The initial interview is the most important component to completing your needs assessment. When interviewing a site official, you have access to a wealth of information and the opportunity to begin interacting with your area of interest. Although the interview is extremely valuable, it can be equally difficult. When you interview, you have a face-to-face conversation with a person who is an expert. Many times an expert will have information that does not yet appear in print. Furthermore, his /her personal experiences and the opportunity to ask questions for greater clarity can leave the interviewer with a unique learning experience.
One aspect of this interview that may present some difficulty is the fact that there will be multiple processes occurring at once. For example, you will be gather information about a topic that may be new to you, while also entering the early stages of problem solving. Initially, you will enter the interview with a set of predetermined questions yet as the interview progresses, new questions will arise. Another aspect of this interview that may prove to be challenging is that some experts may not have a clear idea about how you hope to contribute to their site, having a significant impact on what information is presented to you. Whereas, some experts will have clear understanding of your objectives and the conversation will seem to naturally travel in your desired direction. Ultimately, anything can happen, which makes preparation the key to success.
Remember that the person you go to interview is giving you his/her time, experience and knowledge. He/she is doing you a favor. Be sure you treat the interviewee with the respect he/she deserves. Initially, this respect can be displayed by good interview preparation.
What can you do to be prepared for a good interview?
- CHOOSE THE OFFICIAL/EXPERT that you feel would be the most informative and able to help you become a member of their site.
- READ ABOUT THE SUBJECT BEFOREHAND. You need to have some basic knowledge before you talk to an expert.
- PREPARE A LIST OF INTERESTING QUESTIONS . You may ask some personal questions for background, but be sure you have questions that will guide the interview toward concrete, practical and relevant information. Try to include questions that you cannot answer from other sources.
- MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. Be sure you both agree on the date, time and place for the interview. Confirm this information at the end of the conversation. Ask if the expert would like to know what questions you plan on asking ahead of time.
- BE POLITE. Be punctual, prepared and presentable. Be sure to end your interview with a warm ‘Thank you’.
- WRITE YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY of the interviewee immediately afterwards. Don’t give yourself time to forget. Also transcribe the information you learned on a research summary sheet. Try to use at least one direct quotation from the expert.
- WRITE or EMAIL A THANK-YOU NOTE to the expert and send it the same day.
CREATING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Before going to the initial interview, you will need to create a list of questions you want to answer. The best questions begin with question words:
who, what, when, where, why, how
Questions that can be answered with a “yes “ or “no” do not add much to your information, although sometimes they are helpful. Some sample questions are given below to help you get started.
- In your opinion, what is the most important aspect of your site and the services you provide? Why?
 How has your services impacted the community? - What are its effects? (on people, the environment, the future...)
- Where did this begin or take place? When?
- How do other people feel about your site?
- Has it changed? If so, how?
- What changes need to occur in the future? If so, how?
- What parts or functions does it have?
- How would you improve/change it?
- What is _____________? (Define and explain.)
- What other programs or sites do you work with?
- How do you work together?
- What are some strengths of your site?
- What are some weaknesses? How do you hope to improve in this area?
Your groups could generate an endless number of questions, and for preparation’s sake it is probably best to have more questions than less. Furthermore, it is important that you attempt to do some research prior to generating your questions for the interview. If necessary, send your official an email and ask for some basic descriptors to help find a direction for your pre-interview research.
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