INFORMATION

GATHERING INTERVIEWS
WITH EXPERTS IN ONE'S
DISCIPLINE
What Is an Interview?

•An interview 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 cases there should still be one primary
interviewer and one primary interviewee.
What Are the Goals of the Interview?

 Gather information on the company

 Gather information on the function
 Gather information on processes or activities
 Uncover problems
 Conduct a needs determination
 Verification of previously gathered facts
 Gather opinions or viewpoints
 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. Nevertheless,
prior preparation is important even for a soft interview. Be sure you know if there will
be another speaker on the show who will be asked their opinions of the issues the
interviewee will address.
C. Ambush
This type of “on-the-run”, unanticipated interview usually is related to some major issue or controversial
event. The person leaves his home, a congressional hearing or a courtroom, and is suddenly faced with
television cameras, microphones and shouted questions. The main rule here is to keep cool, smile and
move as soon as possible.

D. Remote
This is similar to the general interview but involves the interviewee in one location (such as on the ship’s
pier) and the interviewer is television studio asking questions. There may also be a third party linked by
another remote location or in the television studio. 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. This technical problem makes the interviewee more nervous and thus interferes with the ability to
do the best interview possible. Practice with the remote will help, but such interviews are always difficult.

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.
The interview process itself consists of a number of parts.
 Selection of the interviewee and scheduling time for the interview
 Preparation of interview questions, or script
 The interview itself
 Documentation of the facts and information gathered during the interview
 Review of the interview write up with the interviewee
 Correction of the write up, sign-off, and filing
Interviewing Guidelines

Given these various phases and the variety of goals of an interview, the importance of a properly conducted
interview should be self-evident. 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.
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 and Don'ts of Interviewing
DO’s DONT’s
1. Do ask questions which start with who, what, 1. Do not assume anything.
where, when, why, and how, where possible. 2. Do not form pre-judgments.
2. Do ask both open and closed questions. 3. Do not interrupt.
3. Do verify understanding through probing and 4. Do not go off on tangents.
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.
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 on.
14. Be polite and courteous.
The Need for Documentation
•Everyone talks about the weather but no one can do anything
about it. In the case of documentation, everyone talks about it but
few do it; however, unlike the weather, most people can
document, and document effectively.
•Documentation, however painful and tedious it may seem, is
one of the most critical tasks of analysis. The documentation
produced as a result of the analytical interviews, the analyst's
observations and research, and ultimately, the total analysis
phase of the project serves a number of purposes.
Documenting the Interview
• Permanence. The need for documentation is rooted in semantics and human memory. Verbal
communications are both transitory and subject to interpretation. The average person has a
language working set of about 500 to 1000 words. The written working set, by contrast, is much
larger, perhaps by as much as an order of magnitude. Verbal communication is augmented by
inflection, body language, and by a process of feedback and interaction, all of which serve to clarify
the ambiguous, the ill-defined, and ill-understood. Human memory is imperfect. Words
communicated verbally can only be recalled and examined with difficulty, if at all.
• Precision and recall. A written document is more precise and may be reviewed repeatedly until
understanding is achieved. It has the added advantage that small changes can be made to it
without having to restate the entire premise or thought. Additionally, once an idea is written down, it
may be recalled at will exactly as first presented and may be completed by someone other than the
original author, or authors. Because there is little feedback from the written word, one can only take
issue with misstatements of fact or with ambiguous wording. If it isn't written down, it isn't there.
Functions of Documentation

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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. Documentation is necessary if the next
project phases are to be successful, since they are predicated on the results of the
analysis. To a very real extent, analytical documentation provides the road maps for the
remainder of the project. If the maps are faulty, or incomplete, the succeeding teams
may wind up in a swamp, or worse, in quicksand.
4. Most important, the finalized documentation serves as a contract between the user
and the data processing developer. In it the analyst has described the user's
environment, the analyst's understanding of the user's needs and requirements, and with
the proposal for a future environment, the analyst's description of the system to be
designed and built by the developers. With the user's sign-off, or approval of these
documents, a contract is created between the two. Barring unforeseen changes in the
business environment, the problems described in the documentation will be rectified and
the environment proposed will be the one built and installed for the user.

5. 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.
From the developer's perspective, any post sign-off changes may require a re-negotiation
of either time frames, costs, or resources. From the user's perspective, the design is what is
contracted for and what he or she is paying for. If the final product does not conform to the
proposal, then it is up to the developer to rework the product until the user is satisfied.
•Asking Interview Questions
Successful interviewers spend considerable time preparing for an interview. They immerse
themselves in the subject that will be discussed. They research their guests’ backstory, credentials
and viewpoint. Knowledge of the topic and their guests helps the interviewer formulate good questions
that will hook the audience.
When formulating interview questions, start with who, what, when and how questions and
then probe deeper. Moving from general questions to specifics gives the guest time to get comfortable
with you and the interview. 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?
 PERFORMANCE: GROUP ACTIVITY
I. Form group of five. Conduct a 5-15 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 below.

II Make an interview about a topic related to your discipline. Prepare your interview questions and
assign roles for the interviewer/s and interviewee/s. Act it out in class.
 Video Based Assessment Rubric
(AN INTERVIEW WITH EXPERTS IN ONE'S DISCIPLINE)

CRITERIA 5 4 3 2 1

Content Content is accurate and Content is accurate but Content is accurate but Content is questionable. Content is inaccurate.
all required information is some required information some required Information is not Information is not
presented in a logical is missing and/or not information is missing presented in a logical presented in a logical
order. presented in a logical and/or not presented in a order, making it difficult order, making it difficult
order, but is still generally logical order, making it to follow. to follow.
easy to follow. difficult to follow.

Communication Well-rehearsed and General level of rehearsal Acceptable level of Low level of rehearsal. No rehearsal indicated.
Skills thoroughly familiar with and Knows the topic rehearsal. Has some Numerous pronunciation Too many pronunciation
the topic. Can present well.Can successfully difficulty keeping up with errors or other mistakes. errors or other mistakes.
ideas articulately and present and justify ideas in the discussion and arguing Has marked difficulty in Severe difficulty in
persuasively in a complex a formal discussion. Turn an opinion. Limited turn- keeping up with the following the discussion
discussion. Level taking handled taking and use of discussion and and no active
appropriate for intended appropriately. Level communication strategies. contributes only involvement. Lacks the
audience. appropriate for intended Level is appropriate, but occasionally. features of an
audience. the listener is not totally Basic/Unfamiliar level of acceptable
convinced that the acquaintance with the presentation.
presenter knows his/her topic.
topic well.

Creativity/ The presentation shows The presentation shows Uses ideas from other Uses ideas from other Lacks of originality and
Originality great originality. Ideas are certain originality and people but there is a little people without quoting. creativity. A little effort
creative and witty. creativity. It shows the use evidence of original ideas. on it.
of new ideas and
shrewdness.

Video Transitions are smooth. Smooth transitions are Smooth transitions are Very few transitions are No transitions are used.
Transitions Transitions enhance the used on most slides. used on some slides. used and/or they distract
presentation. from the presentation.