New Abstract Writer: Avoiding The Interview-writing Disconnect
- Posted by Essays Blog in Essays Blog |
- December 1st, 2009 |
- Comments
OVERVIEW
Lost or garbled information is a wicked act. Especially if it’s the information you gathered from an interview and must now compose into your Person Document. Here’s how to prevent that act.
THE SITUATION
You had an interview with a Content Expert (SME, individual who has the information that you need) for your product. He/she told you all that you needed to know. However, by the time you got to compose the material into the Person Document, you have forgotten much of what was discussed. Your notes only help a bit. This loss or garbling the information from the SME that you need for your writing is the “Interview-Writing Disconnect.”
SOLUTION
The solution is divided into III components: Preparation Before the Interview, Actions During, and Following the Interview.
Advise: If possible, agenda the interview as close to the time that you are going to compose that part of the Person Document. The longer you act between the interview and the writing, the more difficult it will be to recall the content.
Before the Interview
* Your guiding principle is to Be Prepared. You should have read what you can about the product, its environment, who will consume it, and what they (unremarkably) deprivation to do with the product.
Know as much as you can before the interview. The more you know about the product, the better off you will be in the interview.
* Choose the goals of the interview. Apportion this information with the SME. Do this in an e-mail before the interview.
* Ask the SME if you can (audio; recording is also obtrusive) record the interview. Get a recorder (preferably a digital recorder) and make careful it is fix to function properly during the interview.
* Gather any other materials you will need for the interview.
* Fix your recorder, etc quickly when the meeting begins.
* (You might deprivation to practice action legible notes…I careful need to)
THE HARDEST PART
Leave your ego at the door. (This is really hard.) Don’t make signs that indicate that you believe something that you do not. Ask questions, get the explanation that you need. Here is something to tell the SME:
“If I ask what sounds like a anserine question, bear in mind that I am acting based on the knowledge that our Person has.”
DURING THE INTERVIEW
Record the interview (if permitted).
Start with any overview questions, much as:
* What is this portion of the product (issue) called?
* How does this issue fit in to the product?
* What is this (portion of the product) old for?
* When would individual consume this (unless it is “obvious”)?
* What has to be fix before the Person can consume this part of the product?
* Any other conditions about when this would be old, or when it would be avoided?
After you have the background information, so move on to the actual operation of the part of the product. Ask any questions that you have prepared and any others that come up in the interview.
Remember, if you do not believe something, ask.
Ask any unofficial questions. Review the stairs that you took, expression them out loud in your own words (especially if you are recording the conference). Have the SME correct any mistakes that you make.
Ask if thither is any related information to this issue. Are thither any tips or traps exploitation this part of the product?
MORE ABOUT RECORDING INFORMATION
If the SME points to a part of the product (much as a pane in a piece of code, or the control panel of a barbecue) so have out loud what the SME is pointing to. Have something like “we are looking at the main address book pane” or “we are looking at the main burner control.” This will enable you to link what is happening in the interview with the audio enter.
If the SME performs an operation, have what it is. “You just entered the new person’s name, and the ‘New Card’ pane appeared.” Or “You just turned the burner control to the ‘Light’ position, and now the igniter is clicking, and thither’s the flame.”
Accept notes as advantageously as you can. But do not let any of your activity get in the artifact of the interview. It’s not a good idea to keep fastener the SME piece you catch up with your note action. You will have the audio recording to fall back on.
The SME might provide handouts for the interview. If you are allowed to, accept notes on the handouts. The goal is to link your audio recording and notes and handouts unitedly. For example, if the SME provides a check print for a code product, you should link your notes, audio recording and the handout unitedly by reading the appellation of the handout aloud. Do it as unobtrusively as possible.
AFTER THE INTERVIEW
As presently as possible after the interview, you must go over your notes and handouts. If possible, this should be done inside minutes of the end of the interview. Find a quiet place (perhaps you have access to the interview room after the interview) and go over your notes.
Review your notes and add clarification to them. When you add the material to the notes do it with enough detail so that individual who was not at the meeting will be able to believe it. That person is you in even a day or cardinal!
As presently as you can get thereto, accept the expanded notes and compose them into a draft of that part of the Person Document. That should be inside a day or cardinal of the interview, if possible. Every minute’s delay adds to the disconnect between what you learned in the meeting and what you compose.
Let your draft guard for a day or so, so review and revise it for clarity and completeness. Consider sending the reviewed and revised variant of the draft to the SME for comments. (You only deprivation comments on the material, not on grammar.)
Agenda time for this writing, even if you are juggling various writing projects. The time you economise in not having to recall the information at a later date will be a good investment.
THE BOTTOM LINE
You can avoid or reduce the effects of the Interview-Writing Disconnect by being prepared before the interview, asking questions and action effective notes during the interview, and reviewing and writing the material as presently after the interview as possible.