areas. Others may be quite specific and brief. Each task  is  further  broken  down  into  several  smaller  jobs called  task  elements. A TASK ELEMENT is a basic part of each task. When interviewing, you use the task elements and their related ACTION STATEMENTS to determine the  interviewee’s  qualifications.  Action  statements tell you the type of information you should get from the person being interviewed. Each action statement is identified in the guides by a capital letter  (A, B, C, and so forth). Capital letters are listed near the top, and how many are used varies from task to task. The first action   statement   in   figure   1-4   is,   “Describe   the sequence of steps of this procedure and explain the reasons for each.” A matrix is used to show how the statements  relate  to  the  task  elements. To gain familiarity with the matrix, refer to task element .01, “Perform as head chainman.” Under the task element subparagraph a, you find “Select and set traverse station.” If you follow this line and look to the right of this statement at the matrix, you see Xs under letters  A, B, E, F, and  G,  indicating  which  action statements apply to this task element. INTERVIEWING  STEPS When interviewing, the first thing you should do is to attempt to put the interviewee at ease. A good way of doing this is to explain the purpose of the interview. For  example,  explain  to  the  interviewee  that  the interview will cover the following: 1. 2. 3. what he or she is actually expected to know and to do, determine what he or she can actually do so the right job can be assigned, and what his or her deficiencies are so that he or she can  receive  proper  training. Next, explain to the interviewee that he or she should discuss the knowledge of the skill honestly. There should be no embarrassment if an individual doesn’t know every item covered in the guides. Tell each interviewee what skill and skill level he or she is being  interviewed  for.  Read  the  skill  definition  aloud to  see  if  the  person  is  knowledgeable  of  the  subject. Task  Interviewing Begin interviewing by reading aloud the task. This directs  the  interviewee’s  concentration  to  the  right area. Then rephrase the task in your own words. For example, you could rephrase it as follows: “The first thing  we  will  discuss  in  surveying  is  the  performance of the chainman.” Now  read  aloud  the  first  TASK  ELEMENT (Perform  as  head  chainman)  (fig.  1-4).  When  you apply  this  task  element  through  ACTION  STATE- MENT  A  (Describe  the  sequence  of  steps  of  this procedure and explain the reasons for each), it sounds similar to the following:  “Describe  the  sequence  of steps a head chainman should take in selecting and setting traverse stations, and explain the reason for each  step.” This rephrased sentence is not a question. It is a statement that directs the interviewee to tell you what he  or  she  knows  about  performing  the  steps  required and the reasons for performing them. There are no questions in the PRCP  Standards  and  Guides;  there- fore, no answers are provided. The guides point out the   areas   to   be   discussed   (in   terms   of   TASK ELEMENTS   and   ACTION   STATEMENTS).   The interviewee’s  replies  are  evaluated  by  the  interviewer on the basis of his or her own personal experience, knowledge,  and  judgment. It  should  be  obvious  now  why  all  rating  skill interviewers  MUST be experienced in the skills for which  they  interview.  The  only  way  you  can determine  that  the  interviewee  knows  the  task  element is to thoroughly know it yourself. If you are unfamiliar with, or “rusty” in, any tasks in the guides, you must study  these  areas  thoroughly  before  attempting  to interview  anyone.  Also,  if  you  do  not  understand  how a  particular  action  statement  is  used  with  a  task element, you must resolve this before interviewing. One way of doing this is to discuss the problem with others who are familiar with the skill. Discuss the task element ONLY with the action statements  indicated  in  the  columns  to  their  right  by an X in the matrix. For example, in figure 1-4, only action statements A, B, D, F, and G are used with task element .02a. In task element .03a of the same figure, only  action  statements  A, C, F, and G are applied. As an expert in the skill, you may want to ask questions about tasks not covered by the guides. You must avoid doing  this,  as  you  would  have  no  applicable  standard against which to gauge interviewees’ replies. If you feel strongly that the guides can be improved, discuss your  recommendations  with  the  PRCP  coordinator. 1-6