The Environmental Colours of Microfinance

Appendix: Tips for Conducting Semi Structured Interviews The interview team may consist of one or more individuals. At least one should be a community member. A team member should conduct or moderate the interview. Begin the interview with the community's customary form of greeting and explain the team's objectives. Start by asking questions about something or somebody visible. Make use of aids to reformulate questions: what, when, where, why and how. Conduct the interview in an informal manner, interspersing questions with discussion and observations. Make it clear that while the team is acquainted with the topic, it is doing interviews in order to collect information and learn more about it. Make sure group interviews are not monopolised by a few individuals. Give everybody a chance to speak. Intervene and supervise the interview, summing it up and refocusing the discussion afterwards. Interviews should be limited to two hours. Mistakes to Avoid Failing to listen attentively. Repeating questions. Assisting the interviewees, replying for them and interrupting their replies . Asking obvious questions. Trying to resolve the often irreconcilable positions and opinions of participants prematurely in order to draw conclusions and arrive at definitions. Source: Bojanic et al. 1995 103 Return to Plan 4 of the Colours Hari Srinivas - hsrinivas@gdrc.org Return to the Virtual Library on Microcredit