How to Conduct an Effective Interview

Before the Interview… • Familiarize yourself with the

guide• Set a clear time and place to

meet• Take all materials you will need

with you to the interview

Familiarize yourself with the guide

In order to have a productive interview, both you and the interviewee need to be comfortable. The best interviews usually happen when the interviewer thinks of the interview as a guided conversation with the interviewee. One way that you can become more relaxed for the interview is to become familiar with the interview script. Read it over several times so that you can use it more as a reference than a script during the interview.

Set a Clear Time and Place to Meet

• Agree on a specific time and location for the interview - make sure you are on time or early!

• When setting up the interview, remember that it is helpful to conduct the interview in a private setting, free from too many distractions

• Since the interviewee is generously giving their time to participate, make sure you respect their time constraints. Ask for a specific amount of time for the interview (30-60 minutes).

Take all materials you need with you

Making sure you have everything you need for the interview will help it to go smoothly. You may need to remember:

• The interview guide• A recording device (audio or video)• Paper and pen (to take notes and as a back-up if

the recorder does not work)• Your business cards - so they can contact you if

needed after the interview• The contact information for the World Inquiry, in

case they have further questions or want to learn more about the project

During the Interview…• Be aware of the room set up• Use the guide as a guide, not a

script• Keep listening • Enjoy yourself!

Be aware of the room• Try to make the room free from distractions,

close the door if needed• Make sure you are both comfortable and can

hear each other easily. You may need to move your chair to facilitate this.

• If you are recording, make sure that the recorder is unobtrusive, but in a place that can pick up the conversation

• If you are video-taping, make sure that the interviewee is not “back-lit” -- that is sitting in front of a window or something else that will make them hard to see on the video

Use the guide as a guide• Remember a good interview is only a good

conversation• While the guide is meant to serve as a framework for

the interview, you may need to add follow-up questions and other additions when you feel it will be helpful in soliciting more details from the interviewee

• Remember that a major goal of the interview is to get the story of a golden innovation (which is a new, innovative business practice) that is going on in the world, and so you want to get as many concrete details as possible. To do this, you will want to add some probing follow-up questions that you feel will help guide the interviewee toward sharing more details about their stories.

Helpful phrases:• “That is really interesting, can you

tell me more about that?”• “What a good story, I would like to

hear more of the details about …” • “Is there anything else you can tell

me regarding…?”

Keep listeningIn addition to using such follow-up questions, you may hear the

interviewee mention something during an answer that sparks your interest or curiosity. They may be talking about a golden innovation, and mention something else that could be another golden innovation. Keep your ears and mind open, and feel free to ask more questions or go back to something the interviewee mentioned earlier or only in passing. You may want to say things like:

• “That sounds like another good story, I would like to go back to that in a minute.”

• “You mentioned ____ earlier, let’s spend some time talking about that for a moment.”

• “I am really curious about a topic you mentioned, can you tell me more about ___?”

Enjoy yourself!

These interviews are fun and often very meaningful for both the interviewee and the interviewer. Remember to have fun, and smile! Your non-verbals will help set the stage for a great interview.

After the interview…

• Thank your interviewee• Ask them if they have any questions for you• Leave them your name and contact

information, as well as information about the World Inquiry