Conducting the Interview
Arrive for the interview on time. Dress nicely to show that you take the interview seriously and as a sign of respect for the person you are interviewing. When you meet your expert, take time for a little small talk before you get into your prepared questions. Try to establish common ground.
Let the expert do most of the talking while you do the listening. Allow the person you are interviewing to complete the answer to one question before you ask another. Don’t interrupt and jump in with another question every time your expert pauses. Your expert may go from one point to another and may even answer a question before you ask it. You should adapt to the spontaneous flow of conversation.
Be alert for opportunities to follow up on answers by using probes, mirror questions, verifiers, or reinforces. Probes are questions that ask the expert to elaborate on a response: “Could you tell me more about the part played by auto emissions?” Mirror questions reflect part of a response to encourage discussion.