March 1991                                                        

                                                                  
                      SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEWING                    

                                By

                          James R. Ryals                          
                             Commander
             Long Beach, California, Police Department   

      
     Interviewing is one form of communication used extensively 
by law enforcement.  Whether used to screen applicants, to elicit 
information from a witness to a crime, or to obtain a confession, 
a good interview can have a significant impact on the 
organization.  However, if conducted improperly, the interview 
may be rendered worthless or can result in serious negative 
consequences for all involved.                                    

     There are certain guidelines to follow when conducting an 
interview.  By adhering to the following basic rules, the 
interviewer can reduce many of the problems that might arise 
because of a faulty interview.                                    

     *  Develop a plan of action.  The interviewer should review
        pertinent data and develop questions that will elicit
        the information required to complete the task at hand.
        For example, for applicant interviews, questions should
        be tailored to gather information that accurately
        evaluates the potential employee.  On the other hand,
        questions posed to witnesses of a crime should be
        designed to obtain facts to complete an accurate report.
        For the most part, interviewers should prepare areas of
        inquiry in a general way to keep the interview flowing.
        Previously prepared questions tend to "drive" the
        interview in a particular direction, which limits the
        type and amount of information gathered.

     *  Conduct the interview privately.  While this basic rule
        is oftentimes difficult to follow, depending on the
        circumstances, every effort should be made to minimize
        distractions during the interview.

     *  Put the interviewee at ease.  Emotions and stress play a
        big part in any type of interview, and the interviewer
	will have a difficult time evaluating a nervous person.
	Starting the interview casually with nonthreatening
	conversation can have a calming effect.  By defusing
	negative feelings and reinforcing positive ones, the
	interviewer can deal with the emotions exhibited by the
	interviewee.

     *  Let the person being interviewed do the talking.  One of
	the biggest mistakes the interviewer can make is to talk
	too much.  Accurate evaluations of applicants or
	gathering crucial information regarding a crime depends
	on letting the interviewee talk under controlled
	conditions.  The interviewer should control the
	interview, not dominate it.

     *  Perfect questioning techniques.  Knowing how to ask
	questions is just as important as knowing what questions
	to ask.  Also, making questions easy to understand is
	critical.  This allows the person being interviewed to
        concentrate on answering the questions, not on trying to
	decipher what they mean.

     *  Select questions carefully.  Use closed-ended questions
	(yes/no answers) sparingly because they only require a
	short answer and usually only confirm factual data.
	Open-ended questions force the interviewee to talk and
	elaborate on the matter at hand.  For example, when
	interviewing witnesses to a crime, the interviewer
	should ask the witnesses to relate in their own words
	what they saw.  This allows the interviewer to better
	assess the reliability of the information obtained.
	Interviewers should refrain from asking hypothetical
	questions of potential employees.  Such questions tend
	to evaluate the applicant's ability to guess what answer
	the interviewer wants to hear.  The best guesser then
	gets the job.  Questions posed to potential employees
	should center on what the person has already done that
	relates to the position applied for by the applicant.
	Leading questions, which contain the answer, and loaded
	questions, which ask the person interviewed to choose
	the lesser of two evils, should always be avoided.

     *  Be a good listener.  A good interviewer is a good
	listener.  Interviewers must discipline themselves to
	focus on what is being said and how it is being said.
	They should not look ahead to subsequent questions or
	begin to analyze an answer before the person finishes.
	Nor should they anticipate what the answer will be.

     *  Don't challenge answers given.  Interviewers must keep
	emotional reactions private and should not let personal
	feelings interfere with the interview.  There is time to
	document problems after the interview.

     *  Stay in control.  During an interview, some people try
 	to digress from questions asked.  Proper preparation is
	the key to maintain control of the interview and to
	ensure that it does not get off course.

     *  Take brief notes.  Notes allow the interviewer to recall
	important details revealed during the interview.
	However, while making notes, the interviewer should not
	lose eye contact with the person.  Excessive note-taking
	causes the person being questioned to slow down
	responses in order to accommodate the interviewer.

     *  Conclude the interview properly.  It is the
	responsibility of the interviewer to signal the end of
	the interview.  This can be done by simply closing a
	notebook, standing up, or announcing that the interview
	is over.

     *  Write a summary immediately following the interview.
	This helps the interviewer to recall important
	information should questions arise later.

     *  Learn from experience.  Critiquing helps to identify
	areas that need improvement and to develop interviewing
	techniques.

     These basic rules are merely guidelines to follow when
conducting  an interview.  While they will not alleviate all the
problems that can arise during an interview, they will assist in
developing the skills required of a successful interviewer.
