Melissa Vizzi
Professor Chandler
English 3029 section 1
4/28/14
Short Analysis Transcript- Making
sure the person having the interview feels comfortable
Introduction
No matter what
people may say to you, going into an interview will always be scary. Whether it
is an interview with a friend, a movie star, and athlete, anything. The most
important part of an interview is being able to have the interviewee know that
you’re actually interested in what they’re saying. It’s especially important
with the interviewer is able to understand where the interviewee may be coming
from; it makes the interviewee feel more comfortable. The more comfortable the
interviewee is, the more of an honest answer you’ll receive. The interviewee
should feel confident and comfortable in their environment. A comfortable
environment is extremely important. You don’t want your interviewee to feel
uncomfortable to where they’re constantly moving around and losing distraction.
These are all important fact and keys that an interviewer should review before
going into an interview.
Literature
Review
I DON’T CURRENTLY HAVE MY LITERATURE REVIEW. WHEN I WAS HOME FOR MY
PROCEDURES I DID THE LITERATURE REVIEW ON MY MOTHER’S COMPUTER AND FORGOT TO
EMAIL IT TO MYSELF. I WILL GET IT TO YOU ASAP!
Methods
For my research
project I was searching to see if writing groups could be some form of therapy
for a cancer patient. I used an audio recorder through a cell phone for this
interview, which made it easier for me to be able to look back through out any
point of the interview. For the remainder of this paper I will be referring to
the interviewee participate as R or Robin. Robin was diagnosed with breast
cancer back in 2007 and has been attending writing groups since 2012.
This
interview was performed in Robin’s home specifically in her living room. She
sat on the love couch while I sat on a chair. For this interview I used a cell
phone as well as a piece of paper and pen. I used to phone to be able to record
the interview and the paper and pen to record what her reactions to the
questions may be. For example, her facial expressions, movements in her hands,
the mood of the room after a question was asked, etc. Our environment was very
quiet which made it easier for both Robin and myself to focus on the interview.
Robin was asked a total of 11 questions and the interview lasted about 8
minutes long. It was very short interview, but I believe Robin gave me her most
honest answers. After the interview was over, we had a short little side
conversation and then I left.
Data
Analysis
In this
transcript, the interviewer (M) talks to the interviewee (R) about cancer and
how writing groups can be a form of therapy for the patient. Like stated
previously, it’s important to make sure the interviewee feels comfortable to
open up to the interviewer. A good way to do that is to tell your story a
little bit, and as the interviewer to also answer the question. In question
number two the interviewer (M) asked the interviewee (R) when she was diagnosed
with cancer. After the interviewee (R) answered the question saying that she
was 48, the interviewer (M) responded with “And I was diagnosed with cancer at
almost half of your age” adding in a little laugh. This made the interviewee
(R) for more comfortable and put a smile on her face. It made the interviewee
(R) realize that she wasn’t the only one who was struggling with such an awful
illness. You could tell that by the interviewee (R) finding out that the
interviewer (R) also had cancer took a weight off her shoulders. The answers
coming from the interviewee became less professional and more relaxed- and
that’s exactly what (M) was looking for.
Not only is it
important to make the interviewee feel comfortable, but it’s also important to
ask questions straight forward and to not beat around the bush. A lot of people
feel like they need to treat others differently because they have cancer. In
fact, (R) stated how easy it was to talk (M) because she could understand where
she was coming from and asked the questions in a “nice manner”. When (R) said
those things (M) asked the question of “What kinds of treatment did you have to
go through?” (R) stated that, “Normally people are curious as to why I have no
hair and am so pale so they’re hesitant to ask me, but not you. You just go for
it, and in such a nice manner too.”
Remaining eye
contact with the person you’re interviewing throughout the entire interview is
also a very important key to a successful interview. You as the interviewer, is
showing the interviewee that you’re genuinely interested in what they’re saying
and it’s also a form of respect. (M) made sure to remain eye contact with (R)
the whole time. When the interviewee is seeing that you’re interested in what
they’re saying, they’ll become more open with you and start to give you more
heart- felt answers, especially if it’s already a touchy subject to begin with-
they begin to open up. You could tell the interview took an interesting and
touching turn when (R) started to explain how she coped with the fact that she
had been diagnosed with cancer. It began with a long pause, and although she
put her head down, (M) remained eye contact and allowed her to take the time
she needed. She then repeated the question to herself and said, “I cried. I
cried for hours. I remember getting home and just sitting on my couch crying
and asking myself why? That’s when I picked up a notepad and pen sitting on the
side table next to me. I remember just writing. Writing how I was feeling,
trying to answer questions. It’s when I was done and sat back that I felt
better. I discovered something beautiful, writing. It didn’t take the cancer
away, but it sure did help the pain.”
Hearing peoples struggles, makes
the bad things in your life seem a little better. Performing interviews and
hearing other people’s stories makes you appreciate the little things. We all
have things to be thankful for, sometimes it’s hard finding those things, but
they’re there. This interviewing was truly inspiring to (M) and made her see
the different forms of ‘therapy’ people use to cope with them being diagnosed
with cancer, writing being one of them. Writing opens a door for people, it’s
an art where people can express their feelings and no one else has to see if
they don’t want them to, it’s truly a great form of release.
Limitations
Limitations
I believe that all research
projects will have some form of limitations. The first limitation was the
distance from my house to Hackensack. I am a very busy full time student, as I’m
sure everyone is, and I didn’t have a lot of time to be driving back and forth.
Unfortunately I was only able to interview one person. I wish I would have had a
little more time where I could have interviewed more people and maybe even
someone my own age. I feel like the most people I could have interviewed the
more results I would have received which would have made my results more direct
and accurate instead of them being based on one person.
I NEED TO WORK ON THIS SECTION. I DON’T KNOW WHY I HAVE SO MUCH
DIFFICULTY. I NEED TO LOOK AT THE EXAMPLES YOU’VE PROVIDED FOR US ON THE BLOG
SO I CAN FIGURE THIS OUT MORE!
Results
From my study I
believe I received some very positive results. Throughout my interview my participant
spoke nothing but highly of this writing group. I can tell by how passionately Robin
spoke about this writing group that it truly changed her life. The first sign
that Robin gave me where I could tell that writing was a positive form of
healing was when I asked her how she coped with being diagnosed with cancer. In
her answer she stated that, “I discovered something beautiful, writing. It didn’t
take the cancer away but it sure did help the pain.” In this initial statement
is where she admitted it all, “..it helps the pain” she says. Right here we can
see that yes, writing isn’t going to cute your cancer, it’s not a form of
treatment, it’s a form of therapy. It’s something that can and will help you as
long as you work with it and go into these groups with a positive attitude.
Another
statement I found in my interview which gave me proof that writing groups are a
positive form of therapy for Robin and could be for others is when she says, “these
people have become my family.” This shows me that not only will you writing
groups help you with sadness and anger and other emotions but it will help you
create friends that become family. You need to realize that coming into these
writing sessions that you’re not the only person who is struggling with cancer
and may be nervous to share you work or to begin writing. Everyone is scared
but you must overcome your fear and go into these sessions with an open mind.
It’s the only way you will receive positive results.
Based
on the one interview I did with Robin I came to the conclusion that writing
groups can be a positive form of therapy for cancer patients. Attending these
writing sessions gives cancer patients a place to feel comfortable. You know
walking in that everyone has cancer but everyone has their own battles and
struggles but no one makes you feel like theirs are worse than yours. They
encourage you to speak up and to try it before you put it down. You don’t have
to share your wok if you don’t want to, but sometimes it could help you more to
hear your own words and to see people’s reactions. I believe that writing
groups are not only for cancer patients, they’re for anyone. Although you may
enjoy writing alone, it’s good to experience new things and putting yourself
out there and attending a writing group is a good way to do so.
