1. Interviewing techniques
Tools for Thought
Interviewing techniques
Teacher
page
Using strategies to prepare and conduct interviews
Download and read the teacher instructions, and duplicate the student materials prior to use.
This resource complements the Interviewing techniques tutorial found in Tools for Thought @
Use of this resource is restricted to subscribers of this collection
© The Critical Thinking Consortium 2013

2. Overview of learning activities
Teacher
page
Topic
Slide
Consider the situation 5
Compare interviews and conversations 6
Listen to an interview
7-9
Examine interview questions
10-13
Prepare for an interview
14-18
Conduct the interview 19
Assess the interview 20
Reflect on the strategy 21

3. Tools for Thought Interviewing techniques Interviewing techniques
Using strategies to prepare and conduct an interview
Invite students to discuss the question with a partner and then share their ideas with the class.
Has anyone heard or seen someone being interviewed?
What is the point of doing this?

4. Interviewing techniques
These strategies help get useful information from a person by conducting an effective interview.
What will I learn?
what are the features of an effective interview and interviewer;
how to help prepare for and conduct an interview;
why interviewing is a useful information gathering technique.

5. Consider this situation Consider this situation
Think of a person, current or historical,
you would like to know more about.
Imagine you have been invited to meet this person.
What questions would you ask?
Present students with the suggested situation
Provide time for students to write their questions. Invite students to share their ideas with a partner. Ask a few students to share their ideas with the class.

6. Compare interviews and conversations
What are the similarities and differences between an interview and a conversation?
Interview
Casual conversation
Ask students if simply meeting a person, such as in their imagined situation, would be considered an interview. Invite students to identify the similarities
and differences between an interview and a conversation. Discuss with students other ways they could find out about this person (e.g., reading about them or watching a documentary). Point out to students that people are sources of information and an interview is a way to gather detailed or
revealing information.
Explain to students that in this lesson they will learn techniques for using an interview as a method of gathering information. Discuss with students what makes an interview unique compared to other sources of research information. Inform students about the responsive nature of an interview. Point
out that an interview enables a researcher to dig deeper by asking additional questions.

7. Listen to an interview Listen to an interview
Listen to an interview and brainstorm qualities of an effective interviewer.
George Stroumboulopoulos Interviews Peter Mansbridge Peter Gzowski Interviews Anna Maria Tremonti Shelagh Rogers
Invite students to brainstorm the qualities of an effective interview. Provide examples of effective interviews from one of the suggested websites.
After students have listened to segments of several interviews, invite them to select one they thought was particularly effective and listen to it again. Instruct students to keep a tally of how many questions build on answers already given and how many questions were “fresh” or pre-planned. Discuss with students what makes these interviewers effective. Based on the discussion, develop criteria for an effective interviewer (e.g., asks engaging questions, is attentive, has genuine interest, is
responsive, has background information).
Photo credit: Mark Dunne

8. an effective interviewer
Think about criteria
Criteria for
an effective interviewer
Read the suggested criteria.
Compare the qualities of an
effective interviewer you
identified.
Determine the best possible
criteria for an effective
interviewer.
asks engaging questions
is attentive
has genuine interest
is responsive
has background knowledge
Connect student generated criteria with the suggested criteria. As a class, determine the best possible criteria.

9. Consider interview tips
Preparation
Do your homework
Set a purpose
Look for springboards
Create questions
Remember necessities
Practice
Read the tips.
Highlight new information
Rank order the five most effective tips.
Interview strategies
Start easy
Ask the right questions
Have a conversation
Create questions
Pay attention to details
Provide students with a copy of Tips for a successful Interview (Activity Sheet #5A). Instruct students to read the information together or individually and highlight information that is new to them.
Invites students to discuss which 5 pieces of advice would be most helpful to a fellow student about to interview a classmate.

10. Examine interview questions Examine interview questions
Think about the successful interview tips and the questions asked in the previous interviews.
What are the qualities of an effective interview question?
Credits : Dennis Mojado
Which question is most effective?
➤ Pose the question, “What does an effective interview question look like?” Encourage students to think about the questions asked in the previously viewed video or audio interviews.
Based on the discussion, develop criteria for effective interview questions (e.g., open ended, build on interesting background information, draw out interesting ideas and information, cover a range of relevant topics).
What is your favourite sport?
Do you think hockey is a great sport?
What motivates you as an athlete?

11. Think about question criteria
How closely do your criteria
match the suggested criteria?
Identify the most relevant criteria
from the two lists.
Criteria for an effective
interview question
open ended
build on interesting
background information
draw out interesting ideas
and information
cover a range of relevant
topics
➤Invite students to consider the criteria for an effective interview question. Discuss how closely their developed criteria match the suggested criteria. As a class identify the most relevant criteria from the two lists.
For further information about responsive questioning refer to Responsive questioning in the Tools for Thought collection (

12. Examine questions
Open-ended questions tend to more effective because they encourage conversation and are less leading.
A question may be ineffective because
it is closed or leading or both.
Leading Questions (Ineffective)
Open-ended Questions (More effective)
Do you get along with your parents?
- hints that maybe they don’t get along.
Tell me about your relationship with your parents.
- non-judgmental
How fast was the red car going when it smashed it into the blue car?
- the red car was at fault
-suggests high speed
How fast was each car going when the accident occurred?
- does not assign any blame or make
assumptions
Why did you disappoint your father?
Provide students with a copy of Effective questions (Activity Sheet #5B). Examine the examples of closed and leading questions and discuss the revisions to more effective questions. Invite students to revise the last question and share their responses.

13. Modify questions
Work in partners to identify the flaws in each question
Revise them to create effective questions
Provide students with a copy of Effective questions (Activity Sheet #5B). Review the information provided and ask students whether the criteria for effective interview questions they developed earlier are appropriate or need to be amended. Invite students to work in partners to identify the flaws of each question and then revise them to create effective questions. Model the activity using the examples provided.

14. Prepare for an interview
Interview a classmate in preparation for writing a profile about this student for the “Know Your Neighbour” section of the school website
Create a briefing sheet about yourself to help the interviewer generate questions.
Include personal characteristics, talents or other information you would like to talk about in your interview
Explain to students their task will be to prepare and conduct an interview. They will be interviewing someone in the class in preparation for writing a profile about this student for the “Know your neighbour” section of the school website.
Invite each student to prepare a briefing sheet identifying personal characteristics, talents, or other information they would like to talk about in their interview. Explain that the briefing sheet will help the interviewer plan the interview.

15. Identify information
Working in pairs, exchange your briefing sheet with your partner.
Review the briefing sheet and identify important background information .
Organize students in pairs and have them exchange information sheets. Provide students with a copy of Planning an interview (Activity Sheet #5C).
As a class, review the purpose of the interview. Instruct students to record information they know about the interviewee. Guide students in identifying the background knowledge that might serve as a starting point or “springboard’ for interview questions.
If necessary use the example on the next slide to illustrate extracting information.

16. Look at example
Use the exemplar to illustrate extracting important information from the briefing sheet.

17. Brainstorm questions
Review the information recorded from the briefing sheet.
Prepare your interview questions based on this information.
Tip: Generate many questions for your interview. Review and select the most effective questions for the interview.
are open ended
build on interesting background
information
draw out interesting ideas and
cover a range of relevant topics
Effective interview questions
Guide students in identifying the background knowledge that might serve as a starting point or “springboard’ for interview questions.
Review the criteria for effective questions. Invite students to generate questions and then review the questions, selecting the most effective for the interview.
If necessary, use the example on the next slide to illustrate generating questions.

18. Look at an example Possible questions
Why did your family move to Canada?
What has been the most difficult adjustment to being in Canada?
What have you like the best?
What do you like best about our school?
How did you become a drummer?
Who is the person you admire most and why?
Discuss the possible questions. Invite students to examine the connections between the background information and the questions. Ask students how well the questions meet the criteria. Encourage students to suggest one more question that could be added that would meet the criteria.

19. an effective interviewer
Conduct the interview
Conduct the interview
Interview your partner.
After the interview discuss how well the interview met the criteria.
Criteria for
an effective interviewer
Tip: Set a comfortable tone for the interview. Remember to thank the interviewee
asks engaging questions
is attentive
has genuine interest
is responsive
has background knowledge
Explain to students that they will actually be conducting the interview. Arrange for the students to interview each other.
Discuss, and perhaps model, the importance of setting a comfortable tone for the interview and thanking the interviewee.
When students have completed the interview, invite them to self- and peer-assess their interview using the rubric provided on the next slide. Discuss what students have learned about the advantages and disadvantages of using interviews to gather information.

20. Assess the interview Assess the interview How well did you prepare
Assessing my ability to “prepare and conduct interviews”
How well did you prepare
and conduct the interview?
What did you learn about
interviews?
What are the advantages
and disadvantages of
using interviews to gather
information?
When students have completed the interview, invite them to self- and peer-assess their interview using the rubric provided. Discuss what students have learned about the advantages and disadvantages of using interviews to gather information.

21. Reflect on the strategy
How might you use the
Student resource?
When might conducting an
interview be a useful tool?
Provide students with a copy of the Student Resource.
Explain that the Student Resource will help them use interviewing techniques independently. Review the purpose and steps in applying the strategy.
At appropriate times over the ensuing several weeks, encourage students to use this strategy in regular classroom situations.
Extension: Invite students to brainstorm historic figures or interesting people they have learned about in different areas of the curriculum (e.g., mathematicians, scientists, explorers, politicians, musicians). Instruct students to select one person of particular interest to them. Explain to students that they are going to assume the role of that person and be interviewed by another student.
Instruct students to find out as much as they can about their character so they can assume this role. All students will develop a role.
Organize students in pairs and instruct them to share the key points of their research. Provide them with a copy of Planning an interview (Activity sheet #5C), to plan an interview with the selected character.
Instruct students to provide the interviewee with a copy of the interview questions to allow the interviewee to prepare interesting answers. Explain to students that if they are asked a question they are unable to answer they should make up a reasonable response, consistent with what they know about the character.