Active Listening and Rapport

So far, we’ve covered some practices of a successful interviewer. In order for these techniques to work, you must also be able to listen and build rapport with your participants. In this section, we’ll begin by discussing rapport-building, which is an important aspect in the arrival and introduction stage of the interview. Then, we’ll dive into listening skills, particularly active listening— listening with a focus on what the person is saying while confirming the accuracy and emotion of the message. This will be important during the interview itself to continue building trust and gain a deeper understanding of participant responses.