In-Depth Interview

DR. GREGORIO E. BACCAY III

Senior Research Specialist
Head, Economic & Financial Learning Center
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Dumaguete Branch
What is an in-depth interview?

An in-depth interview is an open-ended,

discovery-oriented method that is well suited
for describing both program processes and
outcomes from the perspective of the
participant(s).
In-depth, qualitative interviews are excellent
tools in providing quality information subject
to the researcher or interviewer conducting
the interview.
The goal of the interview is to deeply explore
the participant's point of view, feelings and
perspectives.
There are key characteristics that differentiate
an in-depth, qualitative research interview from a
regular interview
Key features of in-depth interviews

 Open-ended Questions:
 Questions should be worded so that participants
cannot simply answer yes or no, but must
expound on the topic.
 Key features of in-depth interviews

Semi-structured Format:
Although you should have some pre-planned
questions to ask during the interview, you must also
allow questions to flow naturally, based on
information provided by the participant. You should
not insist upon asking specific questions in a
specific order. In fact, the flow of the conversation
dictates the questions asked and those omitted, as
well as the order of the questions
Key features of in-depth interviews

 Seek understanding and interpretation:

 You should try to interpret what you are hearing,
as well as seek clarity and a deeper
understanding from the respondent throughout
the interview.
Key features of in-depth interviews

 Conversational:
You should be conversational, but your
role is primarily that of a listener. There
should be smooth transitions from one topic
to the next.
Key features of in-depth interviews

 Recording responses:
The responses are recorded, typically
with audiotape and written notes (i.e., field
notes)
Key features of in-depth interviews

 Record observations:
You observe and record non-verbal
behaviors on the field notes as they occur.
Key features of in-depth interviews

Record reflections:
You record your views and feelings
immediately after the interview as well
 In essence, in-depth interviews involve not
only asking questions, but the systematic
recording and documenting of responses coupled
with intense probing for deeper meaning and
understanding of the responses.
 Thus, in-depth interviewing often requires
repeated interview sessions with the target
audience under study. Unlike focus group
interviews, in-depth interviews occur with one
individual at a time to provide a more
involving experience
Seven stages of in-depth interview

1. Thematizing:

This is the first stage of the process whereby you

clarify the purpose of the interviews and determine
what you want to find out.
Seven stages of in-depth interview

2. Designing:
After you determine what you want to know, you
must design a way to find it out. A key part of this
process is designing an interview guide. An interview
guide is a list of questions and probing follow-ups
that guide you through the interview. As you prepare
this guide, you should anticipate and organize the
issues you plan to explore. However, if the
discussion warrants it, you must be willing to
transition or change directions during the interview.
Designing cont…
The interview guide helps you stay on track; helps ensure
that important issues/topics are addressed; provides a
framework and sequence for the questions; and helps
maintain some consistency across interviews with different
participants. There are three basic parts of the interview
guide: facesheet, actual questions, and post-interview
comment sheet. The facesheet is used to record factual
information such as time, date, and place of the interview.
Also, any special conditions or circumstances that may affect
the interview are recorded. Demographic information about
the interviewee is noted on the facesheet as well.
Designing cont…..
The actual interview questions, probing questions or
statements, and anticipated follow-up questions
comprise the second part of the interview guide.
Typically, a column alongside the questions is used
for observations made during questioning. The final
part of the interview guide provides a place to write
notes after the interview that detail your feelings,
interpretations, and other comments
 Seven stages of in-depth interview

3. Interviewing:
The actual interview consists of three main parts. The first
part involves introducing yourself and the study. It is
critical that you establish a good rapport with the
participants. You also should put the participant at ease.
Your main responsibility is to listen and observe as you
guide the participant through a conversation until all of the
important issues on the interview guide are explored. This, of
course, is one of the most difficult aspects of the in-depth
interviewing process. However, there are some strategies
that have been used by researchers to improve the quality of
the in-depth interview experience for both the researcher and
the participant.
 General strategies:
 Active listening. Listen and rephrase what was
said to ensure that you completely understand the
meaning the participant intends.
 Patience. Do not rush the participant and allow
him/her to speak freely while guiding the
conversation to cover important issues.
General strategies cont…
 Flexibility. Be open to slight deviations from the topic,
which may require rearranging/reordering the
questions or coming up with new questions. If the
participant deviates too far from the topic, then
carefully return him or her to the topic at hand.

 Audio recording. When possible, audiotape the

interview for later reference and increased accuracy.
Always ask permission of the interviewee before audio
recording. Some researchers even videotape
interviews in order to capture both the verbal
responses and nonverbal cues -- after receiving the
participant’s permission, of course.
 Seven stages of in-depth interview

4. Transcribing:
Transcribing involves creating a written text of the interviews.
This step involves bringing together all of your information-
gathering approaches into one written form. Thus, you would
write out each question and response (verbatim) from the
interview using your recorded audiotape and notes including
your side notes (observations, feelings and reflections). The
side notes are differentiated from the participant's notes,
typically by highlighted text. Study and review the
transcription, then denote the important information related to
the study.
 Seven stages of in-depth interview

5. Analyzing:
This important step involves determining the
meaning in the information gathered in relation to
the purpose of the study. You would study the
important information and look for themes,
commonalities, and patterns to try to make sense of
the information. If more questions are raised that
need clarity in order to serve the purpose of the
study, then another in-depth interview is warranted
to examine the issue more thoroughly.
 Seven stages of in-depth interview
6. Verifying:
Verifying involves checking the credibility and validity of the
information gathered. A method called triangulation is used as
a means of checks and balances. Basically, one type of
triangulation would be to use multiple perspectives to interpret
a single set of information. For example, if you are studying
outcomes of your Parenting class on improving parental
communication with their children. You would interview the
parent who attended the training, the children, and the spouse
or partner-if applicable. If each one says basically the same
thing, then the weight of evidence would be that the
information is credible and valid. Another simple way to
triangulate would be to have a colleague read the transcripts
to see if she he/she came away with the same overall
meaning.
 Seven stages of in-depth interview

7. Reporting:
The final step of the process is to share what you have
learned from the in-depth interviews with other internal and
external stakeholders.
 Three steps in successful
interviewing

 Preparation: produce an interview schedule

and interview guides.
 Execution: conduct the interviews
 Review: write up the interview notes
Steps in the interview process

Preparation Execution Review

Interview Interview Interview

Interview
schedule guides notes format

Who you are going What questions are • Structure What results were
to interview, why, you going to ask? • Rapport obtained?
when and where? • Listen • Information found
• Probe • Decisions
• Clarify • Actions

An interview guide should be created prior to all

interviews to ensure the interviews are focused and
efficient and enable comparison and summarization.
Preparing the interview schedule

• Identify what the objectives of the interviews are,

what information you need to find out and therefore
what areas of the business you need to obtain
information from.
• 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
Preparing the interview guide

• Determine the objectives of the interview.

• Plan the structure of the interview.
• Prepare interview questions.
• Prepare additional notes if they assist. For
example having an organization chart helps
in clarifying roles and responsibilities.
How to conduct the interview

 Introduction

Conduct at their place of work where possible

how
Always state the reason for the interview and
it will be conducted
Put the interviewee at ease
notes
Ask the interviewee if they agree to you taking
Body

necessary
Listen to the answers and request clarification if

Avoid making criticisms or taking sides

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

Stay focused and follow your interview guide

Allow the interviewee to ask questions
Wrap up

Thank the interviewee

theAdvise them what the next steps are and
timeframe
Build rapport

 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

 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
‘cont

 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
‘cont

 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

 Examples:
“So what do you enjoy about the role?”
“Are there any other issues I should be aware of?”
Closed questioning

 Examples:
“Is the new form better or worse than the old
form?”
“Do you stamp the form before or after the
details are recorded?
Probe questioning

 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.
 Examples:
– “How does that happen?”
– “How did that change impact your department?”
– “What specifically do they do as a result of that?”
Paraphrasing

 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”
Interview review
Key Steps Format
Interview
InterviewNotes
Notes
••Write
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interviewnotes
notes
as Interviewees:
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afterthe
the Interviewees:
interview Interviewer:
Interviewer:
interview
Location:
Location:
••Outline Date:
Date:
Outlinekey
keyfindings,
findings,
note
noteemerging
emerginghypotheses
hypotheses KEY
KEYFINDINGS
FINDINGS

••Consider
Considerhowhowfindings
findingsfitfit
with BACKGROUND
BACKGROUNDAND
withearlier
earlierevidence
evidence SITUATION
AND
SITUATION
••Identify
Identifygaps
gapstotobe
be
filled in subsequent
filled in subsequent DISCUSSION
DISCUSSIONNOTES
NOTES
interviews
interviews
NEXT
NEXTSTEPS
STEPS

Interview notes are valuable when sharing

information with other team members.
The interviewee may be
• Assuming no possible improvement
• Assuming they have the full picture
• Assuming knowledge on your part
• Describing work out of sequence
• Covering up their own failings
• Exaggerating
• Scoring off others

• Overwhelmed by you

• Protecting others

• Exaggerating the immediate problem

• Overestimating the importance of the job
• Telling you what they think you want to hear
The interviewee can be

Inarticulate Shy

A jargoneer Loud

A familiarist A deceiver

An obstructionist A hypochondriac

Too familiar with the job An empire builder

Adjust your style to suit the
interviewee

 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 take sides
• correct misinformation tactfully
i.e: do not challenge honestly held opinions
Poor interviewing behaviors

× Did not make an appointment

× Arrived late
× Was rude
× Exhibited one upmanship
× 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
Do Not

× Arrive without warning

× Forget interviewee’s name or role
× Show off
× Criticise
× Interrupt
× Be impatient
× Use coarse language
× Fidget, lounge or appear bored
× Go over time without agreement from interviewee
× Fail to thank the interviewee for their time
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.
A skilled qualitative interviewer should
be:

 a good listener,
 able to notice and react to nonverbal clues,
 flexible,
 open minded, and
 willing to release power and control
Thank you