Open Questions. Open questions are designed to encourage a full, meaningful answer using the interviewee’s own knowledge and/or feelings. It is to ensure a lengthy answer and to get more information about what the interviewee is talking about. Some examples of open questions would be:
Open Questions
Tell me about your relationship with your boss.
What do you think about the two candidates in this election?
That’s an interesting coloured shirt you’re wearing.
Open questions usually would begin with “Why” and “How”, or a phrase such as “Tell me about…”. Often they are not even technically a question, but a statement which asks for more of a response. Open questions also tend to be more objective and less leading than its alternative, closed questions. Closed questions are questions that can give one word answers. This is both good and bad; in a confrontational/political interview, a simple yes or no answer can make or break that interview. However, in an informative interview where the conversation is very relaxed and you want a more informative answer, a closed question is not the way to go. Some examples of closed questions are:
Closed Questions
Do you get on well with your boss?
Who will you vote for this election?
What colour shirt are you wearing?
Directional/leading questions prompts the interviewee to respond in certain way. This can be very effective in confrontational/political/lifestyle interview because it may reveal someone’s true character. For example, if an interviewer asks something like “Why do you hate the government so much?” the interviewee hasn’t necessarily said they hate anyone, but are prompted to give reason to their ‘hate’ despite not actually saying anything. Leading/directional questions can cause problems and debates as they can result in false or unreliable information. Some examples of directional/leading questions are:
Do you have any problems with your boss? This question prompts the person to question their relationship. In a subtle way it also raises the idea that there are actually problems.
Tell me about your relationship with your boss. This question does not seek any judgment and there is less implication that there may be something wrong with the relationship.
Multiple questions are usually seen as a stumbling block, whereby you’re asking two or more questions at once. For example, ‘How long have you been interested in this? I mean, what made you decide to get into this?’ These are used mainly when a interviewer fears a lack of response. However, these type of questions can potentially confuse the interviewee, or pass them the initiative and choose which question they want to answer as opposed to answering both. Which, in turn, can make it seem that the interviewer is unsure of themselves and the interviewee is in control. Multiple questions should be avoided unless the situation calls for them. It is best to rely on shorter, more direct questions to get a similar response.
One case study of a good interview is that of Justin Timberlake on the Ellen Show.
Ellen’s interviewing style is very relaxed and is like a conversation. This is an example of a very experienced interviewer as she makes the interviewee comfortable and is always in control of the interview. Ellen asks open and slightly promotional questions to get both informative and lengthy answers-especially in this case where Justin Timberlake has just released his album 20/20 Experience where she wants to not only promote the album but get an inside look into its progress. Ellen’s body language is also very open. She sits with her arms open or on her lap and always speaks in a light tone. Her personality comes across rather infectious when she jokes around but most of all she knows her boundaries. For example, relationships in the celebrity world can be a touchy subject since they are so personal. Ellen subtly bring up this subject by referring to the love songs on Justin’s new album and asks about his inspiration and says “I assume a lot of your inspiration come from your wife or love for your wife?”. This is very clever as it is not so direct that the interviewee is caught off guard and not so off topic that they get offended; she uses the promotion of the album as a way to ask about something more personal.
