When preparing for an interview, one of the most important aspects of the process is framing effective questions. Your questions are the backbone of the interview, guiding the conversation, revealing insights, and allowing your subject to tell their story. If you’re a budding journalist or a writer working on feature pieces, knowing how to frame questions that elicit thoughtful and detailed responses is key to your success. In this post, we’ll explore some of the essential tips to help you ask the right questions, from avoiding simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses to eliminating personal biases in your approach.
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Avoiding Yes/No Questions
One of the most common pitfalls when framing interview questions is asking questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” While these types of questions might seem like a quick way to get information, they can severely limit the depth of the conversation. Simple answers rarely reveal the nuances of a person’s thoughts, feelings, or experiences, which are often what make an interview compelling.
Why should you avoid yes/no questions? The main reason is that they don’t encourage the interviewee to elaborate. Imagine you ask a subject, “Did you enjoy working at that company?” The response might be a quick “Yes,” followed by silence. Without follow-up questions, this type of exchange leads nowhere. In a feature interview, where you’re hoping to uncover deeper insights, a question like this doesn’t give the person much opportunity to explain their perspective or provide interesting details.
Instead of asking yes/no questions, consider rephrasing your questions to invite longer, more thoughtful responses. For example, instead of “Did you enjoy working at that company?” try asking, “What was your experience like working at that company?” or “Can you share some of the challenges and rewards you faced while working there?” This gives the interviewee room to provide specific examples, personal anecdotes, or reflective insights that will add richness to your piece.
Another useful technique is to ask open-ended questions that encourage the interviewee to explore a topic from different angles. For instance, instead of asking, “Are you passionate about this cause?” you might ask, “What sparked your passion for this cause, and how has your involvement evolved over time?” This question prompts the subject to discuss the origin of their passion, the journey they’ve been on, and how they perceive their role in the cause. It’s much more likely to lead to a detailed, engaging response.
Examples of Open-Ended Questions
- What motivated you to pursue this career path? (Instead of: “Did you always want to be a journalist?”)
- Can you describe a pivotal moment in your life that shaped your current view of the world? (Instead of: “Have you had any life-changing moments?”)
- What challenges did you face during this project, and how did you overcome them? (Instead of: “Did you face challenges?”)
Eliminating Bias in Your Questions
Another important element when framing interview questions is ensuring that they remain neutral and free of personal bias. The goal of a good interview is to uncover the truth, provide insight, and present an honest perspective. If your questions inadvertently lead the subject toward a particular answer, you risk distorting the conversation. It’s essential to ask questions that allow the interviewee to respond freely without being influenced by your personal opinions or assumptions.
What does it mean to ask unbiased questions? Unbiased questions are those that don’t reflect your own viewpoint, preconceived notions, or expectations. Let’s look at an example: Imagine you’re interviewing someone about their views on climate change. An example of a biased question would be, “Don’t you think that climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time?” This question assumes that the interviewee shares the same belief and pressures them to agree.
To avoid this, you could ask, “What are your thoughts on the current debate around climate change, and how do you see its impact on the future?” This question is neutral, opening the door for the interviewee to express their views, whether they align with yours or not. It allows space for a diversity of opinions and leads to a more balanced and honest conversation.
How to Spot Biased Questions
- Leading questions: “Wouldn’t you agree that social media is ruining communication?”
- Questions based on assumptions: “How do you cope with the stress of being a mother?” (This assumes all mothers feel stressed.)
- Loaded questions: “Why are you so against progress?”
Why does this matter? If your questions are biased, you risk skewing the interviewee’s response, which could affect the accuracy of the information you’re reporting. If your article is based on biased questions, readers might view it as untrustworthy. Instead, by framing neutral, unbiased questions, you allow the interviewee to present their viewpoint authentically, and your article will be seen as more credible and fair.
Focusing Your Questions on a Central Theme
When conducting an interview, it’s easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of ideas and topics that pop up throughout the conversation. However, staying focused on a central theme is key to maintaining a cohesive and engaging interview. Having a clear theme ensures that the conversation remains relevant to the piece you’re writing, and it helps guide the interviewee to give more detailed, on-topic responses.
Why is focusing important? Imagine you’re writing a feature article about an artist’s creative process. If you ask random questions about their personal life, hobbies, or political opinions, you might lose sight of the central theme of the interview- their art. While these tangential questions may be interesting, they don’t necessarily add value to the main topic of the piece. By maintaining focus, you ensure that every question serves to illuminate the subject’s creative journey.
To keep your interview on track, make sure you’ve established a central theme before the interview begins. This theme could be the main topic of your article (such as the subject’s career, a particular project, or a specific event in their life), or it could be a specific angle you want to explore. Once the theme is clear, structure your questions to explore different facets of it. You can still ask follow-up questions that may seem off-topic, but ensure they still tie back to the main theme in some way.
How to Stay Focused During the Interview
- Start with broad, open-ended questions: These questions will help establish the subject’s perspective on the theme.
- Use follow-up questions strategically: If the conversation drifts, gently guide it back to the theme by asking questions that refocus the discussion.
- Be aware of time: If you have limited time, make sure to prioritize questions that directly relate to your theme.
By staying focused on your theme, you’ll be able to extract more valuable and relevant insights from your subject, which will make your interview more compelling and informative.
Conclusion: Crafting the Perfect Interview Questions
Framing interview questions is a skill that requires practice and attention to detail. By avoiding yes/no questions, eliminating bias, and staying focused on a central theme, you can create a framework for your interviews that encourages deeper, more meaningful conversations. These strategies will not only help you gather better information but also ensure that your readers are engaged with a narrative that feels authentic and insightful. Remember, the goal of an interview is not just to get answers but to uncover stories, perspectives, and truths that wouldn’t have been discovered through surface-level questioning.
What do you think? Have you ever been part of an interview where the questions were too shallow? How did it affect the outcome? How do you plan to approach framing your own interview questions in the future?
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