Activity: Using interview skills
Connecting: In this activity adolescents conduct interviews with other children, adolescents and/or adults in their communities
Activity overview
Energy level: 4/5
Literacy level: 3/5
Complexity level: 3/5
Time: This activity can take place over one session or many sessions. Facilitator and participants decide the time together.
Purpose: Conduct interviews with other adolescents or adults in the community.
Objectives
Adolescents will be able to:
- Build communication skills with others
- Develop empathy for others
Competency domains
- Empathy and respect
- Communication and expression
Works well for
Adolescents who have learned and practiced some interview skills and are ready to try interviewing people; adolescents who are exploring an issue that interests them over the course of several sessions, and/or are preparing to work on a project.
Phase
Connecting
Before
The adolescents should have already chosen an issue to explore, and/or a topic for a project. This will be the focus of the interview that they conduct with each other or members of their community.
Adolescents should have already practiced interview skills and prepared interview questions, using the Practicing interview skills activity or a similar activity.
If adolescents plan to conduct their interviews during the session, make sure their interviewees are available. If not, adolescents can conduct their interview at another time (as a Take-away).
After
Adolescents should have a chance to:
- Review what they learned and discuss how to improve their skills as interviewers.
- Conduct additional interviews, in order to learn more about a particular issue.
- Use what they have learned from their interviews to further explore a topic or develop a project.
Preparation
None needed
Activity steps
Step 1
Explain: Participants will be conducting their interviews with the other person in their pair (or small group) who they prepared their interview questions with previously.
Optional: Write down the topics that the adolescents are exploring in their circle on the marker board.
Step 2
Facilitator says: “Today we are going use the interview skills that you learned and the questions you prepared. You are about to go out and conduct your actual interviews. What do you need to do before you go?”
Step 3
Facilitator says: “You should be prepared for your interviews. You should have your questions written down, and should have paper and pen ready to record the responses of your interviews.”
- “You should plan in advance who will ask questions and who will take notes. You can take turns.”
Step 4
Set a time for the adolescents to return or to finish their interviews and then allow them to go meet their interviewees.
Step 5
While the adolescents are conducting their interviews, monitor them quietly and observe their progress.
Step 6
When the adolescents have completed their interviews, bring them back together. (Note: If adolescents conducted their interviews before the session, you can start with this step.)
Step 7
Sharing and Take away: Ask each pair/group to share what they learned from their interview. They can write down the key points they learned about their topics on large pieces of paper if available, and/or one adolescent can serve as the group note taker.
Keep these notes for future use if the adolescents will be exploring these issues further or developing projects based on their topic.
Step 8
Optional: Ask: “How can you summarize the important points you have learned? How can you make sure that you have this information available the next time you need it to work on this topic?” Give adolescents a chance to think of creative or useful ways that they can preserve and/or summarize what they have learned.
Step 9
Discuss:
- How do you feel about the interview you just conducted?
- What went well? Why? Did you notice your partners doing something that worked well?
- What didn’t go well? Did you encounter any challenges? How did you handle them?
- What will you do for your next interview to learn from this experience?
- Should we add or revise anything on the list of good interview techniques based on your experience today?
Do and don't
Do
- Help the adolescents to confirm that the people they want to interview are available, and to find alternative ways to conduct their interviews if plans or circumstances change.
- Review adolescents’ questions with them in advance - Suggest changes, but only if you think they are important and necessary for successful, positive interviews.
- If adolescents plan to interview adults, speak with those adults yourself to encourage their support.
- If adolescents plan to interview younger children or other adolescents (under age 18), take the appropriate steps to follow child protection guidelines, such as obtaining their informed consent and the consent of their parents or guardians.
- Monitor and support adolescents during the activity - Your presence can also be encouraging to the adults they interview.
- Encourage adolescents to try the roles of both interviewer and note taker.
Don't
- Interrupt or step in while the adolescents are conducting their interviews (unless they ask you to do so).
Adaptation
Low literacy: Instead of writing their questions, adolescents can develop them verbally, and draw symbols to remember them during their practice interviews.
Environment
Adolescents can move outside their usual activity space to conduct their interviews, or the interviewees can be invited into the space.
Supplies
- Marker board and markers
- Notebooks or paper for adolescents to write their questions
- At least one pen or pencil for each adolescent
Improvise
Adolescents can use this activity to learn about and explore issues in their community from the point of view of different people, including other adolescents, younger children and adults.
Continue
Adolescents can practice their interview questions as many times as they want and use them to research any issue that interests them. They can revisit this activity, to reflect on what they have learned and to improve their skills.
Adolescents can present what they have learned from their interviews in creative ways such as:
- Performing a drama or role play.
- Writing or performing a monologue or a story.
- Drawing a picture, a comic strip or a picture book.
- Drawing a map to demonstrate how the issue affects different places in their communities.
Adolescents can use what they have learned to help them with their group projects.
Highlights
Conduct interviews with other adolescents or adults in the community. Works well for adolescents who have learned and practiced some interview skills, and are ready to try interviewing people; adolescents who are exploring an issue that interests them over the course of several sessions, and/or are preparing to work on a project.
