• To help you recognize strengths and weaknesses of your own interviewing planning, questioning, listening and overall communication skills.
• To give you the opportunity to establish your own objectives for improvement.
• To provide feedback to you regarding the development of objectives.
• To give you experience in self-directed learning.

This assignment asks you to provide an honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses based upon your persuasive interview (on videotape). Focus your critique on the elements of interviewing central to the areas of current interest in the term. Consider your opening, ability to create a need or desire, reasoning, adaptation to the interviewee, questioning, criteria establishment, handling of objections, and your ability to close the interview and/or other features you've learned are important.

1. Begin by viewing your video. The library has VCRs for your use. View your interview once for how you appear (leave the sound off) and a second time for how you sound (turn up the volume). Take notes by keeping a list of strengths and weaknesses.

2. In your typed analysis identify at least four strengths and four weakness and describe how you recognized them through the video, be specific. For instance, "I noticed my opening lacked adequate orientation. I appeared to skip right past this key step. For instance, ..."

3. After describing the strengths and weaknesses explain what you can do to ensure the strength in your next interview and what you will do to improve on your area of weakness. For instance, "To avoid the problem of a false close I intend to summarize the interviewees statements and move to finalize agreement."

4. Bring your paper to a close with a summary of main points and some closing comment.

Remember your critique should be typed, double spaced and include specific suggestions for improvement. The assignment is due as indicated on the course schedule.

Materials are borrowed from Interviewing Principles and Practices, by Stewart and Cash.
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Last modified: December 26, 2000