6.3 Active listening and follow-up techniques
5 min read•july 30, 2024
and follow-up techniques are crucial skills for effective interviewing. They help you gather deeper insights, build rapport, and steer conversations productively. These skills involve fully engaging with the interviewee, using , and employing strategies to maintain focus.
Mastering these techniques allows you to extract valuable information and create a comfortable environment for your subject. By combining active listening with strategic note-taking and conversation management, you'll conduct more successful interviews and gather richer, more nuanced material for your writing.
Active Listening in Interviews
Key Components of Active Listening
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- Fully concentrate on, understand, and respond to the speaker, rather than passively hearing their words
- Maintain eye contact to show attentiveness and engagement
- Provide verbal and nonverbal feedback (nodding, saying "I see")
- Avoid interruptions or (put away phone, minimize background noise)
- Paraphrase and summarize main points to demonstrate comprehension
- Example: "So what I'm hearing is that you faced challenges with the project timeline. Is that correct?"
- Ask based on provided information
- Example: "How did that experience shape your approach to future projects?"
- Offer empathetic responses to create a supportive atmosphere
- Acknowledge emotions or experiences ("That must have been difficult")
- Build rapport through understanding and validation
Techniques to Encourage Subject Engagement
- Maintain an open and receptive body posture
- Lean slightly forward, keep arms uncrossed
- Practice patience during the interview process
- Allow for moments of silence, giving interviewee time to reflect
- Resist the urge to immediately fill pauses in conversation
- Use encouraging phrases to prompt further discussion
- "Tell me more about that"
- "Could you elaborate on that point?"
- Employ minimal encouragers to signal continued interest
- Use "mm-hmm" or "uh-huh" without interrupting speaker's flow
- Mirror the interviewee's tone and energy level
- Match their speaking pace and emotional intensity
- Vary vocal intonation to maintain interviewee's interest
- Avoid monotone speech patterns
- Use emphasis on key words or phrases
Nonverbal Cues for Engagement
Body Language and Facial Expressions
- Lean slightly forward to show interest and attentiveness
- Maintain an open posture with uncrossed arms and legs
- Use appropriate facial expressions matching conversation content and emotion
- Smile when discussing positive experiences
- Show concern when addressing challenges or difficulties
- Nod periodically to indicate understanding and encouragement
- Make eye contact to demonstrate focus and engagement
- Balance eye contact with natural breaks to avoid staring
- Mirror the interviewee's body language subtly
- Adopt similar posture or gestures to build rapport
Strategic Use of Silence and Vocal Cues
- Employ strategic silence to create space for elaboration
- Pause after asking questions to allow for thoughtful responses
- Resist the urge to immediately fill quiet moments
- Utilize vocal intonation to convey interest and emphasis
- Raise pitch slightly at the end of statements to encourage continuation
- Lower pitch for more serious or reflective moments
- Vary speech patterns to maintain engagement
- Adjust speaking pace to match the interviewee's rhythm
- Use emphasis on key words to highlight important points
- Employ paraverbal cues to show attentiveness
- Use "mm-hmm" or "uh-huh" to encourage continued sharing
- Incorporate brief verbal affirmations (yes, I see, go on)
Steering Interview Conversations
Techniques for Redirecting and Focusing
- Recognize tangents early in the conversation
- Identify when discussion veers from intended subject matter
- Note shifts in topic that don't align with interview objectives
- Use transitional phrases to smoothly redirect
- "That's interesting, and it reminds me of [relevant topic]"
- "Speaking of [related point], I'd like to explore..."
- Employ the "acknowledge and redirect" technique
- Briefly acknowledge the tangent (That's a fascinating point)
- Guide discussion back to main topic (Let's return to our earlier discussion about...)
- Prepare a list of key questions or topics as conversation anchors
- Use these pre-planned points to refocus the interview
- Transition between topics using prepared segues
Strategies for Maintaining Interview Structure
- Develop a mental framework of the interview's structure
- Organize key topics in a logical sequence
- Identify opportunities to bring conversation back on track
- Practice polite interruption when necessary
- Wait for a natural pause in speech
- Use phrases like "If I may, I'd like to circle back to..."
- Utilize summary statements to recap and transition
- Summarize important points discussed
- Use this recap to naturally shift to the next relevant topic
- Balance flexibility with maintaining interview focus
- Allow for some exploration of unexpected but relevant topics
- Gently guide conversation back to core objectives when needed
Effective Note-taking Techniques
Structured Note-taking Methods
- Develop a personalized shorthand system for quick information capture
- Create abbreviations for frequently used terms
- Use symbols to represent common concepts or themes
- Utilize structured formats like the Cornell method
- Divide page into sections for main notes, key points, and summary
- Leave space for post-interview reflection and analysis
- Focus on recording main ideas and essential details
- Avoid verbatim transcription of entire conversation
- Capture key quotes that encapsulate important points
- Employ active listening symbols to mark significant information
- Use asterisks (*) for crucial points
- Employ arrows (→) to indicate cause-effect relationships
- Circle or underline terms requiring follow-up or clarification
Balancing Note-taking and Engagement
- Maintain eye contact while taking notes
- Practice writing without looking at the paper
- Use brief glances to ensure legibility
- Combine technology and traditional methods for information retention
- Use voice recording apps for full audio capture (with permission)
- Take handwritten notes for key points and visual information
- Review and expand notes immediately after the interview
- Fill in gaps while information is fresh
- Clarify ambiguous points or shorthand
- Develop a system for organizing and storing interview notes
- Create a digital or physical filing system for easy retrieval
- Include metadata like date, interviewee name, and main topics covered
Key Terms to Review (19)
Active listening: Active listening is a communication technique that involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what the speaker is saying. This technique is essential for fostering effective conversations, especially in interviews and collaborative environments, as it encourages a deeper connection between participants and leads to more meaningful exchanges of ideas.
Active Participation: Active participation refers to the engagement and involvement of individuals in a communication process, ensuring that they contribute their thoughts, questions, and feedback. This concept is crucial for effective interactions, as it fosters a dynamic exchange of ideas, enhances understanding, and builds connections between speakers and listeners. When individuals actively participate, they demonstrate interest and investment in the conversation, which can lead to improved relationships and outcomes.
Affirmative feedback: Affirmative feedback is a communication technique that involves providing positive reinforcement or validation in response to someone's contributions or ideas. This approach encourages open dialogue and promotes a supportive atmosphere, making it essential for effective interactions and enhancing relationships.
Assumptions: Assumptions are beliefs or ideas that are taken for granted without proof or evidence. In communication, particularly during interactions, assumptions can significantly influence how messages are received and interpreted, often leading to misunderstandings if not addressed. Recognizing and challenging assumptions is crucial for effective dialogue and active listening, allowing individuals to engage more authentically and respond appropriately.
Clarifying questions: Clarifying questions are inquiries made to ensure understanding and gain further detail about a topic or statement during a conversation or interview. They help to eliminate ambiguity, encourage elaboration, and enhance the overall clarity of the dialogue, which is crucial for effective communication and gathering information.
Connection: Connection refers to the relationship or bond established between individuals during communication, highlighting the importance of understanding and empathy in interactions. This bond allows for deeper engagement, encourages open dialogue, and fosters a collaborative environment where ideas can be exchanged freely.
Constructive feedback: Constructive feedback is a type of communication that provides specific, actionable suggestions for improvement while being supportive and encouraging. It focuses on enhancing the work or performance of an individual by highlighting areas for growth without diminishing their confidence. This type of feedback is essential in fostering collaboration and development, especially when working with others or managing creative projects.
Distractions: Distractions are interruptions or diversions that hinder an individual's ability to focus on a specific task or conversation. They can come from both external sources, like noise and technology, and internal sources, such as wandering thoughts or emotional concerns. Managing distractions is crucial for effective communication, particularly when practicing active listening and follow-up techniques, as these skills require undivided attention and engagement with the speaker.
Empathy: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, allowing one to connect deeply with their experiences and emotions. This connection fosters better communication, nurtures relationships, and enhances storytelling by capturing the essence of human experiences. Being empathetic is crucial in both listening actively to others and describing characters authentically through anecdotes.
Encouraging dialogue: Encouraging dialogue is the process of fostering open communication and interaction among individuals to facilitate understanding, collaboration, and idea sharing. It involves creating an environment where participants feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, asking questions, and engaging in discussions. This approach is vital for building connections and enhancing relationships, particularly in situations that require active listening and thoughtful follow-up techniques.
Focused Attention: Focused attention is the cognitive process of concentrating on a specific stimulus or task while ignoring distractions. This ability is crucial for effective communication, especially during active listening, as it allows individuals to engage fully with the speaker and understand the message being conveyed.
Mindfulness: Mindfulness is the mental practice of being fully present and engaged in the moment, without judgment or distraction. It allows individuals to become aware of their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of experiences. This practice can enhance communication and strengthen relationships by promoting active listening and empathy.
Nonverbal cues: Nonverbal cues are forms of communication without the use of words, encompassing body language, facial expressions, gestures, posture, and tone of voice. These cues can significantly impact the message being conveyed and influence how listeners interpret verbal communication, making them essential for effective interaction.
Open-ended questions: Open-ended questions are inquiries that require more than a simple 'yes' or 'no' response, encouraging the interviewee to elaborate and share detailed information. These types of questions are crucial in gathering insights and fostering engaging conversations, making them essential for effective communication and understanding during interviews. They help create a space for deeper exploration of thoughts and feelings, which can lead to richer content in writing.
Paraphrasing: Paraphrasing is the process of rewording or restating text or speech while maintaining the original meaning. It is a key skill in effective communication, allowing one to convey ideas in a fresh way that can enhance understanding and retention. By using paraphrasing, one can demonstrate active listening and engage in meaningful follow-up discussions that clarify or expand upon the original message.
Probing questions: Probing questions are inquiries designed to elicit more detailed responses and encourage deeper thinking from the interviewee. They are crucial for gaining insight beyond surface-level answers and are often used to clarify, expand, or explore specific topics in greater depth. By employing these questions, interviewers can foster a more engaging dialogue and uncover important nuances in the information being shared.
Reflective listening: Reflective listening is a communication technique where the listener actively engages with the speaker by paraphrasing, summarizing, or mirroring what the speaker has expressed. This technique helps create a deeper understanding between the speaker and listener, allowing for a more meaningful dialogue and encouraging open communication. Reflective listening fosters empathy and validation, making it easier for the listener to respond appropriately to the speaker's needs.
Summarizing Key Points: Summarizing key points involves distilling the main ideas and essential information from a conversation, text, or presentation into a concise format. This skill is crucial in effective communication, allowing individuals to retain and convey important messages without unnecessary details.
Trust-building: Trust-building refers to the process of establishing and strengthening confidence in relationships, often through consistent communication, reliability, and transparency. It involves creating a sense of safety and openness that encourages individuals to share information and collaborate effectively. In the context of developing a network of reliable sources and using active listening techniques, trust-building is essential for fostering long-term connections and ensuring accurate information exchange.