Ideas for Interview Questions

Lori Halverson-Wente

18 Ideas for Interview Questions

Ideas for Interview Questions

Overview

This is from an assignment from my COMM 2100 Face to Face Class from a few years ago. You might want to conduct a similar interview. I have left the video in tack and you can revise as you’d like for your experience.

Your interview might be with a classmate, someone you choose, or someone your instructor helps you find. Here are some suggested questions.

Our Class Ground Rules that we Used

First, thank the interviewee and explain why you are doing the interview.
Agree upon the time you will end (in 30 minutes, it will be 4:00 pm, will that work?).
Confirm if you are recording that you have permission if you are doing so.
Remind them that they can pass on any question and that they can also choose to end the interview at any time.

Sample General Questions for a Video “Special Project” Submission:

1. What co-culture do you belong to that you would like to talk to me about?
  Stop and paraphrase.
  I heard you saying ____, is that right?
2. What does it mean to be a member of your co-culture?
  Stop and perception check.
  I noticed that you mentioned ____. I am wondering if ___ or ___ is something you believe, can you tell me more?
3. What are some stereotypes or misconceptions others have about your co-culture that you would like to address?
4. What would you like teachers or professors to cover in a class like Intercultural Communication about your co-culture and/or intercultural communication?
5. I have researched 3 statements about communication and your co-culture for my class. I would like to share the statements and hear your reactions based on your lived experience. Why do you agree or disagree with the research statement? How might you modify/explain the research-based statement?
  - Suggested Sources for Research

- - - RCTC Library
      - Video Welcome
      - Academic Search Premier (need to log in)
        Journals, magazines, and newspapers in almost every subject area.
    - Hofstede Insights Country Comparison
    - MN Compass Data
    - Cultural Atlas
    - CIA Guide to Country Profiles
    - World Health Organization (WHO) SCORE Country Profiles
    - CDC (Center for Disease Control) Country Profiles
    - UNICEF Country Profiles
    - United Nations Country Profiles
    - BBC News Country Profiles
    - World Bank Country Profiles

Tell me more about Culture:

Culture is defined as …..
- - what cultures do you consider yourself to be a part of in some sense or fashion?
  - In this definition, the key elements of culture include…
    - What elements of your identified culture had the most influence on who you are?
  - What, if anything, is missing from this definition?
  - What is most correct, if anything, about this definition?
  - What do you think students should most know about culture?
Cultural Competency is defined as…
- - What, if anything, is missing from this definition?
  - What, if anything, do you believe is correct about this definition?
  - How is it best “taught/learned?”
  - What, if anything, do you think we have “wrong” about teaching it currently? What can be improved?
  - What has helped you the most to build your cultural competency?
  - What do you suggest students do to build their cultural competency?
How have you felt the “trap door experience?”

Possible Culture Schock Questions:

Culture Shock is …(summarize). I would like to ask you about how you did or did not experience the stages of Culture Shock [you might also see the outline suggestions for Culture Shock in our ebook].
- Depending upon the source you use, the stages might be named differently – share what the name of the stage is and what generally occurs. Ask your interviewee if they did or did not experience this.
- Then, you might also ask, “why” or “can you give an example?” These open questions can really help add more to the conversation.
To follow up, can you share more about this time in your life?

- - What are the “small things” you found amusing or fun when you first arrived in the US (or wherever they landed)?
  - What surprised you?
  - What did you miss?
  - What did you do/seek out to help comfort you when (if) cultural tension increased?
  - What do you wish you would have been told?
  - What are the “small things” you missed once you got here?
    - We recently conducted an interview with Marta, a past student who lives in Poland. I asked her if we could see her apartment so my American student could see the differences in “the small things” – like outlets, door knobs/latches, how windows open in or out, shower configurations/workings, toilets (yes -they differ!), and washing machines (you might be surprised to see how much smaller many country’s washing machines are compared to the ones in the United States — also, many students are surprised to learn how many people do not use dryers in other countries).
  - Did you experience Reverse Cultural Shock [if they returned to their country/region]?