SKILL SHEET ATTACHED MUST BE DONE AS WELL
IMPORTANT! There is an accompanying video that supplements these instructions. Important details are included and the basic instructions here are all elaborated on. Any details covered in the video applies to the assignments instructions; meaning, if I mention it in the video, it applies to the assignment. DO NOT FORGET THIS.Although the main focus of this course is on counseling theories, before one can become an expert on any particular techniques, one must FIRST learn and practice some basic interviewing skills and do this in a private and focused one-on-one setting for an extended period of time. Each week, you will be interviewing a different person about a particular topic of their choice, and throughout that interview you will be practicing some basic – yet fundamental – interviewing skills. These assignments are specifically designed for the student to experience firsthand what it is like to interview an individual for an extended period of time. With each assignment/interview, there is a corresponding skill attending sheet that is REQUIRED to be completed. Note: The submission of the skills sheet is considered an additional assignment.Procedure:1. Locate an adult volunteer (someone age 21 or olderNOT A CHILD) who is willing to assist you as you practice basic attending skills, questioning skills, and reflecting of feelings. Explain to your volunteer that they will assist you by simply discussing with you a topic of their choice as you practice your basic attending skills, questioning skills, and reflecting of feelings for at LEAST 45 minutes to one hour. THIS IS A REQUIREMENT2. You must choose a different person each week. Spouses, your children, your parents, your grandparents/foster parents, or your best friend are NOT permitted, since you are too familiar with one another. 3. When it comes time for the interview event, you MUST chose a QUIET AND PRIVATE setting INDOORS, as opposed to a public setting or event, such a restaurant, a game, a movie, etc. The two of you need to be completely alone in a room with a door that is CLOSED and focused on one another throughout this interview event. 4. Before the interview begins, advise your volunteer that you will discuss their observations with them after the practice session. 5. Print out a copy of the skills monitoring sheet BEFORE the interview. Give your volunteer the Skill Monitoring Sheet to refer to during the interview. They will be completing this form after the skill practice is over.6. After the interview ends, and they complete the skill monitoring sheet, you are to write a one FULL page (minimum) summary of the entire interview event. One COMPLETE and FULL page, no half pages, or 3/4ths of a page, with no large spaces (especially at the top, left, middle, right, and bottom of the page). The paper must be properly formatted (see formatting requirements below) with one-inch margins on each side. The margins will determine the length of the paper, so do not forget this. It is recommended that students set the margins at one-inch on each side BEFORE THEY BEGIN TYPING. (This margin setting already may be a pre-set, but check anyway to make sure it is one-inch on each side.)7. What to include in the written summary: The interview assignments are NOT about the person you interview or even about the things that they said; rather, these interview assignments are about YOU and improving your ability to talk with individuals over long periods of time (such as in an interview or counseling session). That being said, the written summary of the interview should focus on YOU and YOUR PERFORMANCE throughout that interview.Set up the summary EXACTLY in this format: Introduction, Summary, and Conclusion (see below)Introduction: In the beginning of the summary, VERY BRIEFLY include the name of the person you interviewed, who they are, and how you know them. Additionally, include the broad topic(s) that were discussed, and where (SPECIFICALLY) the interview was conducted, along with how long (SPECIFICALLY) the interview lasted. IMPORTANT: This background information is limited to TWO SENTENCES ONLY. THIS IS A SEPARATE PARAGRAPH FROM THE BODY (SUMMARY SECTION) OF THE PAPER. Summary: Following these two introductory sentences, the remainder of the assignment (the body of the paper) needs to specifically focus ONLY on what occurred in the actual interview event, focusing on YOU and YOUR PERFORMANCE throughout the interview, NOTHING ELSE. In your summary, you must include the following: 1. How did you feel emotionally throughout the interview? FULLY DESCRIBE ALL EMOTIONS INVOLVED. 2. How did you feel physically throughout the interview? FULLY DESCRIBE THESE PHYSICAL FEELINGS. 3. How did you specifically dictate and control the interview? INCLUDE ALL SPECIFICS HERE. 4. What was going on in your head throughout this interview? FULLY DESCRIBE ALL YOUR THOUGHTS HERE. 5. The overall tone of the interview. 6. Anything else that may have occurred during the interview. What’s important here in these summaries is how YOU responded to what was occurring, and how you performed. Were you nervous? Why? Where you scared to talk to this person? Why? Was it an awkward situation? Why? Were you comfortable? Why do you feel you were? Anxious? Stumbling over your words? Elaborate on all of this throughout your summary.Conclusion: Finally, write a TWO SENTENCE conclusion that includes how you feel the interview went, problems that occurred, how you are going to approach your next interview, along with what you feel you need to improve on and how you are going to follow through with that. TWO SENTENCES ONLY. THIS IS A SEPRATE PARAGRAPH FROM THE BODY (SUMMARY SECTION) OF THE PAPER. 8. Submit the summary as an attachment; do NOT type the summary into the dialogue box.9. Complete the Skills Assessment Sheet as a separate assignment (See directions in the Assignments for each Module)FORMATTING REQUIREMENT: All work is to be double spaced, using 12-point font size and Times New Roman type, with one-inch margins. DO NOT INCREASE THE MARGIN SIZE IN ORDER TO MAKE YOUR PAPER APPEAR LONGER. ONLY use one-inch margins.Point Losses Due to Proofreading Errors/Mistakes:One point will be deducted for each proofreading error/mistake. If the student makes at least ten proofreading errors, the maximum amount of points one can earn on that assignment is only 10% of the overall score (see below). Important: Excessive Proofreading Issues/Low-Quality of Assignment PreventionIt is highly advised that students use the tutoring/writing/editing resources at their disposal before turning in any written assignments*. For assignments that are submitted with an excessive amount of proofreading errors, the maximum amount of points one can earn on that assignment is only 10% of the overall score. For example, if an assignment is worth 100 points, only 10 points would be earned. Once an excessive amount of such errors is seen by the instructor, the score will occur automatically. The student will then be advised (in the grading notes) to seek out and use the tutoring/writing/editing resources at their disposal so this does not occur again in future assignment submissions. If a student earns only 10% of the overall score due the excessive errors or low quality of work, they may request to re-submit the assignment. However, they will only have one week to request this and then re-attempt the work. Any re-attempt requests can occur through Weeks 1- 5 ONLY. Once Week 6 begins, no re-attempt requests will be granted.*This does not apply to discussion board assignmentsIMPORTANT: Only ONE re-attempt is permitted per assignment. Grading RubricRequirement Point Deductions Overall Assignment Requirements Not meeting the specific requirements overall of the assignment: 40 points lost for any of these occurrences
- Interviewing someone in a public setting, outdoors, hallway,
restaurant, work breakroom (or on a work break), hospital lounge,waiting room, car/vehicle, coffee shop, grocery/store checkout line, or anywhere public at all
- Interviewing the same person twice
- Interviewing someone less than 21 years old
- Interview lasts less than the required 45 minutes
- Interviewing spouses, your children, your parents, best friend, or
grandparents/foster parents
- The summary was simply a transcript of what was said, with no
descriptions of how you felt emotionally or how you felt physicallythroughout the interview FormattingNot meeting the specific requirements of the formatting in some way: 2-point loss for each error
- The assignment was not double-spaced
(it was single spaced or triple-spaced or some variation not double-spaced)
- Times New Roman 12 Font Type was not used
- One-inch margins were not used (another variation/size was used)
- A two-sentence-only introduction was not used
(Ex. The introduction was incorporated into the body of the paper)
- A two-sentence-only conclusion was not used
(Ex. The conclusion was incorporated into the body of the paper)
- If a title page was NOT used, you included your name, the name of the
course, the name of the college, the date, or other filler (such as blankspace) at the beginning of the summaryProofreading Errors/Mistakes
- misspelled words, wrong words used, missing words, grammar mistakes, 1-point loss for each error
incomprehensible phrases/sentences, and punctuation errors (Up to 9; after, only 10% can be earned on assignment)Length
- Several sentences too short; assignment is less than a full-page, but more than 4.2 points deducted
3/4ths of the required full and complete page
- 3/4th of a page too short (only of the required full and complete page is completed) 10 points deducted
- page too short (only of the required full and complete page is completed) 16 points deducted
Off-Topic Content
- Any type of background information unrelated to what took place in the actual
interview itself (such as background information, setting up the interview, personal 2 points per sentence deductedopinions, off-topic content, or anything else that did NOT occur in the actual
