This step-by-step guide is focused on one-on-one 30 minute telephone interviews. However, many of the tips shared can be applied to in person or group interviews, and interviews of differing time lengths and research interests.

Why conduct interviews? Interviews...

allow us to ask questions that are not possible in other data collection methods, such as a survey
provide an opportunity to elaborate or further explore issues, topics, or questions that may be relevant information to the evaluation
can provide a narrative/story (i.e., qualitative data) about how interviewees feel, think, or how their experience contributes to the overall evaluation

Preparation is an important first step to ensure a successful interview process. Here are some things you’ll need to do and materials you’ll need before conducting interviews:

Prepare an interview guide. Interview guides will be important for organizing and structuring the conversation with the interviewee. You'll need to create a question order, prompting questions and examples of responses, a script to introduce and provide interviewee information on what to expect during the interview, and of course a reminder to get consent to record the interview.
Review documentation (i.e., evaluation plan, logic model, logic framework) to understand the goals for conducting the interview. It’s important to know the why (what are we trying to learn or understand?) before gathering information. If you did not develop the evaluation framework, you may need to debrief with whomever developed it to ensure you’ve captured what the goals for the interview will be.

Prepare a tracking or scheduling sheet to manage interviews, this will help keep you organized and stay on top of interviews that have been completed.
Make sure you have a laptop or computer for note-taking or a notebook, pens/pencil, a recorder, phone or access to a phone (if you’re conducting telephone interviews), and the interview guide.

STEP 1

PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW

All interviews will have a specific time limitation. It’s important to note that the time needed to conduct an interview will vary depending on the interviewee and how much they will be able to share as well as your capacity as an interviewer. A few things to keep in mind:

Make it clear to the interviewee prior to the interview the approximate time it will take. This will avoid interruptions during the interview, an incomplete interview, and develop rapport with the interviewee.

Schedule the appropriate time length for the interview. Take into consideration the number of questions that need to be asked, complexity of questions, and the interview approach you will take (guided vs. responsive, see next step). Typically, a good length for an interview is 30 minutes (at the very most interviews will be 60 minutes). You’ll want to avoid fatigue to ensure you have quality responses. Of course, this will vary from person to person as some interviewees may have a lot more to share.
Make booking easy. When we started using the scheduling platform Calendly to book interviews, we found hours of time savings. Calendly will save you from sending multiple emails back and forth trying to find a convenient time.
Stick to the time limit! This one’s important. Many interviewees have a busy schedule and are often volunteering their time to participate in evaluations. Sticking to a time limit communicates that you value their time. You also want to honor your time as an interviewer; you likely will have more than one interview to conduct and have project deadlines to meet. If your interviewee has more to say, you may want to schedule another time to follow up.

STEP 2

SCHEDULING TIME

Is there a particular focus for the interview in order to answer specific evaluation questions or are you just gathering information with no emphasis on a particular area? This will help you to determine your approach for the interview.

If there are priorities within the evaluation, your emphasis will be on guiding the interview so that certain questions are being answered (sometimes called structured or semi-structured interviews). This may mean focusing on a section of questions, prompting certain questions to collect further information, or sticking close to a question order that will lead the conversation to the answers you need.
If there is not a focus, you will have a bit more flexibility conducting the interview and the approach will emphasize on listening and being responsive to what the interviewee is sharing for further follow-up questions (sometimes called unstructured interviews). Listen to what matters to them and probe for details.

STEP 3

DETERMINING YOUR APPROACH: GUIDED VS. RESPONSIVE

Recording interviews is common as it’s the easiest way to capture data without missing important detail. That said, not all interviewees feel comfortable with being recorded and you should be prepared to take diligent notes. Make sure to do the following:

Purchase a recording device (or a recording app if you have a smartphone). Any recording device should do but you may want to consider features that maybe helpful such as file folders, file naming, space etc.
Inform the interviewee when you’ve started recording and turn the recorder on after you’ve received consent to record (this should be built into to the script of your interview guide as a reminder).
If the interviewee does not feel comfortable with recording, make sure to inform them that you will be taking notes and there may be pauses or more questioning for you to capture the information they share. This may change the time you have to conduct the interview, so consider if you want to stick to a guided approach to ensure you’ve captured the most important data.
When you’re done interview, you may want to transcribe it. Check out our article on How to Transcribe Interviews Like a Pro.

STEP 4

RECORDING THE INTERVIEW

Making sure you are conducting great interviews will be important for the quality of your evaluation. It’ll be important after having conducted a few interviews, to evaluate whether you’re gathering the information you need. Here are the following things to consider:

Are there questions that interviewees have trouble answering? You may want to consider rephrasing the question or providing examples for responses you are looking for.
Are you finding a pattern of responses that were not considered? Perhaps further questioning in this area is needed for exploration.
Is the interview too long or too short? Adjusting the number of questions or the length of time needed will be important for scheduling and determining length of the interview.
How are you asking the questions? Listen to how you are speaking and when to ensure you are allowing enough time for the interviewee to consider their answers.

STEP 5

EVALUATING YOUR INTERVIEW

Following these 5 steps for your interview will ensure you’re effective in gathering the right information for the evaluation. Whatever your evaluation goals maybe, these steps will help you stay on track!

Save yourself time creating your interview guide, information letter and consent form — check out our available templates.

How to Conduct Interviews