A technique to teach first-year medical students to conduct brief interviews that focus on how medical illness affects the daily life of patients is described. The technique includes a conceptual model of the interview and an explicit teaching method for instructors and students. With the conceptual model, the structure, goals, and techniques of interviewing are identified, and an operational definition of empathic interviewing is provided. The teaching methods include a manual and a seminar for faculty members, a syllabus for students, workshops for students using live patient volunteers, and evaluations of the students' interviews based on the conceptual model.