Background:

Researching people is no easy task. When we talk with people about the stuff of their lives—their stories, artifacts, surroundings—we enter into their perspectives by partly stepping out of our own. For most of us, we do this often when engaging in casual conversation with others. In asking questions and closely listening to their responses, we not only learn about others but from them.

An engaging and effective interview must be both structured and flexible at the same time. While it’s essential to prepare for an interview with a list of planned, often open-ended questions, it’s equally important to follow your interviewee’s lead—sometimes the best moments in an interview come from a comment or moment you did not anticipate.

The interview process involves collaborative listening—when we interview, it’s important to remember that we are not looking to extract information simply for our own goals/purposes. Instead, we must be thoughtful and attentive listeners, allowing the interview to develop more as a conversation.

On the Salt of the Earth Recovery Project blog site, Dr. Elvira Carrizal-Dukes interviews Mr. Arturo (“Art”) Flores and his family about their involvement and role within the Empire Zinc Mine Strike.

As you watch each video, notice how Dr. Carrizal-Dukes allows Mr. Flores to respond to the question in a conversational manner. In one of the later videos, “more about art flores life”, notice how Carrizal-Dukes does not ask a particular question. Instead, Mr. Flores’ family reflects on a photo album and other artifacts. This is a good example of how to allow the interview to evolve through casual conversation. In the end, Dr. Carrizal-Dukes’ interview highlights Mr. Flores’ life and experience in the strike and makes visible to others his life and connection to family.

Exercise:

We may not always look closely, but so many people all around us have led remarkable lives. Do you have a family member, friend, or teacher who’s led a remarkable life that not many people know about? How about someone in your neighborhood or community?   

Consider how you might go about interviewing this person and/or their relatives and friends. What do you already know about this person? What are you interested in learning more about? What would you want others to know/learn about?

If you do follow through with your interview, remember to keep in mind the following.

As mentioned previously, open-ended questions are most useful when conducting an interview in a conversational style. Although some closed questions might be useful and necessary, such as—What’s your name?, How many years of schooling have you had? Where did you grow up? Do you have any siblings? What’s your favorite cartoon character?, etc.—open questions help elicit more thought-provoking responses.

Below are some general open questions that may be useful when conducting an interview:

  • Tell me more about the time when…
  • Describe the people who were important to…
  • Describe the first time you…
  • Tell me about the person who taught you about…
  • What stands out for you when you remember…
  • Tell me the story behind that interesting item you have.
  • How would you describe yourself to others?
  • What advice would you have for your ten-year-old self?

Finally, it is important to take note of your surroundings during the interview. The interview location or surrounding objects may be useful guides for developing additional questions.

Consider submitting your interview, either written or oral (audio/video), for publication.