To conduct expert interviews, you must first define your objectives and identify the right expert, then prepare a flexible interview guide with targeted questions. Throughout the interview process, build rapport, actively listen, use open-ended questions, and be sensitive to their time. 

This qualitative research method provides direct access to specialized knowledge from industry professionals, enabling decision-makers to collect in-depth information that informs their strategic planning.

Understanding Expert Interviews

An expert interview is a qualitative research technique aimed at obtaining detailed information and insights from expert sources, whose knowledge is considered specialized in a particular area, field of activity, or a topic. Unlike the available statistics or market reports, these conversations offer firsthand expert insights about real-world experience, problems, and new trends that simply cannot be found in statistics.

Purpose of Expert Interviews

Expert interviews have different uses in a variety of industries. In the field of healthcare, they aid in the development of new treatment methods and improve the care of patients. In the field of finance, they offer insights about the market trends and the investment opportunities.

Define Your Objectives and Identify the Right Experts

Before interviewing experts for your study, clearly define your goals and identify suitable experts. What will this interview tell you to make decisions about? What are the knowledge deficits that need to be addressed?

Doing the research is necessary in order to find the right expert on a specific topic. Seek advice from people in the industry who are close enough to provide a strategic perspective, are high up enough to understand the big picture, yet are independent enough to be able to say it as it is.

In the process of deciding which experts are potential experts, keep in mind that fame does not necessarily equate to usefulness. Review their official sites, published materials, interviews, and articles about them in order to evaluate their relevance to your particular research needs.

Prepare a Flexible Interview Guide with Targeted Questions

Design an interview guide that is flexible enough to yield insights and better prepare you while maintaining some structure with specific lines of inquiry. Avoid straight yes/no questions which promote one-word responses, and rather develop open-ended questions that prompt in-depth responses.

Rather than starting with hypothetical questions like “What would you do?” you can get real experiences in the conversation by asking, “What did you do when you were in similar situations?” Follow up the questions with “Why do you say that?” or “Please share more on that with me?” to attempt to get to know more deeply.

Research the background, work, and contributions of the expert you will interview very thoroughly before the interview. This preparation helps demonstrate that you are a professional and enables you to ask more relevant questions, which will help you get the most out of your conversation.

Conduct the Interview Effectively

During the interview, build a relationship by creating an environment of comfort and a positive connection. To initiate a conversation, begin with a friendly salutation and a brief introduction to the topic, clearly stating the purpose of the discussion.

Be a good listener: Pose open-ended questions during the conversation. Eye contact during the face-to-face or camera session will be maintained to show that you care about the answers of an expert. Make sure that you listen to their answers, and prepare to change your questions accordingly.

Be Respectful of Their Time

Set a schedule and address the essential issues within the agreed time. In the event that you have limited time, then give more priority to your most salient questions. During expert interviews, flexibility is required. Although it is significant to have a plan, do not be closed-minded when dealing with unforeseen issues that arise during the discussion. In some cases, even the best tips can be identified in the form of spontaneous conversations going by other than what you had initially created.

Transcribe the Audio and Analyze the Data

After the interview, transcribe the audio and examine the data to mine valuable information from it. Organize your notes as soon as possible, while the conversation is still fresh in your memory. This ensures accuracy and prevents the loss of important information.

Organize the data from your data collection based on your goals and focus on enlisting your key themes, patterns, and actions from the data. The qualitative nature of expert interviews means that analysis can be complex and time-consuming, necessitating a careful examination of detailed narratives.

Adapting to Disruption & Implementing an Action-Oriented Strategy

Platforms such as Nexus Expert Research can support this process by providing tools for organizing and synthesizing expert insights to produce valuable and actionable intelligence.

Best Practices for Expert Interviews

The following best practices can help you maximize the benefits of the cornerstone research interview process:

• Be prepared: Invest time in researching the expert thematically and properly plan your goals, as well as related questions.
• Establish rapport: Ensure you have an existing relationship that is built on respect for each individual and an ongoing interest in their work.
• Be professional: Be polite, on time, and respectful of their time and valuable input.
• Follow up: Send a thank-you note showing appreciation and indicating which insights that they received will be most helpful to them.

Conclusion

Effective expert interviews take a lot of careful planning, effective performing, and wise interpreting. Being able to identify what you need to know, the right people, create specific questions, and synthesize knowledge would allow you to unlock valuable knowledge that could help you make strategic choices that lead to business success. When performing due diligence on investments, creating new products, or polishing business strategies, the art of expert interviews will provide you with firsthand knowledge that you cannot get through secondary research.

Ready to tap into expert knowledge without the hassle? Nexus Expert Research connects you with verified industry specialists who can provide the insights you need, when you need them.