Good questions
While 10 bad interviewing habits were identified in last week’s column, good questions can be summed up as following three principles: they should be open-ended, neutral and simple.
John Sawatsky, who recently coached our staff on interviewing skills, said the more bland and simple a question is, the more colorful the quote will be.
Open-ended questions avoid the yes-no answer. Although often the close-ended question might sound tougher (e.g. “ever kill a man?”) an open-ended question makes a person work harder to answer it (e.g. “What is the worst thing you’ve ever done?”)
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Neutrality means the reporter should say the absolute minimum. Sawatsky said when reporters make statements, they raise subjects, put things on the record and open exit ramps for the interviewee.
Bland language should be used because it’s safer, gets better accountability and better answers.
Sawatsky’s tips: Use words such as situation, matter or development; avoid verbs; and lower the language (e.g. instead of “opposition” or “enemy,” always say “the other side”); always keep the words tightly factual; and use colorless words.
“Simple reduces the issues to the bare essentials,” Sawatsky said. “It will get the clear quotes without the extra references.”
The reporter should seek three things: action (what happened), description (how it happened, process and appearance) and explanation (why it happened).
Sawatsky summarized the role of a journalist as being like a “straight man” in a great comedy team.
“The interview should have only one star – not you. …
“We’re interviewing them because they have something to say. The more we shine, the more we eclipse them.”
Conclusion? The smartest questions are the dumb questions.
