Interviewing is a critical skill. Internal auditors use diagnostic interviewing to understand the client’s business process and communicate with a variety of personnel. In a diagnostic interview, dialogue or conversation occurs rather than a question-and-answer session; questioning techniques are applied that encourage the interviewee to elaborate on information points, allowing analysis beneath the surface; and opportunity is provided to better understand the interviewee’s frame of reference.

This tool contains two guides management can use to understand the essential components of the interview process and to prepare to conduct an interview.