Interviewing is a skill

This week, I have carried out the first interview of the project; it is definitely an experience that I can reflect on and learn from! My self esteem can sometimes let me down at focused interactions like this and I feel under pressure to perform well, 'look' good and be able to think on the spot. I am hoping that over the course of this project (with at least 5 more interviews to do) it will feel more natural as I become more experienced.

Interviewing (as well as being interviewed) is a skill

So how did this one go? I was, of course, very nervous to begin with but we eased into it with some general questions about each other and other professions, which really helped to break the ice. As the questions started to flow and the interview was underway, I often felt pressured to make a snap decision to either respond with my own thoughts or to move onto a new question. I admit that I did take the former a few times (except when my mind went blank and I couldn't think of anything to say), which, at times, made it seem more like a discussion than an interview... I am wondering if this could have affected the participant and the answers that they then decided to give, either by:

1. Causing them to hold back on some of their answers if they felt pressured to match their opinions to mine;
2. or, it may have provided a more comfortable environment and allowed them to feel at ease, which may have encouraged them to deliver more information.

I believe that for the next few interviews (and further into my career) I can find a medium ground to my responses, so I don't reveal my own opinions but I still manage show empathy; I am hopeful that this is a tactic that I will learn to master over time.

Preparation is key

Another moment where I struggled to think on my feet (that I will aim to be more prepared with next time), is learning to listen to their answers whilst deciding which question to ask next; I found that this method of multitasking is crucial to a seamless interview. I could have just asked each question in the order on the list but this would may have been quite jarring, and would inevitably remove any possibility of asking new questions in relation to their answers. Again, this is a skill will develop with experience and I think if I studied the questions more and learnt to retain them better, I would be able to ask more freely off the top of my head rather than searching for the next one on the page in front of me.

What did I find out?

I thought the interview went well and I gathered a lot of interesting data to analyse; some very surprising responses, some expected answers and some moments of realisation where relations can be made and questions that I hadn't even asked were answered; these were truly remarkable moments where I began to realise some points I didn't know that I already knew, or that I didn't know that I wanted to find out. It will be incredibly interesting to triangulate these areas with the rest of the interviews, literature and my own preconceived thoughts.

How many is too many questions?

Throughout the interview, I asked a lot of questions but I didn't actually make it through all that I had written down... so, did I prepare too many questions? For the purposes of this project, I don't think that I did; in this respect, I feel that I couldn't have been over-prepared as there will always be more questions that arise as a result of a project and as I progress through my career. So, it's not always about asking the questions to find out the answers - I have discussed this on my last blog - questions can have many different purposes!

Experience, Reviewing, Concluding, Planning

Overall, it was a fantastic experience; we spoke for over an hour (I had originally planned for 30-45 minutes), so we were already over the allotted time. In hindsight, I realise that I should have checked in with them at 30 and 45 minutes in to make sure they were happy to carry on; they may have felt obliged to stay and didn't feel confident to ask to stop. These ethical considerations will be useful when planning for the next 2 interviews this week, and I can honestly say that, after taking this time to reflect, I feel much more confident and prepared!

How did your first interviews compare with the ones later in the project?

Feel free to comment below and share your experiences...

What is the point of a question?

Earlier this week, I participated in the first BAPP Discussion Group of the new term, which was fantastic; I came away feeling psyched and ready for the last module. There was a mix of students from all modules, which made me feel a little apprehensive to begin with and I thought maybe I would just slip into the background and take a passive, listening role in the group. Once we had introduced ourselves, however, I was asked to start off the discussion with my thoughts about the topi of 'questions'. With almost 20 others there waiting to hear me speak, my heart started to race; I am quite nervous when talking to a group but I was forced to face a fear - it was great!

Do one thing every day that scares you

The way we use questions can have profound effects on personal and professional development, for example, during my research for Module 1, I came across a question that has shaped my whole inquiry. I found it in a book called Theatre Criticism by Irving Wardle (1992).

‘How can critics claim to know best when they cannot agree among themselves?’ 

When I began Module 2 and started searching for 'little wonders' to begin planning for the professional inquiry, I thought back to this question that I found in Module 1. This question didn't necessarily invite a definitive answer but it was so inspiring that it rippled into more and more questions, which became the basis for this inquiry.

• Why are audience members influenced by reviews?
• Why do reviews have much of an impact on ticket sales?
• What types of demographics tend to read reviews and from what sources?
• How can we trust the words of a critic?
• How are critics/reviews beneficial to the theatre industry?
• How has the rise of the internet affected the review system?
• Do we really need theatre critics? 

Over the past couple of weeks, I have used these questions as a basis to establish questions for the interviews, but what did I actually want to achieve from asking any of these questions? 

What is the point of a question?

I think the most obvious 'answer to that question is 'to discover something new', but that's not the only plausible answer to that question. We don't always ask questions for the purpose of knowing the answer. Questions can appear in many forms each with the intention to achieve something different, such as:

1. They are powerful tools for reflection to look back to learn from and understand a situation.
2. They can challenge our way of thinking, which encourages to process of ethical considerations.
3. They can be used for developing conversation by showing interest and building relationships.
4. They may be asked in order to help others, to inhibit their own questions and understanding.
5. They may just lead to further questions that have any of the above intentions.

Overall, the topic of 'questions' has really helped me realise their importance; the wording of a question is crucial to the intention or answer that is given. For the interviews, I want to ask each participant similar open questions that differ slightly depending on their field of practice or position within the industry. I believe that this will provide a structured system, which will highlight key areas that can be easily analysed yet still inviting their own narrative.

How did you develop your interview/focus group questions?
What questions have you been asking yourself during this programme?
What other intentions do you have for asking questions?

Please feel free to comment below.

Interviews, ethics and the fear of rejecting

Stepping into week two of the third and final module, I feel that I have set the wheels of this inquiry in motion. Over the last week has been preparation for interviews questions, collating the interviews that I want to discuss and reaching out to many possible participants. Although, that's not how I planned it and it didn't start that way last Monday...

Learning from my mistakes

When planning this inquiry, I thought 5 interviews will provide enough data to work with in order to produce a portfolio at the end, and I had 5 individuals that I have carefully selected to ask. For some reason, I thought all 5 would be quick to respond and be as enthusiastic as I am about taking part. How wrong I was. As I checked my email inbox each day last week, I became increasingly disappointed not to see any replies. How could this be? Well, some people (mainly me) can be incredibly focused on their own busy lives without appreciating that other people have their own commitments and priorities too.

If in doubt... ask!

Last Thursday, I has a wonderful chat with my supervisor, Helen, and I spoke about my concerns and the difficulty that I have had with managing to secure anyone for an interview and I asked what I could do. She explicitly responded that I should be reaching out to about double the amount of people that I wish to interview, then I would more likely to actually secure the 5 interviews that I need. After first agreeing that this would be a much better course of action, I was faced with an ethical dilemma that I feel that I should address.

The fear of  rejecting

I realised that I was concerned with asking too many people and receiving a positive response from everyone; I was worried that I would then have to reject half of them in order to avoid being overwhelmed with work and data. Could this be the reason why I initially planned to only ask the set amount of 5? It makes sense - why should I waste someone's time to email back and forth a few times, to eventually not allow them from participating. How would I know if this would affect them? Or, if I followed through with every interview, I would be left with enormous amounts of data that I couldn't possibly analyse completely, and would inevitably discard half of it. Is that unethical to then waste even more of the participants' time (and mine) to gather data when I know that I couldn't possibly use it all? Maybe it doesn't matter, and those that were happy to participate wouldn't mind whether or not I used the data at all; they might just be happy to take part. I guess, I may never know the answer to that. 

But what are the repercussions? 

There is, however, the risk of people feeling hurt or annoyed by this, and perhaps I feared what the consequences might be from asking theatre professionals and ruining potential or existing affiliations. This concept reverts the situation back to myself. Am I selfish for thinking this way, that I chose to act in a way that was to protect my dignity and my career? Many people will agree with this but many others will actively advocate this style of thinking. How can I progress in this career if I am not thinking about the consequences of my actions, even if it seems slightly selfish? Perhaps a happy medium would suffice.

How have I moved forward?

Over the weekend, I decided that it would be best to listen to my supervisor (not much of a surprise there) and reach out to a few more. So far, it has been a success and I have had some more responses; I will hopefully be booking some interviews for later in the week!

What dilemmas have you faced that relate to the preparation of the interviews?

New challenges - practising reflection

After taking the summer off from my studies and blogging (I have still been working full time), I feel refreshed and ready to tackle the term ahead. The trouble with having such a long break is that I feel like I have lost a lot of momentum; I have not blogged in 4 and a half months and it is truly showing in my flow and I have a slightly scrambled thought process. I can clearly see now that reflection (whether that involves taking some time alone to think/blog or talking to my friends and peers) is an activity just like any other - it needs to be practised.

Reflection needs practice!

I have mentioned in previous blogs that I, like many others, have found a huge benefit from reflection and, in particular, blogging. This technique of documenting my thoughts really helps to achieve a tidy mind - I imagine it like brushing out matted hair, where each hair represents a different motive or idea. Only then I can start to generate new ideas, ask clear questions, address my worries and form a concrete strategies in order to achieve my goals. It's true because I have experienced it over the last two modules. So, as I embark on this inquiry over the next few weeks, I will be focusing on reestablishing my reflective skills through this blog. This will not only become a blog for my studies but a place to share my personal journey through this inquiry and how this will aid my professional development centred around my practice; this will form my reflective, learning journal.

What advice can you offer for writing a journal?

The benefit of a journal, however, does not stop with the process of writing... This weekend I will be taking the time to reread all of my previous work and blog posts from the beginning of module 1 through to the end of module 2. Refreshing my memory of my old thoughts should provide additional guidance when taking on this inquiry. It will allow me to reconnect with my journey so far and realign the possible pathways that I have yet to come. 

Reread, refresh, reconnect and reflect

Rereading is just what we do during the term - to go back over what we have already written so we know where to go next - so why not apply this tool to on a bigger scale at a new beginning? Maybe beginning is the wrong word to use... I am not 'starting again'; I am merely continuing from where I left off on May 1st. Nevertheless, now is a perfect time to reflect, so looking back is what I need to do and soon I will regain my flow and momentum. 

As I take a step forward into the term ahead, I will know where I currently stand and my expectations of the next few months.