Interviewing Techniques: A Comprehensive Guide to Effective Communication

The primary goal of an interview in oral history is to gather information from the interviewee about their experiences, perspectives, and knowledge.

Judgment is not a key skill for effective interviewing because it can lead the interviewer to make assumptions about the interviewee and their experiences.

Establishing rapport with the interviewee is important because it helps them feel more comfortable and open up, which leads to more meaningful and informative interviews.

Open-ended questions are those that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no and encourage the interviewee to provide more detailed responses.

Leading questions can bias the interviewee's responses, make them feel uncomfortable, and lead to inaccurate information.

Follow-up questions are used to clarify the interviewee's responses, explore their experiences in more depth, and gain a better understanding of their perspectives.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. An interviewer can demonstrate empathy by actively listening to the interviewee, showing understanding of their emotions, and avoiding judgmental statements.

Maintaining confidentiality during an interview is important because it protects the interviewee's privacy, builds trust between the interviewer and interviewee, and ensures that the interviewee's information is not used against them.

Pressuring the interviewee to answer questions they are uncomfortable with is not an ethical practice because it can make them feel pressured and uncomfortable.

The interviewer's role in an oral history interview is to guide the interviewee through the interview process, ensure that the interview is conducted in a respectful and ethical manner, and ask questions that elicit meaningful and informative responses.

Interrupting the interviewee to ask questions is not a recommended technique for active listening because it can disrupt the flow of the interview and make the interviewee feel uncomfortable.

Being culturally sensitive during an interview is important because it helps the interviewer understand the interviewee's perspective, prevents the interviewer from making assumptions about the interviewee, and builds trust between the interviewer and interviewee.

Memorizing a script of questions is not a recommended practice for preparing for an interview because it can make the interview feel stilted and unnatural.

Following up after an interview is important because it shows the interviewee that you appreciate their time, allows you to clarify any questions you may have, and provides an opportunity to build rapport with the interviewee.