Approach, attitude., or appearance negatively affect the respondent

The informational interview should create opportunity and willingness.

Respondents give only the inflamation they have ,an opportunity to give. If our questions do notprovide them the opp0l1unity, the infonnation is lost. In addition, respondents give only the inflamation they are willing to give. In our questions, approach, attitude., or appearance negatively affect the respondent, the willingness may disappear and the desired infonnation may remain undiscovered. Through careful selection of topics, questions, and respondents, coupled with skilful

. questioning, both opportunity and willingness can be maximized.

The counselling interview

In his article "What Corporation Presidents Think About at Night," John McCaffrey (1953) note that "while a drill press never sulks and a drop hammer never gets jealous of other drop hammers, the same cannot be said for people." His point is that people, by their nature, often encounter emotional problems. These vary widely in intensity, involving minor disputes between workers or major crises at home, but the potential always is present. Whenever these problems become severe enough that a worker's nonnal functioning is seriously impaiIed, some treatment may be necessary. In organizations the treatment of emotional problems usually takes the form of the counselling interview.

The primary function of this interview type is to provide the individual with some insight into the problem and to help her or him discover a ni'eans of dealing with it. Toward this end, Davis (1972) notes, counselling provides advice, reassurance a release of emotional tensions, clarification of thinking, and reorientation. Not all of these may occur during the actual interview; clarification and reorientation, for example, may take place at some later time when the individual reflects on theinterview. Nevertheless. these are the essential purposes of this interview type.

Procedures

Planning: In preparing for the counselling interview, we fIrst must learn as much as possible about the interview. Occasionally this may be impossible; clients may arrive.

without warning, expecting help. In such situations information may have to be obtained directly from the individual. When there is preparation time, we should consult whatever records are available concerning the client in an effort to gain greater insight into her or his feelings and problems.