Key Ingredients of Effective Interviews

A good audit interviewer prepares for the interview so that he or she knows which issues or concerns will help develop evidence of the condition, effect, or cause. When you hear about (or do not hear about) those issues, you should probe to develop leads, resolve inconsistencies, determine significance, and save time.

For example, an open-ended probe may sound like:
“Please tell me more about how you determine when white lane stripes on roads need repainting.”

What is Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is the skill of restating in some form what the listener has heard.

Purposes of Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing:
• Confirms mutual understanding
• Clarifies meaning
• Helps retain much more information
• Creates the perception that the speaker is being heard

Three Ways to Paraphrase

• Verbatim
• Gist
• Inference

NOTE: These ways of paraphrasing may be used after (a) a simple statement (verbatim will be difficult after several statements), (b) several statements making a point, or (c) after a long explanation. Use when needed to clarify, reinforce for understanding, etc.

1. Verbatim: Repeating what was heard “word for word.” Example: Interviewee: “I have so many staff that I cannot possibly monitor everything that they do.” Auditor: “I heard you say: “I have so many staff that I cannot possibly monitor everything that they do.”
2. Gist: Restating the essence of what was said. Example: Interviewee: “I have so many staff that I cannot possibly monitor everything that they do.” Auditor: “So because of the size of your staff, you can’t see all they do.”
3. Inference: Interpreting the meaning of what was said; it can include some conclusion on the part of the interviewer. Example: Interviewee: “I have so many staff that I cannot possibly monitor everything that they do.” Auditor: “So because you can’t see everything they do, you’re concerned about missing something.”

Words and Phrases Useful in Paraphrasing

• “What I heard you say is …”
• “Let me see if I got that right …”
• “If I heard you correctly, you said …”
• “So, you’re saying that …”
• “So …”
• “Therefore …”
• “If I were to summarize that, it would sound like …”
• “It sounds like …”
• “It appears that …”
• “One could interpret that …”
• “For verification, let me replay that …”
• “As I understand it …”
• “To make sure I got what you said correctly …”

Paraphrasing Teaching Points

The importance of paraphrasing to the success of the interview cannot be overstated. Paraphrasing is an essential element of effective listening. Compared to regular conversation, where only about one-third of what is said is actually heard, paraphrasing can increase this to 90%.

Paraphrasing is critical in clarifying what the interviewee said and what the interviewer heard to make sure they are the same. Paraphrasing reinforces understanding between the two parties. Paraphrasing deepens the discussion of the topic by making the interviewee feel that (s)he was heard and understood and therefore is more likely to elicit more information. Paraphrasing creates an opportunity to solicit more information.

Interrupting the Interviewee

How does one, politely, get the interview refocused on the stated question when the interviewee goes off on a tangent? This happens frequently because the interviewee has so much information and is not focused on the end result of the interview like the interviewer is. Such a situation can jeopardize the success of the interview and must be handled with finesse.

Example: “This is very helpful information, and you have basically answered my last question. In order to get through all my prepared questions in a timely manner, may I move on to the next one.”

Real Listening Is an Active Process

Real listening involves three steps:

1. Hearing: Hearing just means listening enough to catch what the speaker is saying. For example, say you were listening to a report on zebras and the speaker mentioned that no two are alike. If you can repeat that fact, then you have heard what has been said.

2. Understanding: The next part of listening happens when you take what you have heard and understand it in your own way. Let’s go back to that report on zebras. When you hear that no two are alike, think about what that might mean. You might think, “Maybe this means that the pattern of stripes is different for each zebra.” To affirm your thinking, you might ask, “Does this mean…?”

3. Judging: After you are sure you understand what the speaker has said, think about whether it makes sense. Do you believe what you have heard? You might think, “How could the stripes be different for every zebra? But then again, the fingerprints are different for every person. I think this seems believable.” To affirm your judgment, what might you ask?

Tips for Being a Good Listener

1. Give your full attention to the person who is speaking. Don’t look out the window or at what else is going on in the room.

2. Make sure your mind is focused, too. It can be easy to let your mind wander if you think you know what the person is going to say next, but you might be wrong! If you feel your mind wandering, change the position of your body and try to concentrate on the speaker’s words.

3. Let the speaker finish before you begin to talk. Speakers appreciate having the chance to say everything they would like to say without being interrupted. When you interrupt, it looks like you aren’t listening, even if you are. But, how long can you let the speaker ramble?

4. Let yourself finish listening before you begin to speak! You can’t really listen if you are busy thinking about what you want to say next.

5. Listen for main ideas. The main ideas are the most important points the speaker wants to get across. They may be mentioned at the start or end of a talk and repeated a number of times. Pay special attention to statements that begin with phrases such as “My point is …” or “The thing to remember is…”

6. Ask questions. If you are not sure you understand what the speaker has said, just ask. It is a good idea to repeat in your own words what the speaker said so that you can be sure your understanding is correct. For example, you might say, “When you said that no two zebras are alike, did you mean that the stripes are different on each one?”

7. Give feedback. Sit up straight and look directly at the speaker. Now and then, nod to show that you understand. At appropriate points, you may also smile, frown, laugh, or be silent. These are all ways to let the speaker know that you are really listening. Remember, you listen with your face as well as your ears!

Thinking Fast Remember: Time is on your side! Thoughts move about four times as fast as speech. With practice, while you are listening, you will also be able to think about what you are hearing, really understand it, and give feedback to the speaker. As we have discussed, paraphrasing what you heard is a good method for giving feedback. 

Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal elements can create multiple “messages” coming from the same words, these are called meta-messages. People naturally choose whether to respond to the message as stated or the meta-message as expressed.

Non-Verbal Active Listening Techniques

• Eye contact with the interviewee and good posture
• Occasional affirmative head nods
• Note-taking
• Use of silence to indicate that more information is expected

Note Taking

There are no legitimate shortcuts to acquiring the skill of balancing the ability to focus on what the client is saying in an interview and recording it at the same time. This is one of the most subtle, yet certainly a more advanced skill in the interviewing process. The skill comes in attempting to balance between attending to the interviewee and what (s)he has to say, but at the same time, recording vital information that is being communicated without distracting from the flow of the discussion.

The following are three note-taking techniques that skilled interviewers have adopted through their years of experience.

• Narrative
• Graphics (e.g., depicting a process)
• Acronyms and abbreviations