Scenario:
Your interviewee is a student at a local college. At the moment she/he is experiencing emotional stress with the required studies. The main concern is the time pressure and assignment overload, in addition to all of his/her other responsibilities. She/he fears not being able to cope and finish the degree in the expected timeframe, which may lead to quitting the program and thus being “stuck” in his/her current place in life.
After completing your interview, play it back to listen carefully to what is said and effectively apply the basic listening skills. Be sure to focus only on using appropriate attending skills learned this week. Pay attention to your posture, eye contact, and other nonverbal forms of communication as well as the verbal prompts you provide to let an interviewee know that you are listening carefully. Remember, your intention in this first interview is not to develop any change strategies with your interviewee; it is simply to use attending skills to make the interviewee feel heard.
Note any differences that you feel while attending in this way, any new insights into the other person you find. Also, note any differences in the usual behavior of your friend or family member towards you as you employ these attending skills.
Prepare a critique of your results, including the following:
• Background Information (Interviewee description, demographics, presenting issue, or concern)
• Session Notes (What was your goal for the interview? How were you attempting to accomplish this goal? What happened during the interview? Any behavioral observations?)
• Communication Skills (What skills were predominantly used during this interview? Were these the skills you had intended to use during this interview?)
• Your reaction to the interview (Your thoughts and feelings about what happened during the interview, what went well or did not go well during the interview, and why.)
• What you would have done differently and why? Transcribe at least three (3) of your interventions from this interview and comment on what you would change (if anything).
Sample Solution