How to conduct a good interview in 2025

The success of an interview largely depends on good preparation and the ability to establish rapport with the participant. A well-designed interview guide is crucial for creating a comfortable and productive conversation environment. The guide should include a series of open-ended questions that allow the participant to share their experiences and thoughts freely.

Designing the interview guide

Your interview guide should be structured but flexible. The goal is to create a conversational flow that encourages participants to open up while staying focused on the research objectives. When designing your questions, make sure they are specific and concrete to elicit detailed responses.

Opening questions: Start the interview with a simple, non-intrusive question, often asking the participant to introduce themselves. This helps establish rapport and sets a comfortable tone for the conversation.
Designing the questions: Craft interview questions to elicit data relevant to your research question and objectives. You could refer to your conceptual framework to reflect on what topics you should cover in your interviews. Aim to cover all relevant aspects of your research question as concisely as possible to respect your participant’s time.
Sequencing of questions: Organize your questions in a logical flow, moving from less sensitive to more probing topics as the interview progresses. Use a “funnel” approach, starting with general questions and moving toward specific areas of interest.
Closing questions: End the interview with a “clean-up” question that allows the participant to share any final thoughts or raise issues that may not have been covered. This often yields unanticipated but valuable data.

Wording and prompts

The wording of your questions is critical. Poorly worded questions can damage rapport and hinder data collection. It is important to redraft questions to make them gentler and less leading. Additionally, develop prompts and probes to encourage participants to expand on their answers. A simple “mhmm” or a silent nod can invite them to elaborate further.

Preparing for the interview

Preparation is key to successful interviewing. This includes choosing the right location, scheduling, and gathering all necessary materials. Make sure the location is comfortable and quiet, minimizing distractions and ensuring clear audio recording.

Materials: Prepare a consent form, participant information sheet, and your interview guide. Ensure participants understand their rights and the purpose of the research.
Personal disclosure: Be mindful of how much personal information you share. While some disclosure can help establish rapport, too much can create a false sense of intimacy, potentially skewing the data.

Scheduling and conducting the interview

When scheduling interviews, give participants a clear idea of how long the session will last, which is usually around an hour. It’s advisable not to schedule multiple interviews in one day, as interviewing requires intense focus and can be emotionally draining. Reflect on each interview before moving on to the next, making adjustments to your technique as needed.

It’s advisable not to schedule multiple interviews in one day, as interviewing requires intense focus and can be emotionally draining. Photo by Lucian Alexe.

Tips for successful interviewing

Practice

Practicing is essential; you should test your interview guide with friends or colleagues to identify any ambiguous or leading questions and ensure that each question effectively elicits the information you seek. Familiarizing yourself with your recording equipment beforehand is also crucial to avoid technical issues during the interview, which can disrupt the flow and potentially lead to lost or poor-quality data. Engaging in role-playing scenarios can help you refine your timing and pacing, ensuring that the interview progresses smoothly and that you are comfortable with the process

Active listening

Active listening is another critical component of successful interviewing. This means paying close attention not only to the participant’s words but also to their body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. Demonstrating engagement through nodding, maintaining appropriate eye contact, and using verbal affirmations encourages participants to share more openly and feel valued in the interaction. Reflective listening, where you paraphrase or summarize what the participant has said, can help clarify any ambiguities and prompt them to elaborate further. It is important to avoid interruptions, allowing participants to express their thoughts fully without disrupting their train of thought.

Managing nervousness

Managing nervousness is also vital for conducting effective interviews. Thorough preparation builds confidence, as having a comprehensive understanding of your interview guide, research objectives, and the study’s context reduces uncertainty. Incorporating mindfulness and relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or visualization before the interview can help calm your nervousness. Building rapport early by starting with casual conversation or ice-breaker questions creates a comfortable atmosphere, making both you and the participant feel at ease. Positive self-talk and gaining experience through conducting multiple interviews can further reduce anxiety and enhance your interviewing skills over time.

Using silence

Using silence strategically can be a powerful tool in interviews. Allowing moments of silence gives participants time to reflect and encourages them to provide more in-depth and thoughtful responses. A well-placed pause after a participant’s answer can signal your interest in hearing more, prompting them to expand on their initial thoughts. Managing awkward silences by gently prompting participants to continue with phrases like “Can you tell me more about that?” helps maintain the flow of the conversation without being intrusive. Balancing silence with active engagement ensures that you remain present and attentive, using non-verbal cues to show continued interest during silent moments.

Additional tips for successful interviewing

Creating a comfortable environment by choosing a quiet, private setting free from distractions helps participants feel safe and more willing to share openly. Being respectful and non-judgmental fosters trust, encouraging honest and open communication. Clear communication about the interview’s purpose, how the data will be used, and confidentiality measures help build trust and set appropriate expectations. Flexibility and adaptability are important, as being prepared to follow interesting tangents that may provide valuable insights can enhance the quality of the data collected. Ethical considerations, such as obtaining informed consent and being sensitive to participants’ comfort levels, are paramount to conducting responsible and effective interviews.

By integrating these expanded tips into your interview strategy, you can enhance the quality of your data collection, build meaningful connections with participants, and achieve more insightful and reliable research outcomes.

Conclusion

Interviews remain a cornerstone of qualitative research, offering unparalleled depth and insight into participants’ experiences, perspectives, and emotions. Whether utilizing structured, semi-structured, or unstructured formats, each type of interview serves distinct purposes and is suited to different research objectives. Structured interviews provide consistency and ease of comparison, making them ideal for studies with well-defined theoretical frameworks. Semi-structured interviews strike a balance between rigidity and flexibility, allowing researchers to explore emerging themes while maintaining focus on key topics. Unstructured interviews, with their conversational nature, enable the discovery of unexpected insights and foster a deeper understanding of complex social phenomena.

Despite their strengths, interviews also present challenges, such as the time-intensive nature of data collection and the potential for limited generalizability. Effective interview analysis is crucial for transforming rich qualitative data into meaningful patterns and themes that advance research knowledge. By adhering to best practices in interview preparation, active listening, managing nervousness, and strategically using silence, researchers can enhance the quality of their data.

Ultimately, mastering the art of interviewing and its subsequent analysis empowers researchers to uncover the nuanced realities of their participants, providing valuable contributions to the social and health sciences.

The guide to interview analysis

Interviews unlock the nuanced layers of human experience, allowing researchers to delve deeply into the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of their participants. Serving as a vital tool in the qualitative research arsenal, this interview analysis guide provides a thorough roadmap for designing, conducting, and interpreting interviews with precision and insight.