Interviewing 101 Skills and Techniques

FINCA Research Training

Slides Incorporate Important Information from ORC Macro. 2006. Demographic and Health Survey Interviewer’s Manual.

Agenda

1. Your Role as an Interviewer

2. Interview Skills and Techniques

3. Understanding Bias

4. Key Lessons

Your Role as an Interviewer

The FCAT’s success depends on the quality of work of each interviewer:

• Each and every interview counts

• Understand clients’ experiences and needs to instill a sense of trust

• Ensure data quality and accuracy (clean and properly report)

Agenda

1. Your Role

2. Interview Skills and Techniques

3. Understanding Bias

4. Key Lessons

Interviewing Skills

Interviewing is a skill that requires practice and patience

People will have different interviewing strengths

Remember the quality of interview determines quality of research

Introduce Yourself

At a group meeting, such as a village bank meeting:

Have loan officer introduce you to the group

Explain that you are working with (not for) the FINCA Affiliate

Emphasize confidentiality and the aggregation of responses

Thank the client and also the group as a whole if appropriate

Build Rapport

1. Make a Good First Impression

Introduce yourself at the start of each interview

Smile and greet the person cordially

2. Take a Positive Approach

“I would like to ask you a few questions,” NOT, “Are you too busy?”

3. Obtain Consent

After introduction confirm consent to interview: “OK? Can we begin?”

Build Rapport (continued)

5. Answer Client Questions

Be direct and pleasant

Do not promise anything -this data can inform change but you can not promise

6. Interview Client Alone

Third parties often prevent honest answers

Always ensure you are out of earshot

4. Clarify Confidentiality

No names will be used and no information provided will be used against the client

All responses are aggregated with those of up to 800 other clients

Create a Client-Friendly Atmosphere

•Demonstrate you are ‘hearing’ them with an “mm-hmm, ok, and I see” •Do not rush a slow client in their responses

Listen

•Keep a conversational tone •Remember this is not a test nor an interrogation

Engage

•Interview clients apart from others to the extent possible•Stay out of earshot

Ensure Privacy

How to Ask the Questions

Do not go into the interview with any expectations

Read question EXACTLY as written, EVERY time

Never ask questions from memory

Do not allow clients to read the questionnaire along with you

How to Repeat the Questions

For hesitant respondents:• Re-interest respondents with conversation, listen to what they

have to say, build trust• Reiterate confidentiality• Don’t force answers

Read the question Pause Repeat questionRe-phrase question

Additional Interview Best Practice Techniques

Do not change

wording or sequence

Maintain neutrality

Never suggest answers

Do not respond with

opinion driven

answers

Additional Tips

Maintain eye contact with the clientListen to each answerUnderstand how one answer affects answers for following

questionsShow genuine interest in what the client has to sayNEVER suggest an answerPROBE by pausing and giving the client time to think of

their response, rephrase the question, ask the question in smaller components

Keep an eye out for incorrect answers. Probing, practice and knowledge of questions will prevent this from occurring : Example: Client states that the group forced him/her out when s/he earlier stated a self-determined reason for leaving. Probe.

At the End of the Interview

Thank the client for their time (again)

Let the client know that FINCA is looking forward to better understanding all client needs through this research

Answer openly any questions that client might have

Perfecting Your Interview Skills

Practice, practice, practice!

Your energy will be obvious to the client

Remember 3 C’s:

1) be calm

2) be collected

3) be courteous

Agenda

1. Your Role

2. Interview Skills and Techniques

3. Understanding Bias

4. Key Lessons

What Is Bias?

Bias is introduced both by visible and invisible means. Three types to watch out for:

Affect Bias

Relates to the personalities of interviewer and interviewee

Question Bias

Relates to interviewee fatigue or flawed interviews

Gender Bias

Relates to the sex of interviewer and gender relations

1 2 3

Gender Bias

Gender informs clients’ expectations of interviewer in important ways:

Beliefs (ideology) that shape gender identities and behavior, and how men and women and boys and girls conduct their daily lives

Perceptions that guide how people interpret aspects of their lives differently depending on their gender identity

Types of knowledge that men and women are privy to; who gets to know what

Gender Bias

Gender relationships will influence the interviews in important ways:

Differences in the willingness of men and women to participate in the interview or to answer particular questions

Differences in interview length depending on whether the interviewee is male or female

Differences in the ability of men and women interviewees to understand or answer the questions

Affect Bias

Do not make assumptions on the level of understanding, knowledge, intelligence, etc. of respondent

Maintain professionalism, creating a courteous and neutral atmosphere

Know thyself

Question Bias

Interviewee fatigue• Be clear at the beginning of the approximate time for an

interview• Also, mention that some questions are longer than

others

Overcome question bias with practice• But do not ask questions from memory or skip around

the questionnaire

Agenda

1. Your Role

2. Interview Skills and Techniques

3. Understanding Bias

4. Key Lessons

Three Key Lessons

1. Remember interviewing is a skill Improve and be aware of strengths and weaknesses

2. Communicate with your group Working effectively as a team will help develop your

interview skills and rapport with clients

3. Be aware of potential bias

Activities

Appendix

Slides Incorporate Important Information from ORC Macro. 2006. Demographic and Health Survey Interviewer’s Manual.

Fishbowl Activity

To start:

Two volunteers

Each group member will be given instructions on their role

Report back to the group your interview experience