1. Interviewing Techniques
Developed as part of the National Emergency Services Curriculum Project

2. What is an Interviewing Team?
The interviewing team is a small, lightly equipped, mobile unit used to conduct interviews to find new information and to investigate leads during a search
Information collection should be considered one of the most important functions of a search, in that one piece of information could bring a search to a rapid close

3. Who to Interview?
People in remote areas and relatively quiet suburbs tend to notice unusual sights or sounds
Forest service personnel
All night gas stations
Farmers
People who work outdoors
Persons frequenting places where people gather and may have discussed events

4. Interviewer Attitude
Professionalism in questioning citizens will do much to reveal information. Steps to take include:
Properly identify yourself as a member of Civil Air Patrol Wear a proper uniform and show an ID card. Photo IDs are best
Do not relate details of the mission to civilians. Do not "put words in their mouths"
Only give enough detail to help the interviewee recall the situation

5. Interviewer Attitude Continued
Let the witness tell his story in his own words and in its entirety. Afterwards you can question him about details or to establish the validity of his information
Use CAPF 106 and/or the Missing Person Questionnaire only after the interview is complete. Most people interviewed will not follow a form exactly to relate information
Tape recording the interview with the interviewee’s permission can help, but should not be a requirement

6. Interviewer Attitude Continued
Be skeptical of statistical information given by untrained observers like altitude or angle of attack.
Courtesy and patience when dealing with a witness is essential. Never rush a witness because he or she may leave out important information.

7. Interviewer Attitude Continued
If the witness is a child, question very carefully and have him tell his story several times and in several ways.
Talk to the child's parents about the child's reliability under such circumstances
Make sure that you don’t offend the parents in the process

8. Interviewer Attitude Continued
Leave the mission operating base telephone number and the interviewer’s name with the witness and ask them to call in if they recall any other helpful information.
This let’s the interviewee know that you are interested in additional relevant information

9. Speed of Information Distribution
Data collected must be transmitted to the Mission Coordinator or designated receiver as soon as possible
Use the telephone primarily and two-way radio alternatively if it must get back, couriers may be a wise idea as well
CAPF 106 and other standardized forms facilitate transmission of data by using the block numbers or sequenced sections instead of saying the whole phrase

10. Guidelines for conducting an interview
Introduce yourself and state the exact purpose of the interview, but don’t be forceful
Try to make yourself available to the person
By forcing an immediate interview, you may frustrate a person with prior engagements to rush and forget an important detail
Create a comfortable atmosphere
What climate would you need to reveal things about yourself?

11. Guidelines for Conducting Interviews Continued
Start with non-threatening questions. It helps in two ways:
Reduces tensions between the interviewer and the interviewee
Shows you care about the interviewee’s feelings
Understand his/her need to express emotional feelings

12. Guidelines for Conducting Interviews Continued
Know yourself and how you come across - you get back what you project
Know what you are after and have a general plan of attack
Prepare the interviewee for personal questions
Listen! Listen! Listen! You will learn nothing if you do all the talking

13. Techniques to get people talking
Use structured questions (questions that require only a simple one or two word response) to clarify a point.
Use unstructured questions (questions such as why...? How about ...? What do you think may have happened? Etc.) to get the interviewee thinking and talking about the subject of interest.
Once you have the person talking, encourage him to continue. Listen!

14. Techniques to get people talking Continued
Give no implicit message to stop
Show acceptance - nod, uh-huh, yes..., Please continue, etc
Silence forces him to continue
Ordinarily those being interviewed will add additional information and it will probably be the most important information received

15. Techniques to get people talking Continued
To probe an area of interest (particularly a touchy or sensitive area):
Restate words that the person just used, but don’t interrupt
Summarize back what you perceived him to communicate

16. Evaluating Information Received
Guide the interviewee into giving you more information to either support or refute each hypothesis that you make
Remember, you are trying to put together a picture of what may have happened, and the information gathered is only one piece of a big puzzle

17. Evaluating Information Received Continued
Do not try to analyze leads in the field. You don't have the "big picture."
If asked for your opinion or analysis, give it.
Don't jump to conclusions, but listen to what is being said and form hypotheses as you go

18. Interviewing Tasks
Ground Team Leader
O-1101