Conducting an Interview
1. Selecting Interviewees
- Don’t rely only on volunteers or convenience — this skews results.
- Use purposeful, stratified sampling:
- Define criteria (e.g., age, distance, time in program).
- Select people across categories to represent the whole population.
- Aim for 15–25 interviews to reflect the experience of hundreds.
2. Creating the Right Environment
- Choose a time/place where participants feel relaxed and free to reflect.
- Treat it as a conversation (30–60 min; ~45 min ideal).
- Use your impact framework (3–4 statements → 9–12 question sequences).
3. Capturing Data
- Record participants’ words, not summaries or personal interpretations.
- Methods:
- Note-taking (fill gaps after interview, capture 50%-75% of content).
- Voice-to-text apps (e.g., Otter.ai) for full transcription.
Summary: Carefully select interviewees, create a safe reflective space, and record their exact words for accurate analysis.