Week 5 Lesson 3
Interviewing
Interviewing
How do you interview someone well? It is harder than just asking questions. One thing you should do when you interview someone is ask then open-ended questions. This means questions that don't have yes or no answers or one word answers. They are questions that make people want to talk or tell stories.
How do you interview someone well? It is harder than just asking questions. One thing you should do when you interview someone is ask then open-ended questions. This means questions that don't have yes or no answers or one word answers. They are questions that make people want to talk or tell stories.
For example, you could ask someone a question like this:
For example, you could ask someone a question like this:
"Do you like gardening?"
"Do you like gardening?"
"Yes".
"Yes".
That's OK, but a little boring. You can usually get people to talk a bit more by asking "open ended" questions, like this;
That's OK, but a little boring. You can usually get people to talk a bit more by asking "open ended" questions, like this;
"Why do you have a garden?"
"Why do you have a garden?"
"Oh, I've always had a garden. Both of my parents were gardeners, and they taught me how to garden when I was young".
"Oh, I've always had a garden. Both of my parents were gardeners, and they taught me how to garden when I was young".
Watch this video for more information about how to ask good interview questions.
Watch this video for more information about how to ask good interview questions.
Homework: interview one person outside of class. Ask basic questions, of course, like name, family, history, etc., but ask multiple questions that get at big ideas. You can pick some from above or some that you have created. Write a summary of the interview for me and send it to me in a document.
You can interview anyone you feel safe with--a new acquaintance or friend, a family member, a friend of a friend, a coworker, etc. Ideally, you would do the interview in English, but if that isnt possible, your language is fine. Just be sure you write your summary in English!