Have you ever done an interview and just nothing came out of it? Did you get very different answers to your questions than you would have expected? Did your interview partner not come out of his or her own shell during the entire interview and there was no question of a pleasant atmosphere?
This could be a sign that youshould structure your interviews differently in the future.
The classic interview is one of the most popular methods in market research. It can take a wide variety of forms and cover a wide range of topics. It can help you find new product ideas, gather feedback from your customers, or simply provide you with information on specific topics.
This is created in advance and gives the interview a structure. You have the opportunity to write down your questions in advance and provide the interview with a common thread. This enables your interviewer to follow you at all times and ensures that you don't forget anything at the time of the interview.
How detailed this guideline ultimately turns out varies. However, there are a few basic things you can keep in mind that will help you structure your interview.
At this point, we have listed three tips that can help you with your preparation:
Start your interview with an introductory question - also called an icebreaker. Keep this question simple and easy to answer, and use it as a guide to the actual subject of the interview. The answer to the question does not have to help you directly with your actual research topic. It rather serves to give the interviewee the opportunity to slowly get into the topic. In this way, they create a pleasant conversational atmosphere and ensure a relaxed introduction.
The wording of your interview questions plays a crucial role. The right choice of words will help you to have an open interview and a relaxed atmosphere. You should therefore formulate your questions carefully.
We have listed some tips on how to get the best results from your interviews. Prevent potential risks such as misinterpretation, the predefinition of answers through leading questions or a lack of understanding on the part of the interviewee.
Conduct a pretest. Often the questions are formulated by someone who has done broad research in advance and is deeply immersed in the subject matter. This can result in interview questions that are clearly formulated from the interviewer's point of view. However, they may be understood differently from the interviewee's point of view and you may therefore not get the answers to your questions that you were hoping for.
Prevent this possible misinterpretation and test your questions in a pretest. This will give you the opportunity to validate the content of your questions and wording and ensure that your questions are asking exactly what you want them to ask. If you notice some inconsistencies during the pretest, you can reword them afterwards. This way, you can ensure that no complications arise during your interview and that your interview will be a complete success.
We hope you enjoyed our article and found it helpful. If you have already conducted your interview, we will be happy to help you with the transcription of your recordings. With the help of our transcription software GoSpeech, you can have your interview transcribed automatically and get straight into the editing process.
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