Interviewing in Community

"Interview is a piece of social interaction which one person asking a number of questions and the other person giving answers". -Thersel, L. Baker

"An interview is a procedure designed to obtain information from a person's oral response to oral inquires". - Gary Dessler

Aims

• To gather data regarding an existing issue.
• To establish a relationship with the interviewee.
• To learn the respondent's true emotions
• To establish a source of information.
• To offer a hypothesis
• To rapidly assess the situation.
• To win the interviewee's trust and confidence.
• To determine the interviewee's attitudes, personality, and behavior.

Types

• Structured or formal interview
• Semi structured interview
• Unstructured or informal interview
  • Structured or Formal Interview
    • A format, script, or questionnaire with instructions is used to organise interviews. Other employees have written an interview guide, and the interviewer must follow it. based on an interview
  • Semi Structured Interview
    • Although the interview is conducted in accordance with structured guidelines, the interviewer is given some latitude to modify and clarify the questions in order to obtain detailed information.
  • Unstructured or Informal Interview
    • In an informal interview, no structure or guidelines are offered. Regarding the interview's context, the interviewer is not constrained in what questions they may ask.

Techniques for Successful Interview in Community Situation

The interviewer should be fairly knowledgeable and should make sure to learn as much as he can about the topic of the interview. Before doing the interview, it's also critical to comprehend the interviewee's culture and background. This will assist the interviewer in structuring the questions, selecting the appropriate phrases, selecting the appropriate attire, and avoiding unpleasant language and materials. Following are the procedures to conducting an interview.

• Establishing Contact
  • An interview appointment needs to be set up with the interviewee before one is conducted. It is important to confirm the precise day, time, place, and location of the interview. This prevents misunderstanding and helps you not miss the interviews.
• Starting an Interview
  • The interview's opening is the most crucial component. The interview is typically began by being well-prepared and putting the interviewee at ease by being kind, nice, truthful, and smiling to make them feel comfortable. Always begin the interview with a general overview of the issue. The interviewer should establish a relaxed atmosphere so that the interviewee can freely express his or her thoughts and provide the information requested.
• Securing Rapport
  • A relationship is considered to have good rapport when the parties involved can easily and comfortably express their ideas and feelings to one another. The interviewer should make an effort to calm the subject, support him in maintaining his composure, and remove any tension in the environment. By doing so, stress and uneasiness can be reduced, which can facilitate communication and foster rapport. Once a rapport has been established, it will be simpler to get beyond any uncertainty or shyness, and the interviewee will feel more at ease responding.
• Recall
  • During an interview, the subject may become lost in his own emotional universe, causing pauses in the dialogue. The interviewer should give participants enough time to think back and gather their thoughts before returning to the topic.
• Probe Question
  • The issue between the talks may cause the interview to veer off course occasionally. In this case, the interviewer should use probing questions to bring the conversation back to the subject at hand. In order to learn more in-depth information, probing inquiries are used. They help to clarify certain aspects. A few instances of probing inquiries are
    • "What took place next? "
    • What did you think of that?
    • "Why did you select that strategy?
• Encouragement
  • Interviewer shouldn't just be asking questions while keeping quiet until the interviewee responds; this will gradually demotivate the interviewee. Interviewer should follow up on what the subject says with ""Oh! ", "Mm-mmm," I see," "How fascinating," "However, caution should be exercised to ensure that compliments come off as genuine appreciations rather than mere platitudes.
• Guiding the Interview
  • The interviewee may occasionally steer the conversation toward unimportant topics. Therefore, it is the interviewer's duty to direct the subject in a relevant area toward the correct course of action.
• Recording
  • Recordings should be made in either written form or via voice, with the interviewee's approval. Maintaining face-to-face contact should ensure that the dialogue continues while being recorded. Therefore, only the most crucial information should be noted if an interview is being recorded in writing.
• Closing the Interview
  • Never end an interview prematurely. Always extend a warm welcome and express gratitude to the interviewee for their cooperation and time. It makes the interviewee feel valuable.
• Report
  • Reports should be written as quickly as possible, while the story is still fresh in the mind. Reports must be filed confidentially, kept current, and given to the appropriate persons.