Researching into Interviews

Researching interviews

I have performed my own research before carrying out my own interview to help my inquiry, I collected my data from Kvale in 1996 ‘An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviews’

When conducting your own interview you need to be aware of how to present yourself, and keeping your interviewee on their toes. I need to keep the interviewee’s attention, it should not be dull and uninteresting.

First Impressions- How do you present yourself when you first meet someone? If you was in a job interview situation you would normally start with a hand shake. You want to come across happy and confident, but not over confident.

However my interview will be more relaxed, I know my interviewees and I have worked with them for the last 3 years. I would like to also conduct a professional conversation with my past teacher which would be more formal as I respect her so much but still relaxed.

Questions and answers- When asking questions while conducting your interview will be normal, you should be in control of where the interview is heading, but hopefully if your interviewee is interested they will bounce back with questions too, this just shows they are involved in this discussion.

Preparation- Preparation is crucial! This is why I am researching into interviews, I am looking at literature, sources and researching into my topic, how exactly I word certain sentences for the best answer, I need my questions to be to the point, clear and for my interviewee to understand them completely. Everyone who conducts their own interview wants the best out come and this comes down to preparation. Preparation in your interview questions and preparation in knowing the background of your interviewee.

Why are you doing this, and why that interviewee- I am interviewing to collect more data on my topic of inquiry, I want as much detail and opinions on each section of my interview. I have chosen my 2 interviewee because they have a varied amount of experience performing, 2 different age groups, and have been trained differently. I also think my professional conversation with my past ballet teacher will also bring variation to my data, she also widens my range of people. I want to be able to compare and pick out resemblances between answers. 

Dress code- Dress code always depends on the situations, if you was interviewing for a new job a suit or an outfit which is smart. You would never want to go to an interview in your pajamas, you need to think about how you want to present yourself, and you need to dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Also the person conducting the interview should dress professionally, the interviewee needs to see your presentation just as much. 

Be enthusiastic- Is you was holding an interview which was dull and boring the interviewee would not been keen, if you are excited about the topic of your interview they will be too. You have control of this situation you need to make it a positive situation which will hopefully lead to a positive outcome. For my interview it will be relaxed and probably before or after classes so it will be in dance wear.

Timing is critical- On both sides on the interview (interviewee and interviewer) you need to show you are highly organized, professional and respect each other enough not to be late or over run unless it is suitable for both parties. I need to make the most of my time so I can not afford to be late especially if it is both a class as students will arrive early. 

Natural and relaxed atmosphere- You should both be relaxed during the interview, not awkward or uncomfortable. The interviewee should feel happy in their surroundings and comfortable enough to discuss openly about their opinions. The interviewer should not be judgmental to any answer or opinion even if you disagree.