17.

Explore the concept of framing by (a) defining it as clearly as possible in your own

words, and (b) illustrating it either with a real-life incident from your own experience or with

a hypothetical situation. Make sure you explain how framing can be important for both

interviewer and interviewee.

18. Identify two prominent interviewers you admire from public life (television, radio, local

politics, campus). Discuss how they reflect — or fail to reflect — the four qualities of

interviewing discussed in this chapter (empathy, honesty, respect, validation).

PART ONE: KEY APPRECIATIONS AND SKILLS OF DIALOGUE

CHAPTER 2: Before Skills: Appreciations and Habits of Dialogue

• The nitty-gritty

Chapter 2 explicitly introduces what we term a “skills-plus” approach to interviewing.

In it, we would like students to understand that interviewing is an artistic and creative activity

that depends as much on what interviewers and interviewees assume and appreciate as on

what they are trained to do. Many, if not most, crucial interview decisions are made on the

spot; they need to be improvised to fit an unanticipated context, an unexpected emotional

reaction from a partner, or a fresh topic that arose serendipitously. We’ve found that students

more readily build skills and practice helpful interviewing behaviors if they first realize how

successful interviewing is built upon helpful attitudes and a genuine desire to understand

another person. Thus, this chapter introduces the appreciations of curiosity, knowledge,
diversity, flexibility, and empathy; in “Beyond the Basics,” these factors are integrated with

some basic research findings in rules theory and the cooperative principle in conversation.

You can make two especially helpful links for students here, relative to their other classes.

First, because of its emphasis on diversity, empathy, and pluralistic worldviews, this chapter

could be taught almost entirely as a lesson in intercultural understanding (see resource

suggestions at the end of this section) should an instructor choose that orientation and supply

additional examples. We’ve chosen to integrate cultural issues throughout the book, but

teachers who prefer a specific chapter on this topic will find this one readily adaptable.

Second, you may want to draw on your students’ experiences in interpersonal or

communication theory courses, in which the dynamics of rules, coordinated management of

meaning, and conversational discourse are discussed in more depth. This chapter invites

ready application from such coursework.

• Suggestions for “Trying Out Your Skills” and “Making Your Decision” boxes

— The TOYS box provides a sample interview for analysis. Its purpose is not to ask students

whether they identify with one or the other characters, or agree or disagree with them, but to

stimulate discussion about the characteristics of dialogue. See if you can encourage students

not to discuss this case globally through generalizations; ask them to link their opinions to

actual comments and interchanges between Delores Wilson and Michael Van Allen.