Active Listening and Building Rapport ^__^

active listening is when the interviewer listens and responds to the answers given in the interview. methods of this can include nodding and smiling in agreement and keeping eye contact without staring at them. a way to keep up is to make sure that the question that follows the answer is follows on and seems interesting and connected to the subject.

here is an example of an interview which shows active listening...


during this interview, there is evidence of comfortable body language, especially by the way that they are sat during the interviewee; edge of the seat makes it apparent that they are enjoying the interview and wanting to know more. Holly and Philip develop their questions from the answers given which in turn helps the interviewee relax more and have an open approach to answering what they wanted, making it seem they have the advantage whilst giving the information needed. facial expressions change throughout the interviewee at the appropriate moments, in a correct manner.

Building Rapport:

building rapport is where you use the questions you have developed and your body language to help build a trust and understanding between you and the person you are interviewing. even if you don't agree with the opinions given by the interviewee, you can still build a successful rapport. a great example of this would be Politicians; most of the time they don't agree with each other yet they still have a good relationship during interviews. examples of interviewers who are great at rapport building include Jonathon Ross and Alan Carr.

here are two interviews they have done...

Communication Skills. ^__^

body language can make a huge differences when giving out interviews. positive body language can help your interviewee feel more relaxed and more open to answer the questions that they wouldn't have otherwise. negative body language has the opposite effect and can make them feel closed up and will make for a dull interview.

here is an example of an interview with negative body language...

during this interview he he has back turned to her making her feel isolated from the interview session, whilst he interviews someone else. he isn't interacting with her and making her feel comfortable and by speaking to her in a way that makes her feel less comfortable than she already is, makes her feel less important.
if he were to interview her in a different way, a start would be to speak to her more politely and apologize when she asks him to speak to her and position the seating area in a way that puts Russell in the middle surrounded by his interviewees, so they can all communicate well with each other. getting her involved in other interviews will make her feel more comfortable and more involved.

here is an example of an interview that demonstrates good interview skills...

this interview deposits good interview skills because it is very laid back and in a comfortable surrounding area which will help the person being interviewed, in this case Taylor Momsen, feel more comfortable. at the start Holly and Philip compliment her and are very chatty and have a conversational start to the conversation, which makes her feel more at ease. as the interview progresses they listen closely and develop questions effectively off the answers she gives in return, making it apparent that they are interested in what she is doing in her life and her opinions on different subjects that the answers led from.