How to conduct consulting interviews

How to Conduct Effective Interviews
in Consulting Projects?

Overview

Planning and Positioning the Interview

Conducting the Interview

Synthesizing the Interview

Appendix

Overview

The guided interview is a flexible tool designed
to help the interviewer gather information around
a set of questions.

Guided Interview Characteristics

 Two-way dialogue with high interaction

 Requires probing for greater insight

 Involves active listening

 Generally focused on open-ended questions as discussion starters

 Requires interpretation of verbal and non-verbal queues

 May uncover related/ unexpected issues

 Largely controlled by the interviewee - somewhat unpredictable/ risky

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Overview

We can tailor the general four step research
process to help us create and execute the
guided interview.

General Research Planning Process Applied to Interviewing

1. Plan 2. Position 3. Conduct 4. Synthesize

 Answer:  Arrange  Introduce  Summarize
 What?  Introduce  Guide Dialogue  Identify “so
 Who? what?”
 Set expectations  Probe/Follow up
 How?
 Organize  Conclude
logistics
 Confirm

Develop Interview guide



Begin your planning by asking three questions:
what, who and how?

Planning Questions
What?
 What is our objective? What kind of information are we
seeking?
 What is the best approach to obtain what we need?

Who?
 Who has the information/ data?
 Who (and how many) will conduct /attend the
interview?

How?
 How will we conduct the interview?



Bear in mind that overall objectives of an
interview change with the stage of the
engagement.

Interview Objectives

(One View by Stage of Engagement)

Early Middle Late
 Content  Content  Content
 Get smart  Explore problem in detail  Test recommendations
(Overview)  Conduct due diligence  Probe client’s other
 Frame issues,  Collect data concerns
hypotheses  Identify opportunities to
 Brainstorm solutions
 Understand dynamics serve client
of organization
 Test problem or solution
 Process
 Find key players  Process
 Build commitment and
 Build client trust
 Identify external alliances
interview candidates  Forge consensus
 Process  Dispel rumors & suspicions
 Build client  Include key constituencies
relationship in process



The issue analysis can help your planning by
clarifying what you should ask, and of whom.

Issue Analysis Worksheet Organizational Structure

Issue Hypothesis Analysis Data Required Data Source
B. Can 1. Coverco 1. aaaaaaaa 1. aaaaaaaaa 1. aaaaaaaaa
Coverco can
2. bbbbbbb 2. bbbbbbbb 2. bbbbbbbb
improve reduce
profitabili costs and 3. ccccccccc 3. ccccccc
3. cccccccccc
ty by improve
reducing profitabili
claims ty by Manager Manager Manager
payouts? reducing
claims Product Operations IT
payouts Development
i) xx
ii) yy
iii) zzz



Careful interview planning and an understanding
of your interviewee improves your likelihood of
success.

Planning Stage: Key Success Factors

 Leverage previous analysis to identify objectives
 Determine best methods to obtain information: who and how
 Define the “must knows” in case interview shortens unexpectedly
 Provide templates if requesting data
 Know the interviewee
 who they are
 where they are coming from
 what they know and/or is familiar to them
 Role play and modify



The first step in positioning an interview is
making professional arrangements.

Arrange and Confirm Interview Logistics

 Arrange

 Introduce

 Set expectations

 Organize and communicate logistics

 Confirm and Reconfirm



Another important issue in positioning the interview is to offer value for the interviewee.

Perceived Costs Versus... Perceived Benefits

 Lost time  Involvement in solution or
 Potential for negative process
change  Access to information/
 No perceived upside results
 Potential future business
 Fear of reprisal
 Charitable service
 Fear of “being found out”
 Better service
 Fear of how information
will be used  Free stuff
(confidentiality)



The key to effective positioning is to convince
the right people to cooperate and facilitate their
participation.

Positioning Stage: Key Success Factors

 Manage expectations: Communicate the purpose and key topics of the
interview

 Provide incentives: for people to participate by defining value for the
interviewee

 Be organized: plan and communicate logistics well in advance

 Help them help you: provide materials for preparation (if applicable)

 Provide reminders: one or two days prior to the interview



The Interview Guide can serve as a useful tool in
the planning/positioning stages.

Characteristics of Interview Guides
 Topics and design of questions are outlined in advance
 A comprehensive guide helps to:
 Achieve objectives by structuring and systematizing data collection
 Keep the tone conversational and situational
 Anticipate and close logical gaps in data
 However, the flexibility of the format also has some shortcomings:
 Important and salient topics may be inadvertently omitted
 Interviewer flexibility in sequencing and wording can result in substantially
different responses, and reduce comparability



Using a template to develop the Interview Guide
will ensure key information is anticipated and
tracked.

Guidelines for Interview Guide Templates

 Objectives or desired outcomes: e.g., quantitative versus qualitative,
comparability across multiple interviews

 Key data about the interview

 Information on the interviewee

 “Must know” information about the company or project

 Key points for how to introduce/position interview, manage expectations and
close interview

 Structured and sequenced questions by logic/ order of importance

 Documentation plan



In developing the Interview Guide, remember
that open questions are the keys to initiate and
sustain discussion.

Topic Questions

Open Closed
Purpose . . . Purpose . . .

 To encourage comprehensive  To elicit specific information (and
explanation usually get a consistent or one-word
reply)
 To initiate broad discussion
 Frequency
How . . .  List
 Use clear, direct phrasing that asks a  Yes or no
single question  Rating
 Ask how, what, when How . . .
 Be careful about how you pose  Ask in order to understand
potentially intimidating why questions
 Be concise so that what you want to
know is clear


Conducting the interview is where the rubber
meets the road; it has four parts.

1. Introduce  Establish rapport/trust

 Explain your role, interviewee role

2. Guide Dialogue  Reconfirm

• Meeting purpose and context

3. Probe/Follow Up • Agreement on time commitment

 Establish “game rules”

 Gauge interviewee’s style,
4. Conclude
expectations, concerns



Using the interview guide as your roadmap, you
can use several techniques that will help surface
the desired information.

1. Introduce  Actively Listen eg use eye contact,
paraphrase to confirm or clarify etc

 Use appropriate topic questions to
2. Guide Dialogue
introduce a subject

 Ask responsive questions to clarify or
3. Probe/Follow Up
transition

 Control the flow by remaining flexible

4. Conclude and respectful

 Retain Interviewer Objectivity!



Asking penetrating follow-up questions is often
critical to confirming or rejecting a
hypothesis.

1. Introduce
 Deviate from interview guide if and
when fruitful
2. Guide Dialogue  Recognize “nuggets” of information
and follow through if appropriate

3. Probe/Follow Up  Don’t take everything at face value

 Don’t be afraid to ask sensitive
questions
4. Conclude
 Revisit earlier points if necessary



Endings of interviews are valuable moments -
rapport is high and they provide a chance for
“parting shots.”

 Gather documentation, collect
1. Introduce
additional information as appropriate

 Ask an open topic question and
2. Guide Dialogue listen for something revealing /
“parting shot”

3. Probe/Follow Up  Set the stage for potential future
contact as necessary

 Thank interviewee(s) for their time
4. Conclude
 Follow-up with written note when
possible



Building rapport with the interviewee and
maintaining an active role in interviewing can
help ensure success at this stage.

Conducting Stage: Key Success Factors

 Use the Introduction to build rapport and reconfirm expectations

 LISTEN ACTIVELY….don’t interrupt

 Use topic questions to introduce a subject

 Use responsive questions to clarify or make a transition

 Paraphrase to confirm or clarify

 Use follow-up questions to uncover unexpected insights

 Be flexible and maintain objectivity

 Use the last few minutes to bring closure to the interview


Synthesizing the Interview

No matter how good the interview, it is wasted
without a good synthesis.

Synthesis Stage: Key Success Factors

During the Interview... After the Interview...
 Use an interview log or template to  Write up interview notes as soon as
record data and results possible

 Capture verbatim responses  Use issue tree and interview guide
 Mitigates loss of information as a starting point for analysis:
 Reduces chance of personal  How does the data validate the
bias issues?
 Useful direct quotes are a big  Are there any new ideas?
win in qualitative research
 Keep deliverables/end products in
 Begin to group results into like mind
issues/problems

Appendix

Additional Sources:

 For further reading on interviewing you can refer to:

 Basic Interviewing Skills by Raymond L. Gordon

 Interviewing Strategy, Techniques & Tactics by Raymond L. Gordon

 Effective Interviewing: A Handbook of Skills, Techniques and
Applications by Robert Edenborough

 Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking by M. Neil
Brown and Stuart M. Keeley

 Creative Interviewing: The Writer’s Guide to Gathering Information
by Asking Questions by Ken Metzler



Interview Guide - Template (p. 1 of 4)

Key Interview Data
Name of Interviewee Name of Interviewee
Company Company
Title Title
Phone Phone
Date and Time of Interview Date and Time of Interview
Location of Interview Location of Interview
Name of Interviewer Name of Interviewer

Objectives/Desired Outcomes (Think about quantitative vs. qualitative, comparability across multiple interviews,
relationships versus information.)

Objectives (relate this to
Name of Interviewee
the issue tree analysis)




“Must Know” Background (Identify current issues with the company, the project, the situation.)

The Company Name of Interviewee

The Project/Situation Name of Interviewee

Background on the Interviewee
Position/length of time
Name of Interviewee
in position

Scope of Responsibility Name of Interviewee

Role in Project Name of Interviewee

Other (Perspective,
Sensitivities, Biases,
Name of Interviewee
Language/Terminology
issues)



Positioning the Interview (Based on your analysis, how will you position the interview with the interviewee? What value will
this interview have for the interviewee?)

Value for Interviewee? Name of Interviewee

Key Points for Introduction Name of Interviewee

Key Points for Closing Name of Interviewee

Documentation Plan (Think about how you will capture and synthesize the data.)

How will the data be used? Name of Interviewee

How does this information
relate to the issue tree Name of Interviewee
analysis?

What format will I use to
Name of Interviewee
capture the data?




Questions/Topics (Questions should be sequenced in order of importance. Flow should be general to specific, accepted
before controversial, external before internal, and simple before complex.)

To Be Covered

Name of Interviewee



Responsive questions can be used to clarify a
vague or general statement.

Responsive Questions
Example: Things Interviewees
“Always” Say... Example Responsive Questions...

 “Costs are quite low . . .” “Which costs specifically, and low
compared to what?”

 “Lots of good initiatives underway . . .” “Which ones have been most
successful?”

 “What’s never worked . . .” “Can you tell me about it?”

 “Operations is always late . . .” “Can you explain how that is
measured?”

Listen for non-specific or Pursue issues to their resolution, but
exaggerated phrases don’t overpower the interviewee



Several useful techniques and phrases help you
keep the interview on track and productive.

Additional Questioning Techniques

To get more information Overcoming...
Softened question: Tentativeness:
“Tell me about. . .” “Would you say that the use of distributors hurts
your ability to provide responsive delivery?”
Echo: Other expressions: Perhaps it’s possible . . .
“You say customer satisfaction is low.. . .”
Minimizing:
“Have our product delivery tactics put us at a cost
To corroborate information disadvantage to some extent?”
Positive approach: Other expressions: Fairly, Rather, Somewhat, A
“That’s a very interesting observation. Can you Little
walk me through the steps that led you to that
conclusion?” Face Saving:
“Has there been any opportunity to reduce
inventories?”
To steer the interviewee back to the topic: Other expressions: What might have accounted
“I can understand how frustrating it must have been for, How did you happen to, What other options
for you. Let’s go back to the second problem you were . . .
mentioned . . .”
Balance:
“It’s clear you have been successful with that
approach. Are there things you would do to make
it improve further?”


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