Chapter 9, Interviewing Video Solutions, An Introduction to Human Services: Policy and Practice

Problem 1

Humanizing the eligibility interview. Obtain an application form for food stamps or TANF and study the form with the goal of humanizing the interview. How can you ask questions that will give the interviewee some initiative in the interview? How can you keep some warmth and genuineness in the interview? How can you get the information you need and, at the
same time, make the clients feel that they are important and deserving of respect? After studying the questions and deciding on your strategy, role-play the interview with someone, and complete the application form. After the interview, ask the interviewee for feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of your interview.

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Problem 2

Active observing. With one other student, go to a railroad station, a store, the street, or around the campus with a notebook. Observe for fifteen minutes. Then write up a one-page summary of the observation. Bring it to class without conferring with each other. Note the differences in the pair of observations.

Matt Bremer

Numerade Educator

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Problem 3

Analyzing an observation. In the presence of several other people-on a bus, in a subway, in a waiting room, or at a party-observe people's behavior closely. Note the relationship of elements in the environment to behavior and the interrelationships among people. Make notes on your observations, write them up, and discuss them with other students.

Ben Chaloupka

Numerade Educator

Problem 4

How well can you listen? Form a group with two other students. One student takes the role of listener and another of talker, and a third student observes. For three minutes, have the talker speak about any topic she or he chooses. Then the listener should repeat what has been heard. The observer should judge how accurately the listener has heard the speaker. Switch roles until each has had a chance to be talker, listener, and observer.

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Problem 5

Asking questions. Decide on some information you want from another person. First, ask the person six controlling or closed-ended questions and write down the answers. Next, ask six noncontrolling or openended questions about the same subject and write down the answers. Which questions gave you more information? Talk to the interviewee about how he or she felt about the two kinds of questions.

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Problem 6

Learning to deal with anger. Form a group with two other students. Two students should role-play, and the other student should observe an interview in which the interviewee imagines being very angry with the interviewer, feeling the anger as genuinely as possible and expressing it heatedly. For two or three minutes, the interviewer should react defensively; then for two or three minutes, the interviewer should react empathically. Both interviewer and interviewee should observe and contrast the difference in reactions to the two kinds of responses. The interviewer should note how he or she felt about the angry attack and how the two different responses felt. The interviewee should note how the two interviewer responses felt. The observer should note carefully the nature of the feelings expressed by the two role-players, as well as nonverbal behavior that gives clues to feelings. Change roles so that each person has an opportunity to play all the roles (Hammond et al., 1977).

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Problem 7

Dealing with a "helpless" person. In a group, ask a volunteer to play the role of Mrs. Jones, an interviewee. All but Mrs. Jones should close their eyes and imagine that they are in an office and Mrs. Jones is seeing them for the first time. Their job is to help Mrs. Jones. She sits down (adopting a slightly helpless tone of voice and a dramatic presentation): "I am so glad you have time to see me. You are absolutely my last hope! I can just tell you will be able to help me. I've been to four other places, and they all have waiting lists, or no time, or just were not interested. I am feeling absolutely desperate and I was so relieved when you could see me right away! The others did not understand me at all; they didn't even take the time to listen to my difficulty; I only need someone to help me sort out the problem and I am sure you can do that. I am grateful that you are spending time with me." Change roles so that each person has an opportunity to play all the roles (National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1979).

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