Before

• Book sufficient time – at least an hour per interview.
• Ideally interview in person but other options are possible.
• Review all notes before the interview.
• Confirm what you know and what you don’t. What are your critical information requirements?
• Prepare and know the questions you will ask.
• Confirm meeting details 24-hours in advance.
• Schedule short breaks or catch-up time between interviews if conducting more than one each day.

During

• Begin the interview with an open mind.
• Start by confirming basic information to break the ice.
• Tackle core questions as early as possible to leave time for topics raised by the interviewee.
• Use open questions that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. Also avoid leading questions. For example, asking ‘are you worried about terrorism?’ is going to trigger a range of emotions and give that threat a higher priority than it might warrant. Instead, you could start with ‘what kinds of security threats are you concerned about?’.
• Keep thorough, clear notes.
• Use evidence if making a point / challenging an assertion.
• Listen, listen, listen.
• Stay engaged.

After

• Review notes.
• Send a ‘thank you’ note and schedule a follow up if necessary.
• Follow up on any data points you missed.
• Write up findings.