Interview Types and Techniques

1. Structured Interview

In structured interview every single detail of the interview is decided in advance. The questions to be asked, the order in which the questions will be asked, the time given to each Interviewee, the information to be collected from each Interviewee, etc. is all decided in advance.

2. Unstructured Interview

This type of interview is not planned in detail. Hence it is also called as Non-Directedinterview. The question to be asked, the information to be collected from the interviewee, etc. are not decided in advance. These interviews are non-planned and therefore, more flexible. Interviewees are more relaxed in such interviews. They are encouraged to express themselves about their work, based on their expectations, motivations, background, interests, etc.

3. Group Interview

In this types of interview all the interviewees or small groups of interviewees are interviewed together. The time of the interviewer is saved. A group interview is similar to a group discussion. The interviewer carefully watches the interviewee.

Interviews Techniques

During the analysis process, interviews are conducted for a variety of purposes and with a variety of goals in mind. An interview can be conducted at various times within the process for

Initial introduction
Familiarization or background
Fact gathering
Verification of information gathered elsewhere
Confirmation of information gathered from the interviewee
Follow-up, amplification, and clarification

Interviewing Components

The interview process itself consists of a number of parts.

Selection of the interviewee and scheduling time for the interview
Preparation of interview questions, or script
The interview itself
Documentation of the facts and information gathered during the interview
Review of the interview write up with the interviewee
Correction of the write up, sign-off, and filing

Interviewing Guidelines

Given these various phases and the variety of goals of an interview, the importance of a properly conducted interview should be self-evident. Since each interview is in fact a personal exchange of information between two personalities, a set of guidelines for the interviewer should be established to ensure that nothing interferes with the stated goal, i.e., gathering complete, accurate information. The interview is not an adversary relationship; instead it should be a conversation. Above all it is a process, and like most processes it has certain rules and guidelines, which should be followed.

First and foremost, establish the tone of the interview.
Let the interviewee know the reason for the interview and why he or she was selected to be interviewed.
Stress that the interviewee's knowledge and opinions are important, and will aid in the analysis process.
Gain the interviewee's trust and cooperation early on, and maintain it throughout.
Establish what will happen to the information gathered.
Determine any areas of confidentiality or restricted information.
Let the interviewee know that candor and honesty will be valued and that nothing will be published or passed on until it has been reviewed and verified by the interviewee.
Firmly establish that there are no negative consequences to being interviewed.

Do and Do not

The rules of interviewing are similar to the rules, which govern most human interactions and to the rules, which govern most investigative and problem-solving processes. In effect they can be called the rules of the game.

Do not assume anything.
Do not form pre-judgments.
Do ask questions which start with who, what, where, when, why, and how, where possible.
Do ask both open and closed questions.
Do verify understanding through probing and confirming questions.
Do avoid confrontation.
Do act in a friendly but professional manner.
Do not interrupt.
Do listen actively.
Do take notes, but do not be obtrusive about it.
Do let the interviewee do most of the talking
Do establish rapport early and maintain it.
Do maintain control over the subject matter.
Do not go off on tangents.
Do establish a time frame for the interview and stick to it.
Do conclude positively.
Do allow for follow-up or clarification interviews later on.
Do be polite and courteous.

Group Communication

Group Communications (GC) is an informal method in which information is distributed among team members.

GC is a collective effort of developing concepts, generating ideas and developing a collaborative atmosphere for project planning and implementation. Group communication refers to communication between 3 or more individuals. Small group communication includes numbers from 3 to about 20 people, and large group communication includes numbers larger than that (i.e., a lecture hall of 300 students or a theatrical production with an audience of 3,000). For example, a team of writers for a popular television show must all agree on what should and should not be included in the script; therefore, the final draft must be approved by all members before their audiences are able to view the finished product, thus creating a “groupthink” mentality.

In essence, group communications is a union between multiple members that facilitates one group's mentality, one group thought and one voice.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a group or individual creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its member(s). The term was popularized by Alex Faickney Osborn in the 1953 book Applied Imagination. Osborn claimed that brainstorming was more effective than individuals working alone in generating ideas, although more recent research has questioned this conclusion. Osborn offered a theory of the steps involved in the creative process, describing it as "a stop-and-go, catch-as-catch-can operation--one which can never be exact enough to rate as scientific." The process, he said, usually includes some or all of these phases:

Orientation: Pointing up the problem.
Preparation: Gathering pertinent data.
Analysis: Breaking down the relevant material.
Hypothesis: Piling up alternatives by way of ideas.
Incubation: Letting up, to invite illumination.
Synthesis: Putting the pieces together.
Verification: Judging the resultant ideas.

Osborne established these four basic rules for brainstorming:

Criticism is ruled out. Adverse judgment of ideas much be withheld until later.
"Free-wheeling" is encouraged. The wilder the idea, the better.
Quantity is the goal. The greater the number of ideas, the more likely it is that useful ideas will result.
Combination and improvement are sought. "In addition to contributing ideas of their own, participants should suggest how ideas of others can be turned into better ideas; or how two or more ideas can be joined into still another idea" (Osborn, 1953).

Generating Creative Ideas

Creativity has always been well-regarded in fields like the fine arts or inventing. Yet business and industry are embracing it as a way to improve quality, reduce costs, generate new products and services, and gain a competitive edge.

How to Create a Lot of Ideas

If you want to impress your friends, you can call this “divergent thinking”. It’s based on the way that your mind naturally works when you’re being creative, and it is something that you can do intentionally when you need to create more options or ideas for a given situation.
Following is the four guidelines for doing this:

Defer judgment — no criticism right now. Remember the people who said that airplanes were impossible? Don’t be one of them. Yes, at some point it is important to judge an idea, but don’t do it while you’re trying to generate ideas.
Strive for quantity — quantity breeds quality, or the more ideas you come up with, the more likely it is that one or more of them will be a great idea.
Seek unusual or wild ideas — it is easier to tame down than to think up. In other words, we can worry about how to make it work later, so look for as many seemingly “crazy” ideas as you can — the wilder the better.
Combine and build on ideas — “piggyback” or “hitch-hike” one idea to another to create a new idea. An example of this is the combination of a combining an engine with a horse carriage to create the concept of the horseless carriage, or what we now call an “automobile.” Sound familiar?

By using these principles when we look for new ideas or options, you give yourself permission to come up with ideas you might not otherwise pay any attention to, but that actually make sense when you think about them, tame them down, or add something else to them.

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