Research Interview from the Past.
During my senior year in high school, I was required to complete a research project on the adverse effects of youth alcoholism. During my research I met with a couple non-profit organizations that helped alcoholics identify and resolve their drinking problems. At one particular organization I was allowed to interview an anonymous member and it was an incredible experience.
My research was mainly on the kinds of problems that can arise from drinking at a very young age. To prepare myself for the interview, I prepared a list of questions that I would ask, and I reviewed the key points of my research so that I would be able to relate to the answers I would get. I made a checklist of the items I would need for the day of the interview, too.
On the day of the interview, I took with me the list of questions, a notepad and pen, and an audio-recorder. When I met the interviewee I was a little nervous about asking personal questions about her drinking issues. Thus, I started by thanking the interview, and letting her know that she could pass on any question if she felt uncomfortable answering it. Initially, I tried to jot down notes of what the interviewee was saying. That became too distracting, and I realized I didn't need to take notes as I was recording the entire interview. So I stopped taking notes, and just listened intently to what was being said. At times I asked questions straight from my list, and sometimes I listened to the answer and asked questions that spontaneously arose in my mind.
The interview turned out to be more like an actual conversation. If I was to ever repeat the interview, I wouldn't change a thing!
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Wow. That was really cool that you were able to interview someone who had a personal experience with alcoholism. I know how hard it is to talk to people about my own personal experiences, so I can imagine what it would be like to talk about such a terrible problem to a total stranger. When interviewing a stranger, I had a very similar experience as you. I was expecting to be like reporter and have my questions all prepared and taking notes. But I definitely felt better about being flexible to make up questions on the spot and make it more like a conversation than a questionnaire.
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