Story collection in one-on-one interviews
From Regional Knowledge Resource Kit
Contents |
Background
One-on-one interviews can be a used as a method of finding relevant and useful, work-related stories. These stories might be used to illustrate good practices, demonstrate the value of work underway in the organisation or a myriad of other purposes where a narrative description would effectively augment facts and figures.
Facilitation level
High level interpersonal and excellent communication skills are required to perform one-on-one story collection interviews.
Objectives
The interviewer’s job is to create a relaxed, conversational environment that helps you remember your past in a way that encourages a candid response. They need to put you at ease, listen to what you say and really care about the conversation. If you sense the interviewer does not care or is distracted you are less likely to reveal your experiences.
The reason why you would want to reveal your experiences is that it will help you remember other experiences. The more stories you retell to the interviewer, the more aware you become of your own stories and the number of potential stories for retelling increases. One-on-one interviews can be quite arduous for the interviewer. They are under pressure to keep the conversation going while keeping focussed on what the interviewee is saying, keenly observing possibilities for unearthing new and interesting stories. Consequently, they need to do their homework and be prepared.
The interviewer needs to know the interviewee’s important life/business events. What jobs has she held? What projects has she been on? What roles has she performed? Whom has she worked with? How long has she been with the organisation? The interviewer needs to collect as much information as they can in order to pinpoint important events and relationships that might form the basis of questions.
Materials
- Notepad and pen
- Voice Recorded (optional)
Time
Approximately one hour per interview.
Directions
Start with the simplest and least confronting questions.
The following format can be a useful way to get started:
“You started in the HR department in 1995. What was it like when you started?”
This type of question gets people in the right mindset to reminisce. Another way to phrase this context-setting question is to ask:
“What was the HR department like when you worked there?”
After you get your subject talking you can then get into asking your meatier questions. Don’t forget: one question at a time, relish silence and listen carefully.
Throughout the interview, you will need to adapt and respond to the stories being told. Here are some common situations and possible responses.
Setting the scene: “I’d like to hear you tell your story in your own words, to get under the skin of it.” “Are your ready to start?” “Take a moment to think back ...”
Beginning: “So tell me about how you first got involved with/ met/ starting doing X?” “How did it begin?” When things are too general: “What were some of the memorable moments?” or “for instance?” or “can you give me an example, so I can picture it?”
Qualifying the difference: “Can you pinpoint a time when you really saw you were making a difference?” “What did that feel like?”
Engaging emotions, finding turning points: “Can you remember a particularly magic or moving moment? One that really sticks in your mind?” plus follow-up comments like “what did that feel like?” or “you must have been proud to be part of it”.
Audiences and messages: “Who should hear this story?” “If you were telling this story to X what key messages would you want them to take away?”
Catchy title: “Hearing you tell your story I listened for nice turns of phrases. But if this story were a book, what would its title be” Can I suggest X?” Note: this is a really important part of the process. Titles should contain the essence of the story and make it really memorable. People also appreciate you playing back their words--it makes them feel both heard and creative.
Digging deeper: The best results were when we reflected back saying things like “so it sounds like you really had your work cut out ...” etc.
Direct and indirect: Direct questions can sound quite intimidating and block people: “Were you frightened?” Whereas indirect questions can prompt deeper recall and develop empathy” “It sounds like that might have been quite frightening for you?”
Interrupting: Interrupting, to check facts or to express surprise can send people off in a different direction to the story they wanted to tell. Containing your surprise is important to prevent diversion from the original direction.
Silence: Holding long pauses feels unnatural but allows the story to unfold.
Debriefing
Most importantly thank the participant. Let them know how the information you collected is to be used.
Variations
Anecdote Circles can be used to elicit stories in a group process.
Tips
Here are some example question templates from Colton et. al. (2006).
“Tell me about a time when ...” Tell me about a moment when ...”
you or your project faced a dilemma in a project
you or your team experienced a significant turning point
you dealt with a real crisis on a project. What happened before, during and after it?
you felt really proud to be part of something
you took a real risk and it paid off or didn’t pay off
you were really inspired by what was going on around you
you encountered an obstacle and overcome it
you saw (one of your organisation’s values) really brought to life/being acted out
your partnerships were working really well
you saw positive changes happen as a result of your work
Applications
One-on-one interviewing to collect stories is a labour intensive process. This approach may be used when it is particularly important to include an individual, but they were unable to participate in a group process (for whatever reason).
Stories (cases studies)
Looking for stories of how this technique has been used in the past!
References and links
Colton, S., S. Ward, et al. (2006). Story Guide: Building Bridges Using Narrative Techniques, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Some more words to elicit stories
The difference between a sound argument and a good story
Which story-based techniques are most used?
Story telling versus story writing
