly influence the dynamics of the conversation and the responses given by participants. An effective environment fosters openness and trust, allowing for a more productive exchange between the interviewer and the interviewee.
Follow-up questions: Follow-up questions are inquiries made after an initial response to gather more details, clarify statements, or deepen understanding of a topic. They play a crucial role in keeping the conversation flowing and ensuring the interviewer can extract richer insights from the interviewee.
Informed Consent: Informed consent is the process of obtaining permission from an individual before conducting an interview or gathering sensitive information, ensuring that the person fully understands what participation involves. This includes clearly explaining the purpose of the interview, how the information will be used, and any potential risks, thus protecting the rights and privacy of the interviewee.
Open-ended questions: Open-ended questions are inquiries that allow for a full, meaningful answer using the subject's own knowledge and feelings, rather than simply a 'yes' or 'no' response. These questions encourage interviewees to express their thoughts and provide more detailed information, which is essential for gathering insights in various interviewing contexts.
Probing questions: Probing questions are follow-up inquiries designed to encourage deeper responses and elicit more information from interviewees. They help clarify, expand, or explore the thoughts and feelings of the person being interviewed, allowing the interviewer to gain a richer understanding of the topic at hand.
Questionnaires: Questionnaires are structured tools used to gather information from respondents through a series of questions. They are commonly utilized in interviews to elicit specific responses, allowing the interviewer to explore various topics systematically. By providing a clear framework, questionnaires help in organizing thoughts and guiding the conversation, ensuring that key areas are covered effectively.
Rapport building: Rapport building is the process of establishing a positive, trusting relationship between the interviewer and the interviewee, which is essential for effective communication and information exchange. This connection enhances the comfort level of the interviewee, encouraging openness and honesty, which leads to richer and more insightful responses during the interview.
Research Materials: Research materials are the resources and information used to gather insights and background knowledge relevant to a specific subject or project. In crafting an effective interview outline, these materials provide the foundation for developing questions and understanding the context of the interviewee’s expertise or experiences, ensuring that the interview is both focused and informative.
Semi-structured interview: A semi-structured interview is a qualitative data collection method that combines pre-determined questions with the flexibility to explore topics in more depth during the conversation. This approach allows the interviewer to guide the discussion while also enabling participants to express their thoughts and feelings freely, making it particularly effective for gathering rich, detailed information in various contexts.
Structured Interview: A structured interview is a research method where the interviewer asks a predetermined set of questions in a specific order, ensuring consistency and comparability in responses. This approach is designed to minimize variability in answers and allows for quantitative analysis, making it particularly useful in contexts where clear, objective data is needed.
Thematic structure: Thematic structure refers to the organization of an interview based on key themes or topics that guide the conversation and shape the flow of dialogue. This approach helps to create a coherent narrative that ensures all important subjects are covered, while also allowing for a natural progression of ideas. By utilizing thematic structure, interviewers can maintain focus and clarity, leading to a more effective and engaging interview experience.