interview questions: please read carefully

Interview questions and atmosphere are the driving factors of getting the information you are looking for, but interviews are only successful when you are actively listening to your interviewee. Even if you have a recording device, listening includes not only hearing and processing the words coming from the interviewee, but also other factors: What isn’t said: consider what is inferred or knowingly left out of responses

Body language: watch for points emphasized with hand movements, or how the interviewee sits (e.g., relaxed, leaning forward, arms crossed, etc.)

Voice inflection: note voice changes such as what words are emphasized, or when the interviewee lowers his or her voice

Word choice: determine whether the responses seem rehearsed or forced, or does the interviewee rely on jargon and complex concepts

Organization of the response: recognize when the interviewee seems to be circling a topic, or if responses seem out of order and unorganized

What makes the speaker effective (or not) in conveying his or her ideas to listeners?

Select a speech related to your topic and analyze the effectiveness of the speaker’s delivery. To find a speech, you can search YouTube as well as The American Rhetoric and the Douglass Archives of American Public Address sites. Be sure that you really listen to the speaker, and try to find a video version of the speech so you can interpret both visual and auditory cues. Reflect on what you hear and see: consider aspects such as those noted above and in the reading for this unit, and analyze the significance of these characteristics, along with the speaker’s success in delivering his or her message.

Write a response analyzing the speaker’s use of body language, word choice, and any other of the factors listed above. Be sure that you reference this week’s reading in your response, and provide appropriate citations for the ideas you mention from the reading. Address the following in your response:

Do you feel the speech would be less or more effective in a different context? Consider the location, audience, and overall environment of the speech. If the same speech were given to a small gathering of friends or in front of a crowd of 50,000 people, how should the speaker change his or her body language, word choice, and overall communication skills in order to convey the ideas effectively?

What are effective listening strategies, and how did you demonstrate them while reviewing your selected speech?

Then, create three questions you would like to ask this speaker about your “big idea.” Develop both open and closed questions;

My “Big Idea”: So many problems need to be addressed. One that I can think of is the fact that there are very few resources available in the area for recycling materials such as newspaper, plastics, and aluminum cans. Many people would be willing to recycle but are unable to take items to recycle centers. Many people would like to make a few dollars from saving aluminum cans and bottles but do not have a truck to take large loads to a recycle center.

A great idea to solve both of these problems would be a recycling company having their own truck goes door to door to pick up goods each week. The driver would have to have a portable scale to weigh the items. Citizens could call and schedule a pick-up with the company when they have enough materials and the driver could pay the person based on the weight of the items. It would have to be a lower rate than the person could get by taking them to the recycling plant themselves to allow for the gas and truck costs but it would benefit the company, the person who is recycling and getting paid for it, as well as the environment. This could be advertised and expanded to be a door to door service, like trash pick-up, once it becomes popular.