Probing is used during interviewing to encourage the respondent to provide more information. Effective probing is key to gathering good qualitative data because it helps get at key issues, clarifies meaning, and encourages honesty. Depending on the respondent, they may require a great deal of probing, or very little. Some commonly used probes include:

1. Silent probe: remain quiet and wait for the participant to elaborate. May be accompanied by a nod.

2. Echo probe: repeat the last thing someone said, sometimes using different words. This shows the participant you are listening and understanding without leading them toward a new topic. For example, “I see, so you added the water to the flour.”

3. Neutral probe: make an affirmative noise to show that you are listening, such as “Right, mhm, I see.” However, be careful to vary your probes so you don’t sound repetitive.

4. Tell-me-more probe: simply ask the respondent to tell you more about what they just said. For example, “Can you say more about that? What made you feel that way?”

5. Long question probe: one way to induce longer responses is to ask longer questions. Instead of asking “What is it like to skydive?” you could say “Tell me about what it’s like to skydive. How do you prepare yourself, and what does it feel like on the way down?” Long questions can also give the respondent a much-needed break from talking.

See also: qualitative data analysis

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