Whenever possible, avoid tape recorders or taking notes during interviews. It turns what should be an intimate conversation into a formal interview, which is the last thing you want. Even if people are fully comfortable being recorded (and most people are not) the recorder tends to tie them down to a particular spot. Sometimes the best things you learn are those informally tossed off while chatting in the kitchen, drinking coffee and leaning against the counter, walking down some woody path or driving through the countryside.
Whenever possible, avoid tape recorders or taking notes during interviews. It turns what should be an intimate conversation into a formal interview, which is the last thing you want. Even if people are fully comfortable being recorded (and most people are not) the recorder tends to tie them down to a particular spot. Sometimes the best things you learn are those informally tossed off while chatting in the kitchen, drinking coffee and leaning against the counter, walking down some woody path or driving through the countryside.
