Step 4: Introduce the interview, reviewing its purpose and importance, the policies you have established with regard to confidentiality and incentives, and the means by which you intend to record the interview data.

Begin the interview by reviewing a number of informational points with the participant. As indicated in Preparing an Interview Protocol, the consistency of the interview is improved if this information is included as actual text in the protocol (i.e., the interviewer script). The following kinds of information may be addressed in this introduction:

• The general purpose of the interview and why it is important


• How the interview data will be used


• The extent to which the interview data will be treated as confidential


• The type of incentive, if any, being offered for participation


• The method by which you would like to record the interview


• The approximate length of time it will take to complete the interview

Reviewing the purpose of the interview and its use in the broader context of the evaluation is a means of motivating the participant right as the interview begins. Reviewing your project's policy on confidentiality is important because participants are more likely to be candid if they know their name will not be connected to what they say. Although the specifics of confidentially are likely to be determined by policies pertaining to the broader evaluation project (which, in turn, may be regulated by a human subjects committee), the manner in which they are presented to the participant is important (for a fuller discussion, see Step 3 of Administering Questionnaires).

Reminding the participant about any incentives for doing the interview also is appropriate. A small incentive typically will motivate the participant, although the feeling of having one's views taken seriously often is in itself adequate. Because interviews often are part of a larger evaluation, the participant may be receiving one reward for involvement in several evaluation activities. Again, reminding the participant about these arrangements is warranted. For specifics about the kinds of incentives that are effective, see Step 2 of Administering Questionnaires.

Another point to cover in the introduction is the means by which you intend to record what the participant says (advice about how to record the interview is covered in Step 5). If you wish to audiotape the interview (and it is permitted under your confidentiality policies), you need to obtain the participant's permission at this point. One example of such a request would be:

"I will follow this guide [indicate protocol sheets] as we go through the interview. I may take a few notes on the sheets, but mostly I want to concentrate on our talking. Do I have your permission to tape this interview so that I don't have to take so many notes?"

Last, you should remind the participant about the length of time you realistically expect the interview to take. Having clear mutual expectations about the time involved will encourage focus on the protocol and help establish the interviewer's responsibility for monitoring the pacing of the interview.