Guide to Interviewing

Outline

• Types of interviews

• Process for successful interviewing

• The interview schedule

• The interview guide

• Conducting the interview

• Rapport

• Questioning

• Interview review

• The interviewee

• Dos and don’ts

• six Cs for writing an accurate patient history.

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Interviewing

Is a planned communication or a conversation with a purpose, for example to get or give information, identify problems of mutual concern, evaluate change, teach, provide support. There are two approaches to interviewing, directive and nondirective.

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The directive interview is highly structured and

elicits specific information. The nurse establishes the purpose of the interview and controls the interview. The client responds to questions but may have limited opportunities to ask questions or discuss concerns. The nondirective interview or rapport-building interview, by contrast the nurse allows the client to control the purpose, subject matter, and pacing.

The Patient Interview and History

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• Patient interview – First step in examination

process

– Establish a relationship with the patient

• Chief complaint – Subjective statement by

patient describing the most significant symptoms or signs of illness

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Interview

schedule Interview

Interview

guides

Interview

notes format

Who you are going

to interview, why,

when and where?

What questions are

you going to ask?

What results were

obtained?

• Information found

• Decisions

• Actions

• Structure

• Rapport

• Listen

•Clarify

An interview guide should be created prior to all

interviews to ensure the interviews are focused and

efficient and enable comparison and summarisation.

Interview process

Preparation Execution Review

Name Position Rationale Date

John Smith R&D Manager To understand R&D strategy and get future R&D expenditures

25/4

Roy Wilkinson Head of metalurgical research

To get facts on competitor Xs latest development. In particular: Potential customers Our position

27/4

Bob Johnson Lab assistant

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The interview schedule

An interview schedule is helpful, to track who is going

to be interviewed, when and why.

Preparing the interview schedule

• Identify what the objectives of the interviews are, what information you need to find out.

• Identify who needs to be interviewed to obtain this information.

• Create an interview schedule, allowing time to review and record notes between interviews.

• Book the interviews and record them in the schedule.

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To make the most out of an interview, a well thought through interview guide is extremely helpful.

Section Question Sub Question

Introduction 1. Personal background

2. Key mission of the department

3. ……………..

Education

Work experience

Major activities

Major interfaces

Body 4. Recent development in area x

5. Customer reactions

6. ……………….

7. ……………….

8. ……………….

Major products

Competitor activities

Switching costs

Timing of change

Wrap up 9. Future trends

10. Restate key pointsNext S - curve

Timing

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The interview guide

Preparing the interview guide

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• Determine the objectives of the interview.

• Plan the structure of the interview.

• Prepare interview questions.

• Prepare additional notes if they assist.

The interview guide enables standardisation of

interviews for effective comparison and summarisation

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Interview execution

Interviews are exceptionally rich sources of information.

However, no two interviewees are alike: some will need

only the slightest encouragement to speak their minds,

while others will have to be guided along.

The interviewer‟s job is to conduct the interview to

gather the information required, which takes skill,

practice and structure.

Once you have concluded your interviews, they must be

summarised to yield the „big picture‟.

Your questions should therefore allow for valid

comparison and summarisation of your interviewee‟s

viewpoints.

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Eight steps to a successful interview

1. Do research before the interview

– Review patient records

– Be sure test and lab results are on the chart

2. Plan the interview

– Be organized before starting the interview

– Follow office policy

The Patient Interview

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3. Make the patient feel at ease

– Icebreakers

– Appear relaxed

– Eye contact

4. Ask the patient for an interview

– Makes the patient feel more comfortable

– Emphasizes the importance of the process

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5. Ensure privacy / no interruptions

– Close door

– Do not use “pet” names

6. Be respectful with sensitive topics

– Watch for nonverbal cues

– Watch your own nonverbal cues

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7. Do not diagnose or give an opinion

– Refer questions to physician

– Do not go beyond your scope of practice

8. Formulate a general picture

– Summarize key points

– Ask if patient has questions or needs to add additional information

How to conduct the interview

Listen to the answers and request clarification if necessary

Avoid making criticisms or taking sides

Keep control of the interview: refocus the interviewee if they are rambling or clarify if they misunderstood the question

Stay focused and follow your interview guide

Allow the interviewee to ask questions

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Introduction

Body

Wrap-up

Always state the reason for the interview and how it will be conducted

Put the interviewee at ease

Ask the interviewee if they agree to you taking notes

Thank the interviewee

Advise them what the next steps are and the timeframe

Build rapport

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Your interview needs to balance the building of rapport and collecting of required

information.

Introduction

Gain rapport first. Explain the context, set the tone, and make the interviewee feel

at ease. The introduction serves to:

• Introduce yourself

• Gauge the interviewee‟s style, expectations and concerns

• Confirm the timeframe

Sequence the interview items

Items should be ordered by importance and sensitivity. The more sensitive your

interviewee, the more important it is to avoid an „inquisitorial‟ interview tone. A

non-threatening format for interviews involves the careful arrangement of

interview topics:

• General before specific

• External before internal

• Historic before current

Listen and question

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Listen

To reassure the interviewee you are listening and to gain information:

• use non-verbal cues such as head nods to show you are listening.

• wait until the current question is answered before preparing the next one

• listen for emotions and attitudes as well as facts

• interrupt only if you sense avoidance of answering the question or if the

interviewee has drifted too far from the topic

• request clarification and ask follow on questions

Ask open questions

To initiate discussion on a broad subject and to encourage a comprehensive

explanation:

• use clear, direct phrasing that asks a single question

• ask how, what or when but avoid the intimidating why question

Ask closed questions

To elicit a specific reply:

• use this type of question sparingly to avoid appearing as an

interrogator

• ask in order to understand rather than impress

• be concise

Open questioning

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Advantages Disadvantages

• Puts interviewee at ease

• Interesting for interviewee

• Provides depth of detail

• Reveals other areas of

enquiry

• You may lose control

• May use up too much time

• Interviewer may appear unprepared

• Harder to analyse later

• Lower reliability of data

Examples:

“Are there any other issues I should be aware of?”

Closed questioning

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Advantages Disadvantages

• Efficient use of time

• Easy to compare interviews

• Higher reliability of data

• Less interviewing skill needed

• Focuses interviewee

• Can be boring for interviewees

• Doesn‟t provide the

opportunity to qualify answers

• You may miss other areas

Examples:

“Did you sleep well last night?”

Probe questioning

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Advantages Disadvantages

• Provides data on new aspects

• Supplies detail in context

• Shows interest in conversation

• Can appear threatening

Examples:

“How does that happen?”

Probe questioning is honing in on a particular area of interest and drilling

down to obtain more detail. It includes asking for more information to clarify

a vague phrase or statement made by the interviewee such as „quite high‟ or

„often late‟. Probe questioning needs to be balanced with open and closed

questioning to avoid the interview seeming like an interrogation.

Paraphrasing

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Paraphrasing is a technique used to confirm or clarify something the

interviewee has said or implied. There are three levels of

paraphrasing:

1. The first level confirms or clarifies expressed thoughts and

feelings, for example: “so there are three factors that

determine the present situation”

2. The second confirms implied thoughts or feelings, for example:

“so you would really like to change this situation”

3. The third surfaces core thoughts or feelings, for example: “you

are afraid that it might make things worse for you” or “so you

think the strategy is wrong”

(Note that with paraphrasing of feelings you can trigger a

strong emotional response particularly with this third option )

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Apply Your Knowledge

ANSWER: An open-ended question which will allow the patient to explain the situation more clearly.

1. What type of question is the following: “How have you been managing your diabetes?”

2. How would you use mirroring if the patient made the

following statement during an interview? “I just cannot

seem to stay on a diet no matter how hard I try.”

ANSWER: The Nurse should restate what the patient says in his or her own words. For example, the nurse might say, “You are finding it difficult to stay on a diet.”

Correct!

Interview notes are valuable when sharing information with other team members. 24

• Write interview notes

as soon as possible

after the interview

• Outline key findings,

note emerging

hypotheses

• Consider how findings fit

with earlier evidence

• Identify gaps to be

filled in subsequent

interviews

Key Steps

Interview Notes

Interviewees:

Interviewers:

Location:

Date:

KEY FINDINGS

BACKGROUND AND

SITUATION

DISCUSSION NOTES

NEXT STEPS

Format

Interview review A standard interview note format is useful in orienting interviews to results:

The interviewee can be

Inarticulate

A jargoneer

A familiarist

An obstructionist

Too familiar with the job

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Shy

Loud

A deceiver

A hypochondriac

An empire builder

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The nervous interviewee

Be very explicit in setting the scene, tell why you are there and what they can

expect. Establish rapport and make sure you are relaxed and confident

The non-talker

Make a special effort to build rapport and find common language and

experiences. Avoid closed questions, use open questions to draw them out

The angry/hostile interviewee

Do not tolerate threatening behaviour.

If anger is directed at you:

• admit your mistake if you are wrong

• stay calm, avoid getting angry in return

If anger is directed at others:

• do not get involved and do not taking sides

• correct misinformation tactfully

ie do not challenge honestly held opinions

Adjust your style to suit the interviewee

Poor interviewing behaviour

× Did not make an appointment × Arrived late × Was rude ×Did not explain the purpose of the

interview × Did not explain the scope of interview × Used jargon × Became confrontational × Was inconsiderate × Talked down to the interviewee × Abruptly ended the interview × Did not explain what happens next

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Examples:

Do not

× Forget interviewee’s name or role

× Criticise

× Interrupt

× Be impatient

× appear bored

× Fail to thank the interviewee for their time

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Do

Create rapport

Make notes

Be sincere

Be objective

Be courteous

Verify your findings

Separate fact from fiction

Pitch the interview at the right level

Keep within the scope of the interview

Establish the option to ask follow up questions

Wrap up the interview and thank the interviewee for their time.

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Apply Your Knowledge

While interviewing a female patient, you notice bruises on her forearms and face. You ask her how she got the bruises, and she says she cannot remember, but she must have fallen down. What should you do?

ANSWER: The patient’s answer is vague and evasive. Since multiple bruises may be a sign of abuse, you should tell the physician of your suspicions.