2026 Strategic Plan
In Good Company: Where NY Vets Connect
Guide for Interviewers
We recently completed an environmental assessment in preparation for the strategic plan. The next step is to run 15-minute Zoom interviews with stakeholders. This page provides guidance for those asked to conduct these interviews.
On this page you will find:
- How to choose someone to interview
- Template emails for inviting them to interview
- Guidance on how to conduct the interview
- How to report results
The total time per interview is expected to be 30 minutes including contacting the interviewee and recording notes.
Each interviewer should aim for 1 or 2 interviews. We are only looking for 20 overall.
How to choose who to interview
Initially we would like you to choose who to interview – because you may well know someone who you think might have interesting views.
We are looking for people in the categories shown in the table on this page. Once you select someone, let Tim Atkinson know, and then he will mark them as “Done”. (Or you can leave this until you submit the interview report)
The interviewee will be asked to spend a few minutes pre-reading, so it is better if it is someone you know.
If you don’t have a clear idea of who you would like to interview, let Tim Atkinson know and he will assign someone.
How to invite to the interview
If it is someone you know, so much the better. If not, there is a template email provided here. You could also use it as a phone script.
The most important points to get across are:
a) We are going to ask them their views on the results of a recent member survey to help us confirm those insights, and to add viewpoints we may have missed. It is OK if they know very little about NYSVMS, we want to hear from them too.
b) Before the interview we would like them to spend around 10 minutes reading the survey summary. They are welcome to read the full report too, if they wish.
Draft Email/Script for first contact with volunteer
Before the retreat, a few of us are connecting one-on-one with colleagues for short, 20-minute conversations to better understand what the data really means from your perspective.
Would you be willing to:
- Spend a few minutes reviewing the summary results, and
- Join me for a brief Zoom conversation to share your candid thoughts?
Your voice would genuinely help ensure the strategic plan reflects the realities of veterinarians across different career stages, practice types, and regions.
If you’re open to it, I’ll send a couple of time options (or feel free to suggest what works best for you).
Thanks for considering it — I really value your perspective.
Draft Email/Script for setting up the meeting
Subject: Looking forward to our conversation on [DATE]
Hi [Name],
Thank you again for agreeing to talk with me — I really appreciate you making the time.
To help us have the most productive conversation, could you take a few minutes beforehand to review the summary of the recent Environment Assessment? If you’re inclined, you’re very welcome to read the full report as well.
Here’s the link: https://nysvms.org/strategy26/
There’s no need to prepare anything formal. I’m especially interested in:
What resonated with you?
What surprised you?
What feels most important as we head into our strategic planning retreat in June?
Our conversation is scheduled for:
Date: [INSERT DATE]
Time: [INSERT TIME + TIME ZONE]
Location: [INSERT ZOOM LINK / LOCATION DETAILS]
I’m looking forward to hearing your perspective and making sure your voice is reflected as we shape our next strategic plan.
Thanks again,
[Volunteer Name]
Conducting the Interview
Here are some notes from our strategic planning consultants on how to best run the interview
- Prepare interviewees in advance
- Send the environmental assessment (member survey summary) to interviewees approximately one week in advance.
- Encourage participants to review the data ahead of time so interview time can focus on interpretation rather than explanation.
- Use a focused, structured questioning approach
- Frame each interview as a focused conversation that intentionally moves from surface-level observations to deeper insights.
- Follow the prescribed question order to support logical flow and meaningful interpretation of the data.
- Avoid skipping around between questions, as each question builds on the one before it.
- Maintain consistency across interviews
- The interviewers will spend time adding, deleting, and refining questions before the interviews begin.
- Once interviews start, all interviewers must ask the same questions in the same order to ensure consistency and comparability across responses.
- Ask the questions as written
- Focus on asking the questions neutrally and clearly, without interpretation, explanation, or leading commentary.
- Allow space for participants to respond fully before moving on.
- Manage follow-up questions intentionally
- Avoid probing or follow-up questions during the core questions.
- Record additional insights, clarifications, or examples during the final open-ended question to preserve consistency across interviews.
- Document responses thoughtfully
- Record key phrases, themes, and illustrative quotes rather than verbatim transcription in the notes.
- It’s important that documentation across interviewers be consistent to support accurate synthesis.
- Please keep all responses confidential, noting that interviewers may share insights with one another to identify broader patterns and themes.
- Honor time and scope
- Limit interviews to approximately 7 core questions and 15 minutes total.
- Short, focused interviews increase participation, reduce fatigue, and yield more actionable insights.
The short video above gives additional advice on how to get the best feedback during an interview.
If you feel comfortable you can open up the online form and use it to record notes during the interview.
Alternatively you can download a paper copy for taking notes during the interview. Either send that form to us, or write-up the interview using the online form.