Ch. 6

Your two main tasks in the interview opening are to

(1) establish rapport and (2) provide orientation.

Researching your speech topic consists of three phases:

(1) preparing for the search, (2) gathering the information, and (3) evaluating the information found.

Speakers use interview information in the conclusion of a speech in two ways:

(1) to provide a sense of closure and (2) to leave listeners in an appropriate state of mind.

The first step on your path to a well-researched speech that you can present with confidence is developing a clear research plan, which involves determining:

(1) what you already know about the topic, (2) how you found out about it, and (3) possible sources of information about your topic.

A student who conducted an interview on public transportation organized questions into four groups:

1. How the interviewee got started working in public transportation 2. Promoting public transportation 3. Responding to critics of public transportation 4. The interviewee's predictions regarding future innovations in public transportation

three essential principles for academic integrity:

1. When you say you did the work yourself, you actually did it. 2. When you rely on someone else's work, you cite it. When you use their words, you quote them openly and accurately, and you cite them, too. 3. When you present research materials, you present them fairly and truthfully. That's true whether the research involves data, documents, or the writings of other scholars

interview guide

A list of all the questions and possible probes an interviewer asks in an interview, as well as notes about how the interviewer will begin and end the interview.

metasearch engines

A search tool that compiles the results from other search engines.

search engines

A sophisticated software program that hunts through documents to find those associated with particular keywords.

oral citations

A source of information that a speaker mentions, or cites, during a speech.

bibliographic information

A source's complete citation, including author, date of publication, title, place of publication, and publisher.

copyright information

A statement about the legal rights of others to use an original work, such as a song (lyrics and melody), story, poem, photograph, or image.

Keywords

A term associated with a topic and used to search for information related to that topic.

copyright

A type of intellectual property law that protects an author's original work (such as a play, book, song, or movie) from being used by others.

what will help you achieve academic integrity in your speeches?

Accurate note-taking, paraphrasing, and orally citing sources

Web directories

An online list that organizes webpages and websites hierarchically by category; also called a search index.

Review your interview guide

Being familiar with your interview guide allows you to use it the way you use note cards in your speeches—to trigger your memory.

Relevance

How closely a webpage's content is related to the keywords used in an Internet search.

Choose an appropriate setting.

Ideally, conduct the interview in a quiet, private place free from interruptions, for in-person interviews. For other real-time interviews, such as online or telephone interviews, minimize distractions at your location and ask the interviewee to do the same.

Ask one question at a time.

If you ask multiple questions, the interviewee will become confused and likely only answer one part of the question asked. For example, instead of asking, "How and why did you begin your own business?" phrase the question as two separate ones. First ask, "What led you to start your own business?" and then, after the interviewee has responded, ask, "How did you go about opening your business?"

Secondary sources

Others' interpretations or adaptations of a primary source.

Plagiarism

Presenting someone else's ideas and work, such as speeches, papers, and images, as your own.

What is the least complicated of the evaluation criteria to apply

Relevance

Following these strategies will help ensure a more productive interview

Review your interview guide, Choose an appropriate setting, Record the interview, Ask one question at a time

The guidelines summarized here will make researching your topic a more positive and productive experience.

Start early, Schedule research time, Ask questions, Keep accurate records, Take notes on each source, Revise as needed, Know when to move on, Know when to go back

call number

The number assigned to each book or bound publication in a library to identify that book in the library's classification system.

Monitor your verbal and nonverbal cues.

This strategy helps avoid unintentionally biasing the interviewee's responses. To indicate that you're listening, say "I understand" or "I see." The interviewee should be doing most of the talking, not you. Put all your active listening skills to work. Use eye contact and other nonverbal cues to let the interviewee know you are paying attention.

Record the interview.

With the interviewee's permission, record the interview electronically for later review. Also take notes, writing down main points and key ideas that will help you recall what the person said. In addition, record important nonverbal cues, your general impressions, and ideas that occur to you during the interview.

Fair use

allows you to use limited portions of an author's work if you credit the source of the information.

When including quotes or summarized information from research interviews,

clearly state your interviewee's full name and title and explain what makes that person an expert on the topic

Generally, the closing progresses through three stages:

conclusion preview, closure statement, post-interview conversation

The recency of the information is its

currency

Validity has three components:

currency, accuracy, and authority.

Primary sources

express the authors' original ideas or findings from original research. For example, research reports produced by the Pew Research Center (pewinternet.org) present data that the project's researchers collect.

A catchy quote in the introduction can

grab your audience's attention, as well as establish your credibility

In examining the purpose of the information, you want to

identify why it was created- determine if the source's purpose is to inform, persuade, or entertain, and identifying its scope and depth

post-interview conversation

occurs after the formal interview and may include small talk or general discussion of the topic. The interviewee may relax and reveal important information related to your topic. During the post-interview discussion, you'll say your final goodbyes and once again express appreciation for the interviewee's cooperation.

language or style an author uses

provides additional insight into the purpose.

As you locate information for your speech, apply three primary evaluation criteria:

relevance, purpose, and validity.

The conclusion preview

signals that the interview is drawing to a close, as with saying, "My final question is ... " or "We have just a few minutes left...."

In the closure statement,

summarize the main points you gleaned from the interview and thank the interviewee for participating. Ask if you may contact the interviewee should you have any questions while preparing your speech.

Accuracy

the consistency and reliability of the information

Depth

the extent to which the topic is covered. Does the author provide detailed and expansive coverage of the topic? Or is the coverage fairly general?

The soundness of the logic underlying the information is called

validity

scope

what information is included and what is left out

Authority

who produced the information—both the person who created it and the platform for presenting it.