by Steve Adubato, PhD
All of us conduct interviews. Journalists, professionals hiring new employees, salesmen trying to learn about a potential client or customer, or department managers asked to moderate a panel discussion around a pressing topic. With this in mind, consider the following questions and answers that will help you better understand the “art” of the interview:
Q—What are some of the keys to effective interviewing?
A—You have to genuinely be interested in your topic and the person(s) you are interviewing. There is no way to fake this. If you really care and are interested, it will make you curious enough to ask smart questions and follow up if you want to know more or need some clarification. All the great interviewing techniques in the world won’t help you if you don’t care.
Q—What about structure? Should you go into an interview with a list of questions and stick to it or just wing it?
A—You need to be structured and have an outline of questions, but don’t be tied to it. If something comes up that isn’t in your scripted questions but genuinely interests you, pursue it. One of the secrets of conducting a compelling interview is to react in the moment. You can’t do that if you are reading off your list of questions and missing opportunities because you are blinded by this overly structured communication approach. Spontaneity has its place.
Q—If time is particularly limited, is it okay to ask more than one question at once?
A—No. Asking multiple questions is one of the most common and irritating communication faux pas interviewers make. Think about it. When you ask multiple questions, which question do you want your audience to answer? Is it the first one? The last one? The one in the middle? Or is it the one they remember? I have a simple rule, which is to ask one question of one person for a specific reason. The more questions you ask at one time, the more control you lose of the interview
Q—How much should you disclose about yourself when conducting an interview?
A—It depends. If your self-disclosure helps illuminate an issue or question and makes it more personal for your interview subject and/or your audience, then it is fine. However, if your self-disclosure starts bordering on self-absorption, you can really turn an interview sour. I call it the “Cathy Lee Gifford” syndrome. When she was on the air, every other question somehow would include a reference to one of her kids, Cody or Cassidy. It was okay up until a point, but over time it really turned people off. The interview is not about the interviewer, it is about the person being interviewed. The interviewer’s job is to draw out his or her subject and make them comfortable enough to talk in a candid and compelling fashion.
Q—What happens in an interview if your subject is only giving you one or two word answers? How do you get him or her to open up?
A—Very often when people say this, they don’t realize that their questions often elicit one or two word answers. The interviewer will ask a closed-ended question such as; “Do you like your job?” What are the options, “yes,” “no” or “sometimes?” Instead, get in the habit of asking open-ended questions that force the other person to share. For example, “What do you really love about your job?” And then when the person responds, follow up with another open-ended question such as; “Why is that?”
Finally, the most important piece when it comes to the art of the interview is being a great listener. Without it, all the great questions in the world won’t help.