Interviewing has been a social science methodology for decades where formal questions are used to obtain knowledge – essentially common practice for sociologists and anthropologists. However, interviews can cause great stress and anxiety for the interviewee before, during and after the process. It is vital for the interviewee to be put at ease by the interviewer, but it still does not completely erase the stress that is felt by the person who is being interviewed despite the research they undertake to prepare. Many factors such as whether you have articulated effectively, your appearance, and your demeanour are being evaluated and this can trigger nerves and anxiety. Long questions can also add to the stress of the process. When the interviewee has to think on the spot, mistakes can be made in answering the questions. In a situation like this, the interviewee might then also reflect on what they should have said, how they came across and whether they communicated well, for example.
Interviews in my opinion should instead take the form of an ‘informal conversation’ and questions should be short and concise. One should start by putting the interviewee at ease, with no judgements so that they can respond freely without feeling apprehensive.
It is also important to allow the interviewee space to respond to questions throughout the process which eliminates tension. Questions should be sent ahead of the conversation, giving the interviewee time to prepare and thus to making them feel comfortable during the process.
For the MA Academic practice, I undertook interviews, but I labelled them ‘informal conversations’, which led to having a friendly dialogue using one main, open-ended question and it worked very well.