INFORMATION

GATHERING
INTERVIEWS
WITH
EXPERTS IN
ONE'S
DISCIPLINE
After the lesson, the learner
should be able to:

writes interview questions; and

conducts and record an interview.

WHAT IS AN INTERVIEW?
INTERVIEW
It is a conversation between two or more
people (the interviewer and the
interviewee) where questions are asked by
the interviewer to obtain information from
the interviewee.
Interviews can be divided into two rough
types: interviews of assessment and
interviews for information.
 The interview is the primary technique for information gathering
during the systems analysis phases of a development project. It is a skill
which must be mastered by every analyst. The interviewing skills of the
analyst determine what information is gathered, and the quality and depth of
that information. Interviewing, observation, and research are the primary
tools of the analyst.
The interview is a specific form of meeting or conference, and is
usually limited to two persons, the interviewer and the interviewee. In
special circumstances there may be more than one interviewer or more than
one interviewee in attendance. In these case there should still be one
primary interviewer and one primary interviewee.
 WHAT ARE THE
GOALS OF THE INTERVIEW?
 Gather information on the company
At each level, Gather information on the function
each phase, Gather information on processes or activities
and with each Uncover problems
interviewee, Conduct a needs determination
an interview
Verification of previously gathered facts
may be
Gather opinions or viewpoints
conducted to:
Provide information
Obtain leads for further interviews
 Types of
Interviews
A. General
This is a one-on-one
interview involving
a reporter and an
individual involved
in a specific event or
issue.
B. Talk Show
Many local television and cable
stations have interview shows
where “people in news” are
interviewed. They are referred to as
“soft” interviews that usually focus
on the personality of the person or
command, rather than on hard news
issues.
C. Ambush

This type of “on-the-

run”, unanticipated
interview usually is
related to some major
issue or controversial
event.
D. Remote
It involves the interviewee in one
location (such as on the ship’s pier) and
the interviewer is in the television
studio asking questions.

The interviewee has an earplug to hear the

questions. The main drawback to this
interview is the distraction and
confusion the audio feedback makes in
the earplug.
E. Edited
As you already knew, any interview, whether it is
to be print, radio or television, may be edited if it is
not done live. The problem with the edited
interview is that an answer may be edited out of
context. One answer to this problem is to have
command personnel only appear on live radio or
television shows. However, even a live interview
can be stage-managed by the host. The best advice
about this interview is that you know the people
you are dealing with.
INTERVIEWING COMPONENTS
The interview process itself consists of a numbers of parts:

Selection of the
Preparation of
interviewee and
interview questions, The interview itself
scheduling time for
or script
the interview

Documentation of the
Review of the Correction of the
facts and information
interview write up write up, sign-off, and
gathered during the
with the interviewee filing
interview
INTERVIEWING
GUIDELINES
 Since each interview is in fact a personal exchange of
information between two personalities, a set of guidelines for
the interviewer should be established to ensure that nothing
interferes with the stated goal, i.e., gathering complete,
accurate information.

The interview is not an adversary relationship; instead, it

should be a conversation. Above all it is a process, and like
most processes it has certain rules and guidelines which should
be followed.
 INTERVIEWING GUIDELINES
1. First and foremost, establish the tone of the interview.
2. Let the interviewee know the reason for the interview and why he or she was selected to be
interviewed.
3. Stress that the interviewee's knowledge and opinions are important and will aid in the
analysis process.
4. Gain the interviewee's trust and cooperation early on and maintain it throughout.

5. Establish what will happen to the information gathered.

6. Determine any areas of confidentiality or restricted information.
7. Let the interviewee know that candor and honesty will be valued and that nothing will be
published or passed on until it has been reviewed and verified by the interviewee.

8. Firmly establish that there are no negative consequences to being interviewed.

DOs of Interviewing
1. Do ask questions which start with who, what, where,
when, why, and how, where possible.
2. Do ask both open and closed questions.
3. Do verify understanding through probing and confirming
questions.
4. Do avoid confrontation.
5. Do act in a friendly but professional manner.
6. Do listen actively.
7. Do take notes, but do not be obtrusive about it.
DOs of Interviewing
8. Do let the interviewee do most of the talking

9. Do establish rapport early and maintain it.

10. Do maintain control over the subject matter.

11. Do establish a time frame for the interview and

stick to it.

12. Do conclude positively.

13. Do allow for follow-up or clarification interviews later.

14. Be polite and courteous.

DON’Ts of Interviewing

1. Do not assume anything.

2. Do not form pre-judgments.
3. Do not interrupt.
4. Do not go off on tangents.
THE NEED FOR DOCUMENTATION
Functions of Documentation
Documentation serves to clarify understanding, and perhaps most important, it provides the audit trail of the analyst.
That is, it creates the records which can be referred to at some later date and which serve as the basis for future work
and decisions.

Good documentation precludes the need to return to the interviewee for a repetition of ground previously covered.
Good documentation can be reviewed over and over until adequate understanding is achieved.

Documentation is tedious and sometimes boring. But it is also vital. Good documentation allows other analysts and the
analyst's successors to pick up where the first left off, should he or she be reassigned.

Most important, the finalized documentation serves as a contract between the user and the data processing developer.

The document becomes, in effect, a statement of the work to be performed. The time to modify and change it is before
the work begins; afterward it may be too late.
ASKING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
AS AN INTERVIEWER, YOU SHOULD

• spend considerable time preparing for an interview

• immerse yourself in the subject that will be discussed
• research your guests’ backstory, credentials and viewpoint
• when formulating interview questions, start with who, what,
when and how questions and then probe deeper
• move from general questions to specifics
• be creative in how you ask questions
 Example:
Tell me about your campaign to save the rare Asian
unicorn.
What led to your interest in saving this endangered
species?
Why is this creature called a unicorn even though it has
two long horns?
Species are being lost every day. Why should we care if the
Asian unicorn goes extinct?
 • Start slow, safe and personal.
9 Tips on • Coax, don't hammer.

Conducting • Make some questions open ended.

• Ask what you don't know.
Great • Let the interviewees wander a bit--but be
Interviews careful
• Don't send advance questions.
• Be prepared. Find the overlooked.
• Listen, really listen.
• There are dumb questions.
Work Cited:
• Functional English Course Pack
•---. www.martymodell.com/pgsa2/pgsa07.html.
Accessed 25 Oct. 2022.
• Telethon Kids Institute. “COVID-19 Interview
With Professor Allen Cheng and Dr Asha
Bowen.” YouTube, 8 Mar. 2020,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqs_xSh-4pg.
• Israel, Shel. “9 Tips on Conducting Great
Interviews.” Forbes, 14 Apr. 2012,
www.forbes.com/sites/shelisrael/2012/04/14/8-tip
s-on-conducting-great-interviews/?sh=51f10a835
6f1
.
 GROUP ACTIVITY

•Make an interview about a topic related to your discipline or about the

current happenings or trends today or even activities that just happened
recently in our campus.
•Prepare your interview questions and assign roles for the interviewer/s and
interviewee/s. Act it out in class. Classmates may critique and ask questions
after the presentation.
•You are given 20 minutes to plan out the interview and 5-10 minutes to
present in class.
 PERFORMANCE TASK

Form a group of five. Conduct a 15-20 minutes video interview with someone
in your field of specialization. As a general rule, interview in person
whenever you can. If you can’t meet in person, use a medium like Skype/
Google Meet/ Zoom. Upload the video for the class to see. Rubric for grading
is indicated in the next slide.
I will provide a
docx file of the
rubrics for a clearer
copy.