Elicitation Techniques

Posted on January 17, 2020 by sbakroun

As I read through MJs post I began to really consider the importance of active listening and how important it is to allow others to really express themselves and not interrupt them while they work through their thoughts . Like MJ mentions something I also find difficult is not filling that ‘awkward silence’ with something. I think something I have to work on especially as we work towards the interviews is allowing there to be silence as others take their time expressing themselves. I have definitely felt this in the past where I could be in mid conversation with someone and may had something relevant to contribute yet the person with no intention interrupts in some way by possibly changing the subject and then I refrain from adding my input. It is important to recognize that all individuals are different and it may take people more time than others.

Another thing that I believe will change the game for us and our interviews is the power dynamic we establish from the start. Thinking about myself in this situation and my previous experiences with participating in interviews I realize how different I react depending on who I am with. Identifying from the start the importance of a student led interview and making sure that the participants know that we just like them don’t have all the answers will I am sure affect the way they respond to our questions Making sure they know we are also students conducting research on students is key.

The more research I do the more the idea of taking photographs seems relevant to me. Its not necessarily the picture that’ll be relevant to our research but what’s most important here is the conversation that may be generated through the picture. The possibility that these photographs may trigger the participants memory. The idea of taking pictures can elicit insight that otherwise the participant would not share. I can’t recall if we completely abandoned the idea of photographs on our walking interviews but I believe it would be an important discussion to have. 

-Sara