English 104 Unit II

D. Interviewing: Active Listening

In addition to the role of Speaker, in which you control the direction of an interview by introducing new topics by asking main questions, and eliciting more information by asking follow-up questions, you will also play the role of Listener which also requires specific language tools.

In an interview, listening is an active role. In order to make sure that communication continues, you will need to do more than simply listen passively. The "tools" or verbal skills you will need as an active listener include:

I. Giving Feedback

In the U.S., some silence on the part of the listener in an interview or conversation is considered "natural" and comfortable. However, total silence would make the speaker very uncomfortable. Even during short periods of silence, you are expected to give the speaker feedback: verbal and non-verbal signals or cues that let the speaker know that you are listening and that you understand. The speaker will continue to speak as long as you appear to be following what is being said. Your feedback signals can also encourage the speaker to continue if they indicate some degree of acceptance of, or agreement with, what the speaker is saying.

Verbal Signals:

By changing your intonation, you may use the same signals to convey almost any attitude toward what the speaker is saying. For example, the word, "yeah" may signal either a "neutral" attitude, which simply says, "I have understood your words," or an attitude of enthusiastic agreement with the speaker: "Yes, I understood, and very definitely agree with you!"

Non-Verbal Signals:

In an interview, you will probably need to take notes, and therefore will not be able to maintain as much eye contact as you can in an informal conversation. As you are writing your notes, try to glance up at the speaker often; if you find you are writing for several seconds, use other nonverbal signals such as nodding, or use a few verbal signals.

Non-verbal forms of feedback also include some facial expressions reflecting a moderate amount of "emotional" response to what a speaker is saying. For example, slightly raised eyebrows may indicate surprise, or a more definite smile may indicate amusement. Remember that the speaker may be "reading" your expression to judge whether you are comprehending, or are interested in, what is being said.
 

II. Interrupting

We have been discussing signals that tell the speaker to continue speaking. Another group of feedback signals are those that indicate that the speaker may not continue: there has been some kind of communication "breakdown" which the speaker must repair before continuing. When you haven't understood something the speaker has said, you will need to interrupt. Interruptions are very frequent in informal conversations. They are less frequent, but very important, in situations such as an interview, where the speaker is explaining something or providing information. Polite interruptions will not surprise or disturb the speaker. In fact, he or she generally expects to be interrupted and asked questions.

One clear or obvious place to interrupt is when the speaker pauses for breath or between thoughts. Often a pause is an invitation to the listener to interrupt. However, sometimes it is necessary for you to say something while the speaker is talking, usually if there is some problem in understanding what the speaker is saying. These interruptions are considered more acceptable if they begin with a brief apology.


Interrupting to ask for focused repetition:

One reason for interrupting is to get the speaker to repeat words or phrases that you didn't hear clearly. There are several ways to make this request:

The request for repetition can also be made indirectly with a statement: Although this is a declarative sentence, the speaker understands that you are asking for repetition, and will usually repeat and/or clarify.
  Use a complete wh-word echo question: Or, use a wh-word in a phrase: Sentence stress falls on the interrogative word in these questions. Be careful not to use emphatic intonation, which expresses surprise, doubt or skepticism. Intonation in this question is neither rising, nor rising-falling . Rather, pitch remains constant, and the final syllable is lengthened (held a bit longer than usual).

These questions are often accompanied by direct eye contact, and other non-verbal cues, such as a puzzled facial expression, shaking the head or inclining the head toward the speaker.
 


Stress falls on the first stressed syllable of the word or phrase you're asking about.
 

Focused vs. Unfocused repetition: Questions such as "What?", "Pardon?", "Pardon me?" and "Excuse me?" used with rising (question) intonation are also asking for repetition. However, they do not identify the part of the speaker's words that you would like him or her to repeat. The speaker may try to "repair" the conversation by repeating several things, guessing you want to hear again, or asking you to clarify: "What didn't you get?" or "Which part didn't you understand?"
 

Interrupting to ask for meaning or spelling:

Often, even when you have correctly heard the words, you need to interrupt and ask for the meaning (or spelling) of a specific word or phrase.


III.. Checking bits of information:

Finally, it is important that you check with the speaker to make sure that you have correctly heard what he or she has said. This is particularly useful and important when you are gathering information and want to make sure that the information you have gathered is accurate. You can check for accuracy by repeating what the speaker has just said, or by paraphrasing:
 

Longer paraphrases, or very brief summaries of what the speaker has said, are usually most appropriate when the speaker has completed an answer. It is occasionally useful to check in this way before you go on to the next question.
 

IV Interview length and closing the interview:

As the person conducting the interview, it will be your responsibility to end or close it. The length of each interview depends upon the topic of the interview and the amount of information your contact person is ready to provide you. Some people will talk longer than others. Generally, it is considered polite if you end with some expression of thanks or appreciation for the time which the contact person has given you.

this "Interviewing:" document was created by JAT 11/90