Real Communication An Introduction

Appendix A   Competent Interviewing^501

Think back to the Comedy Central interviews. They are not only dyadic

and transactional but also highly planned. Questions are written ahead of time,

based on the interviewee’s views and background, and the interviews are struc-

tured in a way that helps the company achieve a goal: usually a hilarious spoof

on key topics. One key difference is that the interviewee responses are often dis-

torted or cut off—something you wouldn’t expect in your own interviews.

Types of Interviews

What type of scene plays out in your mind when you think of the word inter-

view? Maybe you start sweating thinking about an upcoming job interview for a

position that you really want or maybe you remember interviews for college. But

interviewing encompasses much more than just getting a job or getting into the

right school. In this section, we look at the different types of interviews that play

a role in most of our lives (Stewart & Cash, 2011).

Information-Gathering Interviews

If you watch any crime shows like CSI or The Mentalist, you’ve heard people

peppered with questions about where they’ve been, who they’ve seen, or what

they know. The interviewers are trying to obtain information from witnesses and

suspects ( Jundi, Vrij, Hope, Mann, & Hillman, 2013) by collecting attitudes,

opinions, facts, data, and experiences through an information-gathering

interview. We take part in, or are exposed to, the results of such interviews every

day; perhaps you’ve compiled a survey about experiences with campus parking,

or maybe you’ve interviewed your communication professor about career pos-

sibilities. In all these instances, the interview serves to transfer knowledge from

one party to the other.

Have you ever imagined

interviewing a particular

celebrity, political leader, or

historical figure? If you were

given such an opportunity,

what would your goals be

for the interview? What

kinds of questions would

you ask?

AND YOU?

ALL INTERVIEWS,

whether a question-and-

answer session with E! on the

red carpet or a serious job

interview, are goal-driven, as

well as dyadic and interactive

in nature. (left) Roth Stock/Everett

Collection; (middle top) © The CW/Courtesy

Everett Collection; (middle bottom)

ERproductions Ltd./Getty Images; (right)

Wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock

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