While reading the article, Conducting the Interview, I found myself having a rich conversation with Cynthia Stokes Brown, the author. Certainly, she was not answering me in typical dialogue fashion, yet it was as if her text was interviewing me as the reader, encouraging me to dig deeper and interact with the text. While many of her points were simply review from my past experiences with interviewing, there were a few pages when I went highlighter-happy over her elegantly written insights. Please allow me to showcase the conversation I had with Brown by placing direct excerpts from her article followed by my responses in purple italics:
1. “Listening well is much more important than consulting a list of questions, especially if your narrator wants to talk” (35).
I can relate to the fact that when taking the role of the interviewer, listening should be elevated high above speaking. For me, I find that if I am worried about covering a list of questions, I am not listening intently as to what the narrator is saying. My prepared list of questions forces me to become more concerned with that I am going to say next rather than what the narrator is saying currently. Essentially it is hard to listen and think at the same time.
2. “leading questions” (36)
Leading questions were a major challenge for me. I find it very difficult, especially when interviewing students and faculty within a school not to input my own beliefs and perceptions into my questions. Cynthia Brown, however, pointed out the easy cure, which many of my professors have addressed prior to reading the article. The solution is to delve deeper and insert the words how and why when appropriate.
3. “Don’t be afraid to ask daring questions in order to get beyond the surface answer… But in an interview the usual roles for social conduct do not apply; you are likely to be rewarded for boldness. After all, the worst that can happen is that your narrator will become silent or say, “I’d rather not answer that question” (37).
The above excerpt is one of the portions that strike me as being very insightful. When I took time to reflect upon asking risky questions, I realized that in all roles— the interviewer, the narrator, and the observer— I appreciated the questions that do not generate generic answers. To illustrate, I will present a farfetched, yet familiar occurrence: Simon Cal on American Idol, 9 times out of 10, commented and inquired about the very things that all of us were not scared to think, but were scared to articulate. As a result, the audience tended to receive rich, transparent answers.
4. “Answers that are interesting include not just information, but also feelings and interpretations” (37).
I could not agree with this statement any more than I currently do. As stated in the article, yes and no answers are too vague to produce anything worth analyzing. From the perspective of the student, textbooks are only as interesting as the elements it provides beyond the information. For example, in a social studies book, I will become more interested if there are personal accounts, opinions, and perspectives on wars and social experiences than facts alone.
5. “Reading a good children’s book about a topic is always a good way to start your research” (40).
This suggestion excites me because I have such a passion for kids and believe with everything in me that children’s books have immeasurable lessons radiating from their pages. I have never thought of learning about history from children’s books, yet I am willing to try it when the situation presents itself.
6. “Interviews are always unique and unpredictable events. Each one is the interplay of two personalities. Your task as the interviewer is to be sensitive to what is happening, so that you can help your narrator become relaxed, talkative, and revealing as possible. An interview should be a monologue, not a dialogue; the narrator should do most of the talking, with the interviewer on the sidelines, encouraging and cheering on” (40).
I value this metaphor of the narrator being the star athlete and the interviewer being the coach/cheerleader. Certainly, I have been in interviewing situations where being sensitive to the concerns or story that the narrator was sharing paid off in the information and insight I walked away with.
7. “Go with these surprises—play detective— follow you instincts” (42).
The most exhilarating interview moment is when your narrator diverges from your plans and allows you access to lose yourself in their story. The narrator then becomes the tour guide and the interviewer becomes a fan with a VIP backstage pass. Personally, the best interviews I have ever conducted, and I use that word lightly, were with children. The best thing about kids is that they are completely unscripted and candid; whenever possible, I try to incorporate children into my research because they have no filter, thereby offering their sincere version of the truth!
8. “chemistry” (43)
I metaphorically high-fived Cynthia Brown when I came across this word. In my experience interviewing everyone from the school nurse to the superintendent of my assigned school for Clinical Practice, my eyes were opened to the importance of chemistry between the interviewer and the narrator. While I requested 15-20 minutes for each interview, I found that certain people offered me so much information and insight that I was able to pick and choose quotes from their monologue with which I wanted to present. On the other hand, those individuals that acted as though my interview was an obligation offered me the bare minimum thereby ruining all chances of chemistry before we even sat down.
9. “Life has its dark side, and to leave it out is dishonest. Conflict, challenge, obstacles, tragedies—these are the times when a person’s real spirit emerges. But we all have trouble discussing some things or even admitting that they have happened to us they may see too awful or disappointing even to acknowledge. By not being afraid of raising sensitive questions and but not passing judgment on what you hear from your narrator, you’ll encourage your narrator to talk freely. You can accept whatever happened—it’s simply what happened, and you know already that life is a lot more complex than anyone ever expected it to be” (43).
This is by far my favorite excerpt of the entire article, Conducting the Interview. The words literally jumped off the page and danced in my mind for quite a bit of time! Admittedly, people are generally prone to expressing at length anything and anything they deem positive, yet they stutter, hesitate, and often hide that which they deem negative. The real story, however, lies within the combination of both the positive and negative elements of life. Furthermore, I find the statement, “life is a lot more complex than anyone ever expected it to be” (43) to radiate with truth!
10. “Usually the narrator will reveal the most sensitive material only after hesitating, if you rush with a question, you will miss it” (45).
While silence in my book is usually defined as awkward, I have learned to allow silence, pauses, and hesitation as a gift! As Cynthia Brown attested, narrators generally share their heart after a moment of reflection. If rushed, however, interviewers lose the most important component of the story—transparency.
1. “Listening well is much more important than consulting a list of questions, especially if your narrator wants to talk” (35).
I can relate to the fact that when taking the role of the interviewer, listening should be elevated high above speaking. For me, I find that if I am worried about covering a list of questions, I am not listening intently as to what the narrator is saying. My prepared list of questions forces me to become more concerned with that I am going to say next rather than what the narrator is saying currently. Essentially it is hard to listen and think at the same time.
2. “leading questions” (36)
Leading questions were a major challenge for me. I find it very difficult, especially when interviewing students and faculty within a school not to input my own beliefs and perceptions into my questions. Cynthia Brown, however, pointed out the easy cure, which many of my professors have addressed prior to reading the article. The solution is to delve deeper and insert the words how and why when appropriate.
3. “Don’t be afraid to ask daring questions in order to get beyond the surface answer… But in an interview the usual roles for social conduct do not apply; you are likely to be rewarded for boldness. After all, the worst that can happen is that your narrator will become silent or say, “I’d rather not answer that question” (37).
The above excerpt is one of the portions that strike me as being very insightful. When I took time to reflect upon asking risky questions, I realized that in all roles— the interviewer, the narrator, and the observer— I appreciated the questions that do not generate generic answers. To illustrate, I will present a farfetched, yet familiar occurrence: Simon Cal on American Idol, 9 times out of 10, commented and inquired about the very things that all of us were not scared to think, but were scared to articulate. As a result, the audience tended to receive rich, transparent answers.
4. “Answers that are interesting include not just information, but also feelings and interpretations” (37).
I could not agree with this statement any more than I currently do. As stated in the article, yes and no answers are too vague to produce anything worth analyzing. From the perspective of the student, textbooks are only as interesting as the elements it provides beyond the information. For example, in a social studies book, I will become more interested if there are personal accounts, opinions, and perspectives on wars and social experiences than facts alone.
5. “Reading a good children’s book about a topic is always a good way to start your research” (40).
This suggestion excites me because I have such a passion for kids and believe with everything in me that children’s books have immeasurable lessons radiating from their pages. I have never thought of learning about history from children’s books, yet I am willing to try it when the situation presents itself.
6. “Interviews are always unique and unpredictable events. Each one is the interplay of two personalities. Your task as the interviewer is to be sensitive to what is happening, so that you can help your narrator become relaxed, talkative, and revealing as possible. An interview should be a monologue, not a dialogue; the narrator should do most of the talking, with the interviewer on the sidelines, encouraging and cheering on” (40).
I value this metaphor of the narrator being the star athlete and the interviewer being the coach/cheerleader. Certainly, I have been in interviewing situations where being sensitive to the concerns or story that the narrator was sharing paid off in the information and insight I walked away with.
7. “Go with these surprises—play detective— follow you instincts” (42).
The most exhilarating interview moment is when your narrator diverges from your plans and allows you access to lose yourself in their story. The narrator then becomes the tour guide and the interviewer becomes a fan with a VIP backstage pass. Personally, the best interviews I have ever conducted, and I use that word lightly, were with children. The best thing about kids is that they are completely unscripted and candid; whenever possible, I try to incorporate children into my research because they have no filter, thereby offering their sincere version of the truth!
8. “chemistry” (43)
I metaphorically high-fived Cynthia Brown when I came across this word. In my experience interviewing everyone from the school nurse to the superintendent of my assigned school for Clinical Practice, my eyes were opened to the importance of chemistry between the interviewer and the narrator. While I requested 15-20 minutes for each interview, I found that certain people offered me so much information and insight that I was able to pick and choose quotes from their monologue with which I wanted to present. On the other hand, those individuals that acted as though my interview was an obligation offered me the bare minimum thereby ruining all chances of chemistry before we even sat down.
9. “Life has its dark side, and to leave it out is dishonest. Conflict, challenge, obstacles, tragedies—these are the times when a person’s real spirit emerges. But we all have trouble discussing some things or even admitting that they have happened to us they may see too awful or disappointing even to acknowledge. By not being afraid of raising sensitive questions and but not passing judgment on what you hear from your narrator, you’ll encourage your narrator to talk freely. You can accept whatever happened—it’s simply what happened, and you know already that life is a lot more complex than anyone ever expected it to be” (43).
This is by far my favorite excerpt of the entire article, Conducting the Interview. The words literally jumped off the page and danced in my mind for quite a bit of time! Admittedly, people are generally prone to expressing at length anything and anything they deem positive, yet they stutter, hesitate, and often hide that which they deem negative. The real story, however, lies within the combination of both the positive and negative elements of life. Furthermore, I find the statement, “life is a lot more complex than anyone ever expected it to be” (43) to radiate with truth!
10. “Usually the narrator will reveal the most sensitive material only after hesitating, if you rush with a question, you will miss it” (45).
While silence in my book is usually defined as awkward, I have learned to allow silence, pauses, and hesitation as a gift! As Cynthia Brown attested, narrators generally share their heart after a moment of reflection. If rushed, however, interviewers lose the most important component of the story—transparency.