Conducting an Interview

Research When you don’t know what you’re talking about, the interviewee will know it, and the person might be annoyed. After all, he or she is depending on you to get the facts straight. To avoid looking foolish, do research on the individual and the topic.

Ask Simple Questions Break it up! It’s better to ask a bunch of short questions than to ask one long question. Long questions can confuse or distract the interviewee, and he or she might answer only part of the question.

Avoid One Word Answers Sometimes, you only need a “yes” or a “no” response. Most of the time, though, you want the person to say something interesting, Ask open-ended questions. They may ask how or why. Good questions What are you feeling right now? Tell me about this team Bad Questions Are you happy about winning? Is this team good?

Ask Follow-Up Questions Listen carefully. Probe by asking unscripted questions. To do this, you have to think quickly. Sometimes, it doesn’t even need to be a question. It could be a nod or a sigh. Or you might just say, “Seriously?”

Take Notes Always use a notebook to jot down what they say. You should do this even if you have a voice recorder. Write down how they act, too. That may be part of the story. Do they cry, laugh, whisper?

Be Conversational Make sure the person is relaxed. Be informal. Don’t have everything scripted and don’t be robotic.