Journal Entry XV

Journal Entry 15: In-class Interviews

The in-class interviews over the last three weeks have been interesting. They have been successful for the most part, but they have also been challenging. Vicki and Elizabeth were difficult interviewees in different ways, but perhaps that is simply a factor of any interview.

Vicki’s interview was very interesting, but it also was hard to narrow down. Her breadth of specific knowledge and responsibility made it difficult to find a coherent path of discussion. Even after concerted effort, the interview seemed to ramble on from questions about Mount St. Helens, to questions of policy, to modern prevention methods, to contemporary examples, and finally to the somewhat painful questions of basic organization (which felt entirely pro forma and designed to run down the clock).

Fortunately, these difficulties were mitigated by her willingness to spend as much time as was needed to answer any questions we had. This allowed the sometimes broadly fielded queries to be answered completely while leaving time for the more central topics. I really enjoyed being able to ask her questions about DOGAMI and the rest, I only wish I had been able to narrow down my focus.

Elizabeth was a different kind of interview. She was equally friendly and knowledgeable, but sometimes difficult to follow. I felt unsure of the extent of what she was talking about, only that her business was in Public Relations and her interview was on conducting business interviews. I felt that she would have done better with a more comprehensive lecture, because when the time came (quickly) for questions I was left without enough information to have any specific questions.

The questions I did ask were terribly reaching, and the awkward comment about satellites only worsened the situation. Still, I felt it was worse to have a total silence in the classroom, so I figured I would ask her some general questions while I worked out a more topical one.

In the end, I would consider her an amiable interviewee, but also a difficult one. While these are doubtlessly excellent traits as a press relations representative, they make for frustrating classroom discussions.