Getting an interview is the procedure of personal communication between the person conducting the survey and the object, information from which is necessary as part of the study. There are several types of interviews and the process of conducting them, as well as different methods of interviewing. Direct communication and indirect communication are possible - this is the basic classification of all methods.
Main categories
The concept of interviewing includes defining the behavior of participants. For example, the procedure can be clearly standardized, in which case a questionnaire is developed in advance, to which all actions of the interviewing personnel are subordinated. The person conducting the interview receives instructions for using the questionnaire and instructions on the rules for communicating with respondents. This type of interview is widespread if you need to interview a lot of people at the same time. Received the same type of answers can be easily analyzed.
Another category of interviewing methods is semi-formalized. During communication, it is allowed to slightly correct the wording, as well as adjust the sequence of questions for a specific case and dialogue.
Finally, informal interviewing is possible. This is an open communication format that does not have a strict structure. In this form, there is no pre-designed questionnaire, and interviewing involves adjusting the questions based on the characteristics of the current dialogue. This format is most relevant when working with a small number of people during aerobatic studies. For example, when interviewing experts, interviews are conducted (as a rule) precisely in this - open - form. The possibility of applying the method is explained by the absence of the need to compare the results and classify the answers.
Attention to the nuances
Interviews as a research method oblige to pay attention not only to the compilation of the questionnaire, but also to the process of interaction with the interviewee. It is necessary to consider whether there is external interference in a particular case, how they can affect the situation. For example, it is sometimes impossible to exclude the presence of third parties who do not explicitly affect a person’s responses, but even by their presence they correct the atmosphere, add a note of tension. This, in turn, affects the respondent's wording.
Interviewees can be distracted by calls and text messages on the phone, urgent matters, radio and television broadcasts. To minimize the influence of such factors, it is necessary to exclude them whenever possible, and if it is impossible to achieve this, do not go too far. If the process is accompanied by some obvious problems, the person’s behavior is very different from the expected one, you will have to adjust the interview, change the style of communication or seek help from the organizer of the event. This is relevant, in particular, when conducting interviews with actors, as well as other well-known people who are forced to live in a stressful mode.
Polls: what are they?
There are several types, among which they choose a specific one for the study, evaluating the characteristics of the interviewees. So, quite often resort to a mass survey. In this case, data is collected from representatives of different population groups. The sample is not tied to specific factors (age, work, marital status).
A common type of interviewing is specialized. To carry it out, data is collected from citizens competent in a certain field of activity. Those who work in areas related to the subject of study of the interviewer, as well as individuals whose experience and accumulated information become the basis for an authoritative answer, are selected. Interviewees become experts, their main task is to carefully evaluate all questions and give them the correct answers. In sociology, this form of research is called expert survey.
Theory and practice
An interview is a focused survey. Responsibility for carrying it out rests with the interviewer. Based on the goals of such an event, it is possible to organize a retrospective study designed to reproduce, evaluate the situation in which people participated, as well as an introspective study of current events and a projective one aimed at assessing the possible development of the situation.
The concept of interviewing includes surveys in which information is collected among officials and decision-makers, as well as those who have expert opinion or are ordinary citizens. Interviews can be conducted in a group or individually.
In preparation for the interview, it is necessary to determine whether a one-step study is required or if a panel event is required when the data from the selected audience receives a certain period of time using the same questionnaire all the time. Interviews can be focused or in-depth, non-directional, in the framework of which respondents can expand their views on topical issues. At the same time, the choice of topic remains with the interviewer - he names the problem and even methods of solving it, and the respondents tell their vision of the situation. As a rule, in this form, communication is free, and the interviewer must adjust the topics so that the audience can speak out completely.
How will we communicate?
The main methods of interviewing are personal and indirect interaction (for example, by phone). The second option is especially widespread during operational activities. This is a specific approach to surveys, requiring brevity, a peculiar mode of operation. The questionnaire is formed in advance, this is a formalized set, to which there is a fan of unambiguous answers. All questions must be compiled clearly and concisely, select comprehensive answers that do not require clarification. When conducting an indirect survey, you need to be able to quickly introduce yourself, identify the topic of conversation, guarantee anonymity and offer to communicate your opinion in such a way as to interest the audience in constructive communication.
Interviews can be taken at the place of residence, employment (if the research topic is related to work), on the street and in specialized places - for example, an interview with a TV channel is usually organized in a studio furnished for this event.
Based on the objectives pursued, interviewing can be reconnaissance, that is, aimed at obtaining preliminary data, control, allowing to evaluate the results of the measures taken, and the main, during which the researcher collects maximum information about the current problem.
Record everything and save!
Existing methods of interviewing are divided into categories according to the methods of recording the information received. You can use the questionnaires, recording in them all the important data from the study. Another option is a sound recording of the communication process. This option is only possible if the respondent agrees to the use of sound recording technology. In the future, the person conducting the interview will have to interpret the information received in order to consolidate the content and briefly record all the information.
One popular option involves teamwork. Interviewer asks questions during the interview, and his assistant records everything that happens. The main disadvantage of the process is the presence of a third party, that is, an assistant. In this case, the conversation becomes less anonymous, which means that the responder can give less accurate information. The sincerity of the answers may be in doubt.
Work: where does it start?
The first task that the person responsible for conducting the process must solve is the formation of a questionnaire. To do this, you must first get a research program. The questionnaire is the main tool for obtaining data from objects. It is necessary to formulate points based on hypotheses and research objectives.
The form begins with an introductory part, which briefly describes why the study is being conducted, how its results will be applied, who is responsible for the event, and for what reason the opinion of each respondent is significant. The main part is interesting questions (and not very) aimed at assessing the status of a person. The final part contains questions, the answers to which will help to assess the quality of the interview. Usually, the form also contains fields about the period of the beginning and completion of the study, as well as a field in which the interviewer confirms that the instructions were clearly followed during the event.
How to organize?
The interviewer is responsible for choosing the best place and time for communication with the interviewee. It must be an experienced and trained person. Its main features are mobility, activity, activity; the task is to conduct a conversation, following a clear plan. In many ways, it is the quality of the interviewer's work, and not the interesting questions on the form, that determines the success of the event as a whole. Professionalism and sensitivity of the employee is the key to the reliability of the results. In order for the interview to provide the most useful information, the personality of potential interviewers should be assessed, choosing among them the optimal candidate.
For the interview to be successful, you need to prepare an event, choose the time and place. For example, conducting an interview at home is a good option, allowing you to achieve maximum sincerity from the interviewee, because the environment allows a person to relax and feel protected. But the organization of interviews at the place of work is somewhat more complicated - you can not tear a person from lunch and work. It is necessary to agree on a date, time in advance, so that this period is convenient for all parties and is approved by management. For the event, you should choose a room in which there will be no extra people, but the atmosphere at the same time remains working. Finally, interviews can also be taken on the street, but these are usually short polls from a couple of points with sample answers.
How to work?
The main task of the person responsible for conducting the survey is to call the respondent to contact, correctly submit information and record the answers. It is necessary to approach the event responsibly, select respondents who meet the given conditions, and also give reasonable arguments, causing them to participate. During communication, you need to interact with a person so that the atmosphere is friendly. The respondent should be motivated to respond honestly and openly.
The task of the interviewer is personal interaction with the interviewee. He asks, following the questionnaire, and registers the information received, the direction of the conversation, accurately formulates the proposals. It is necessary to ask all the questions from the sheet, following a predetermined sequence, and record the answers in detail. The procedure cannot be changed at one’s discretion, since the idea of interviewing is the same survey conditions for all participants. This applies to the wording and sequence of questions.
The nuances of communication
As part of the interview, you cannot discuss with the respondent. It is not allowed to interrupt the interlocutor or indicate personal interests. The interviewer must be neutral, but he has the right to require additional information from the interlocutor, if necessary to clarify the idea. If there are contradictions in the answers, he can point to this fact. Typically, the duration of the event is not limited, so do not rush the interlocutor, although much depends on the characteristics of the situation. The pace of communication is determined by the topic, the level of development of the interviewee and his age. If the interview is about a complex issue, you need to set the pace slowly. At the same time, overly lengthy deliberation is also inappropriate and can cause data corruption.
To minimize perceptual problems, it is necessary to resort to standard questions. The interviewer should take into account the gender of the interlocutor, the age category and level of his education, other individual characteristics.
Technical details
When conducting a survey, the person responsible for this should follow the instructions received in advance. You need to know the content of the questionnaire, all filters, transitions, as well as to understand how to register answers and contact with additional tools. The responsible person receives instructions on this account as part of the briefing. Information is duplicated in the instructions and questionnaire.
Instructions developed for the interviewer - methodological documentation that is important for analyzing responses. It should mention technical information on the event, organizational nuances and methodology. It is important to note all aspects that in the process of work can provoke a difficult situation. The instruction should contain a description of the introductory part of the conversation with the interviewee, as well as the rules that govern the choice of the respondent. In the instructions, the compiler indicates what principles need to be interviewed, how to record answers.
Summing up
Having completed the data collection, the person responsible for conducting the interview should provide the organizer with completed questionnaires, routing sheets and reports, which record the place and time of the interview, the presence of deviations and comments on the past, as well as the respondents' attitude to the event.
The interview should be a source of comprehensive factual material for further research. Questions and answers, notes are the basis for research findings, decisions on which are often applied much wider than a specific project. Therefore, it is very important to prepare the interviewer with the utmost quality, choose the best candidate, instruct.
It's important to know
Often the interviewees are sociologists, representatives of other related professions. However, as can be seen from practice, it is better to give preference to outside candidates as more neutral, impartial, disinterested in a specific result, and therefore objective. In order for the results to be accurate, several respondents should be involved at the same time - the more there are, the more accurate the results will be, and subjectivity will be excluded. You can count on a good outcome only if the interviewer is honest, intelligent, attentive, cultured. Important aspects are high-quality diction and high cognitive abilities. Choosing interviewers from applicants, one should test them for reaction speed, memory and ability to communicate with other people, listen to them. But belonging to an age group, nationality or gender are factors that affect the process to a minimum.
At the same time, belonging to such groups of the interviewee is an important nuance that corrects the line of conduct of the interviewer. It is also important to understand that, for example, an interview with a company president should differ in form from a survey conducted among line staff - this study requires a more detailed and in-depth communication format, and the person himself is used to attention to his words, which requires the interviewer to be especially careful follow the chosen line of behavior.