Interviewing is a valuable skill that transcends various aspects of life, from academic pursuits to professional careers. Teaching students how to conduct interviews empowers them with essential communication abilities, enabling them to engage in meaningful conversations, ask insightful questions, and build rapport with others. In this article, we explore the significance of teaching students the art of interviewing and provide practical strategies and tips to help them excel in this fundamental skill.

Exploring the Essentials: The Core Objectives of an Interview

Before embarking on the art of interviewing, it is essential to understand the foundational goals that underpin this communication practice. Interviews serve multiple crucial purposes, each contributing to a successful and meaningful exchange of information and ideas.

• Gathering Information: Interviews serve as a valuable tool for gathering information from a diverse range of sources. Whether for research, journalistic investigations, or academic pursuits, interviews provide an opportunity to acquire firsthand knowledge and insights.

• Embracing Diverse Perspectives: Encourage students to approach interviews with an open mind, recognizing that the primary focus is to understand and appreciate diverse perspectives. It is not a platform for expressing personal opinions but an opportunity to gain valuable insights from others.

• Extracting Comprehensive Insights: Highlight the significance of eliciting as much information as possible from interviewees. Encourage students to ask thoughtful and probing questions to delve deep into the subject matter and gain a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Crafting High-Quality Questions

Encouraging students to master the art of questioning is crucial for conducting successful interviews that yield insightful and meaningful responses. By honing their question-asking skills, students can extract valuable information and engage interviewees effectively. Here are some essential guidelines to impart to students:

• Embrace Open-Ended Questions: Advise students to craft questions that encourage detailed and thoughtful responses. Open-ended questions invite interviewees to share their perspectives and provide more in-depth insights;

• Employ Follow-Up Questions: Teach students the value of follow-up questions to delve deeper into a topic or seek clarification. By building on the initial response, students can uncover hidden layers of information;

• Keep Questions Concise: Remind students to keep their questions brief and to the point. Conciseness not only aids clarity but also ensures that interviewees can respond without feeling overwhelmed;

• Adapt and Rephrase: Instruct students to rephrase questions if an interviewee evades or hesitates to answer. Adapting the question can offer a fresh perspective, encouraging a more candid response;

• Politely Challenge Perspectives: Encourage students to respectfully challenge interviewees by presenting alternative viewpoints or controversial statements. This can elicit further insights and promote critical thinking;

• Embrace Pauses and Silence: Remind students that pauses and moments of silence are natural and should be embraced during interviews. Allow interviewees the time to reflect and provide thoughtful responses.

The Power of Precision: Writing Thoughtful Queries

Guiding students in the art of writing high-quality questions is essential to conduct insightful interviews that yield valuable information. Encourage students to embark on thorough research about the interviewee to understand their background and determine the key aspects they wish to explore. To facilitate the development of relevant questions, introduce various categories that can be employed during an interview:

 

Question Type	Examples
Personal Inquiries	Where were you born?
	What inspired you to pursue your current career?
	How did your upbringing influence your life choices?
	Can you share a significant personal experience that shaped your perspective?
Organizational Queries	What does your organization do?
	What are the primary objectives of your team?
	How does your organization contribute to the community?
	Can you describe the culture and values of your workplace?
Sociopolitical Probes	What are the biggest challenges in your work?
	How do social and political influences impact your profession?
	Have you encountered any systemic issues in your field?
	How does your work contribute to addressing societal problems?
Ideological Explorations	What are your core beliefs about the community you serve?
	How do you envision the future of your field or industry?
	What kind of impact do you hope to make through your work?
	How do your personal values align with your career goals?

Recording and Collecting Interviews

During the interview process, students have various methods at their disposal to effectively document the valuable insights shared by interviewees. These methods go beyond simple note-taking and encompass a broader range of possibilities, including audio or video recordings, photography, and the acquisition of additional collateral materials like pamphlets, posters, or books that pertain to the interviewees and their professional endeavors.

Emphasizing the importance of thoroughness, CUP advises students to gather as much information as possible. They should aim to obtain all that the interviewees are willing to provide and, if feasible, even request supplementary materials. Though some information may initially seem insignificant, it often proves to be remarkably useful at a later stage of the documentation process.

Enhancing Interviewing Skills: Hands-On Activities

To foster and refine students’ interviewing skills, the following practical activities are recommended:

• Analyzing an Opening Scene: Begin by screening the opening scene of Martin Scorcese’s documentary “Italianamerican,” available on YouTube. Engage in a class discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of the interview. Identify parts that were successful and those that could have been improved, facilitating a better understanding of effective interview techniques;

• Two Mock Interviews: Organize two mock interviews for the class. In the first scenario, exclusively employ closed, or yes-or-no, questions (e.g., “Do you want the neighborhood to be developed?”). In the second interview, solely use open-ended questions (e.g., “How do you think the neighborhood should be developed?”). After each mock interview, analyze and discuss the contrasting outcomes, drawing insights into the significance of question types. Develop guidelines for crafting effective interview questions based on the observed differences;

• Practicing Follow-Up Questions: Pair up students and instruct them to conduct interviews with each other using a set of generic biographical questions (“What is your name?” “Where did you grow up?”). Following each response, encourage students to ask related follow-up questions that delve deeper into the interviewee’s experiences (“Who were you named after?” “What’s your favorite memory from your childhood?”). This exercise enhances their ability to formulate meaningful follow-up inquiries;

• Note-Taking and Sharing: Emphasize the importance of note-taking during interviews. After completing their interviews, students should share their most compelling follow-up questions with the group. Engage in a discussion about which questions worked effectively and why, and identify areas for improvement.

Conclusion

Teaching students how to interview someone is an invaluable skill that empowers them to connect, communicate, and understand the world in a profound way. Through hands-on activities and practical exercises, students learn to craft insightful questions, actively listen, and delve into diverse perspectives. Beyond academic pursuits, these interviewing skills have real-world applications, fostering empathy, critical thinking, and success in various professional fields. Equipped with this ability, students are poised to make a positive impact on others’ lives, unraveling the rich tapestry of human experiences one interview at a time.