An interview facilitator (usually the Lead Assessor) begins the interview and makes introductions and opening remarks. He or she briefly explains the purpose of the assessment and explains that confidentiality rules and non-attribution policies apply.
Each person interviewed is asked to give his name and say what he does. This practice has proven useful for several reasons. It puts people at ease by allowing them to talk about what they do, how long they have been doing it, and so on. It also alerts the team members about the kind of information they should expect from the interviewee. Some team members might not perform the specific activity that the interview has been scheduled to investigate, and it is useful for the team to know this as soon as possible and to elicit why the organization has asked him or her to participate. (An interview is almost never a waste of time, even if the people being interviewed at first seem inappropriate.)