The Latent Cause Analysis
Go Page Interview Guidelines
Eyewitness Interview Guidelines
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Understand their Perspective
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Who is this person (name, function)?
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Learn a little more about their background.
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Where were they physically standing (sitting, etc.) as an eyewitness?
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If they were not immediately aware of the incident, how did they become aware?
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If they were not immediately present, when did they arrive?
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Who else was present?
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Take them Step-by-Step through their involvement, capturing their Senses.
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Note 1: Let them lead you. Do NOT lead them.
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Note 2: When they mention any of their senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste), slow down and probe them.
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Tell the person that you'd like to take them step-by-step through their involvement in very small steps.
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Tell them to start before the incident. Use your judgment as to minutes, hours, or days before the incident.
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Start the questioning with either:
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"What happened first," or
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"What did you do first?"
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The standard follow-up question is always:
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"And then what?"
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Exceptions to the standard follow-up question:
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If you do not understand why they did something, ask "why did you do that?"
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If they mention anything about their senses, slow down and probe all their senses.
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Do your best to capture a time-line as the interviewee is explaining the above sequence. Note: Asking "what happened first, and then what, and then what" WILL document the time line from their perspective.
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Ask them WHY they think the incident occurred.
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Be curious.
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Probe each of their responses.
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Ask them why they think what they think, i.e., listen for any evidence that might have led them to their conclusions.
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Ask them "what were the warning signs?" There are always warning signs.
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Probe their Latency Issues.
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Tell the interviewee to forget about this particular incident.
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Ask him/her to think about their role, in general.
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Say "I wonder what it's like being you, in your role?" Tell them "I'd like to understand what it might feel like to walk in your shoes during a typical day."
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After they think about it for a while, say "Are there any general frustrations about being you (in your role) that you can share with me?" This is called the "As-Is" state.
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After they tell you about a frustration, say "How would you like it to be," or, "what would it look or feel like if this frustration was not present?" This is called the "As-Desired" state.
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Capture the "As-Is" versus "As-Desired" for each frustration.
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Finally, ask them to think about the incident again -- and then rate each frustration for its influence on the incident (0 to 5, 5 high). Make sure you understand the reasoning behind their ratings.
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Summarize the interview with the interviewee.
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Re-state what you learned from the interviewee. Allow the interview to make corrections if needed.
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