131 lines
6.5 KiB
Plaintext
131 lines
6.5 KiB
Plaintext
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SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEWING
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By
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James R. Ryals
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Commander
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Long Beach, California, Police Department
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Interviewing is one form of communication used extensively
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by law enforcement. Whether used to screen applicants, to elicit
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information from a witness to a crime, or to obtain a confession,
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a good interview can have a significant impact on the
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organization. However, if conducted improperly, the interview
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may be rendered worthless or can result in serious negative
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consequences for all involved.
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There are certain guidelines to follow when conducting an
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interview. By adhering to the following basic rules, the
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interviewer can reduce many of the problems that might arise
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because of a faulty interview.
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* Develop a plan of action. The interviewer should review
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pertinent data and develop questions that will elicit
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the information required to complete the task at hand.
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For example, for applicant interviews, questions should
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be tailored to gather information that accurately
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evaluates the potential employee. On the other hand,
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questions posed to witnesses of a crime should be
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designed to obtain facts to complete an accurate report.
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For the most part, interviewers should prepare areas of
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inquiry in a general way to keep the interview flowing.
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Previously prepared questions tend to "drive" the
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interview in a particular direction, which limits the
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type and amount of information gathered.
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* Conduct the interview privately. While this basic rule
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is oftentimes difficult to follow, depending on the
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circumstances, every effort should be made to minimize
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distractions during the interview.
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* Put the interviewee at ease. Emotions and stress play a
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big part in any type of interview, and the interviewer
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will have a difficult time evaluating a nervous person.
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Starting the interview casually with nonthreatening
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conversation can have a calming effect. By defusing
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negative feelings and reinforcing positive ones, the
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interviewer can deal with the emotions exhibited by the
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interviewee.
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* Let the person being interviewed do the talking. One of
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the biggest mistakes the interviewer can make is to talk
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too much. Accurate evaluations of applicants or
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gathering crucial information regarding a crime depends
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on letting the interviewee talk under controlled
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conditions. The interviewer should control the
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interview, not dominate it.
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* Perfect questioning techniques. Knowing how to ask
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questions is just as important as knowing what questions
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to ask. Also, making questions easy to understand is
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critical. This allows the person being interviewed to
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concentrate on answering the questions, not on trying to
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decipher what they mean.
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* Select questions carefully. Use closed-ended questions
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(yes/no answers) sparingly because they only require a
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short answer and usually only confirm factual data.
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Open-ended questions force the interviewee to talk and
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elaborate on the matter at hand. For example, when
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interviewing witnesses to a crime, the interviewer
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should ask the witnesses to relate in their own words
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what they saw. This allows the interviewer to better
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assess the reliability of the information obtained.
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Interviewers should refrain from asking hypothetical
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questions of potential employees. Such questions tend
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to evaluate the applicant's ability to guess what answer
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the interviewer wants to hear. The best guesser then
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gets the job. Questions posed to potential employees
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should center on what the person has already done that
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relates to the position applied for by the applicant.
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Leading questions, which contain the answer, and loaded
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questions, which ask the person interviewed to choose
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the lesser of two evils, should always be avoided.
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* Be a good listener. A good interviewer is a good
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listener. Interviewers must discipline themselves to
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focus on what is being said and how it is being said.
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They should not look ahead to subsequent questions or
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begin to analyze an answer before the person finishes.
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Nor should they anticipate what the answer will be.
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* Don't challenge answers given. Interviewers must keep
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emotional reactions private and should not let personal
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feelings interfere with the interview. There is time to
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document problems after the interview.
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* Stay in control. During an interview, some people try
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to digress from questions asked. Proper preparation is
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the key to maintain control of the interview and to
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ensure that it does not get off course.
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* Take brief notes. Notes allow the interviewer to recall
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important details revealed during the interview.
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However, while making notes, the interviewer should not
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lose eye contact with the person. Excessive note-taking
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causes the person being questioned to slow down
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responses in order to accommodate the interviewer.
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* Conclude the interview properly. It is the
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responsibility of the interviewer to signal the end of
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the interview. This can be done by simply closing a
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notebook, standing up, or announcing that the interview
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is over.
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* Write a summary immediately following the interview.
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This helps the interviewer to recall important
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information should questions arise later.
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* Learn from experience. Critiquing helps to identify
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areas that need improvement and to develop interviewing
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techniques.
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These basic rules are merely guidelines to follow when
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conducting an interview. While they will not alleviate all the
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problems that can arise during an interview, they will assist in
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developing the skills required of a successful interviewer.
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