Interview craft

The interviewer follows a person's particular account while making the process understandable. They begin with an available description, ask for an example, examine a material detail, return to a statement requiring clarification. They allow silence or a change of subject when the participant needs time to consider an association.

A sequence around a camera might begin with ordinary operation. The interviewer asks about its last use, follows an unusual modification, asks about the person responsible, examines a photograph made with it. A question about future use may lead to a possible loan. The photographer can pause the conversation for a composition, then return to the unresolved subject.

Staff record the wording and order of important prompts when studying the resulting account. They distinguish a volunteered association from a response to a suggestive question. During review, the participant can revise a statement or its publication scope. The interviewer can develop a repertoire of prompts without turning every visit into the same autobiographical sequence. Methodological review examines interviewer effects and alternative explanations.