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Chapter 38. Some Methods for Evaluating Comprehensive Communi... >
Section 8. Conducting Interviews with Key Participants to An... >
Conducting Interviews with Key Participants to Analyze Critical Events |
Tools & Checklists | Contributed by Aimee Whitman Edited by Bill Berkowitz and Jerry Schultz |
Tool #1: Criteria Event Interview Form
This form can be used to gather important information when interviewing group members.
The Critical Event Interview
| Initiative: | Key Participant: |
| Participant's Position: | |
| Participant's Involvement with the Initiative: | |
| Time: | |
| Location: | |
| Date of Interview: | Interviewer: |
CRITICAL EVENTS:
Date (month, year) Event
FOR EACH CRITICAL EVENT, ASK ABOUT:
RATIONALE: (Why was this event particularly important?)
CONTEXT OR CONDITIONS: (What was going on at the time of the event? What made the conditions right for this to happen?)
KEY ACTIONS AND ACTORS: (What key actions brought about the critical event? Who were the key actors?)
BARRIERS AND RESISTANCE: (Were the group's actions met with barriers or resistance? What types of barriers? Who resisted?)
KEY RESOURCES: (What key resources [e.g., people, financial resources, political influence] were used to bring about the critical event? How were these resources used to overcome barriers and resistance?)
CONSEQUENCES (for the initiative): (What were the consequences or results of the critical event for the initiative?)
CONSEQUENCES (for the community): (What were the consequences for the community?)
OVERALL LESSONS: (Overall, what lessons have you learned from your involvement with the initiative? What lessons have you learned from the initiative's attempts to define and act on its mission?)
FUTURE DIRECTIONS: (What issues does the initiative face in the future? What challenges should be addressed?)
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Checklist
Here, you'll find checklists that summarize the major points contained in the text.
You understand that critical events might include:
___Applying for grant funds
___Brainstorming, writing, editing, and completing a draft of your action plan
___Fulfilling any or all of your group's objectives
___Facing a crisis in your community or within your group
___Changing the direction of your mission
___Any other major event
You understand why it is important to interview key participants regarding key events:
___Critical events provide qualitative information
___Critical events can provide a history of the initiative
___Critical events help identify factors that affected the initiative's success or failure
___Critical events can provide you with insights for planning and renewal efforts
___You understand the importance of conducting interviews with key participants at least every few years, or at the end of a grant period
You know how to conduct interviews with key participants:
___Determine who will be interviewed
___Conduct the interviews
___Put the information together (perhaps in the form of a report)
___Use the data to better understand the initiative, provide a history, and aid in renewal efforts
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