Expert Interviews 3: Smooth, clear questions

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This lesson will show you a few ways to ask questions and be respectful without wasting any time. 

Introduction

Here are three pieces of advice for conducting interviews. What does each one mean? Do you agree?

  1. Ask open-ended questions.

  2. Avoid being too direct.

  3. Express gratitude.

There is no one right answer for each.

The goal is for your student to think critically about their language choices.

1. Ask open-ended questions

  • This is typically a good idea.
    • Generally speaking, open-ended questions will allow the expert a lot more room to give an in-depth answer. 
  • However, you can ask closed questions in at least a couple cases: 
    • You are clarifying a specific point—"That idea is fairly new, isn't it?"
    • You have a fairly clear idea about the topic—"Is that the European style?" 

2. Avoid being too direct: 

  • Start polite, then become more direct. 
  • The rule is to ask politely at the beginning, and as you continue the interview, you can get more and more direct. 
    • E.g., "Would you mind if I asked you about your boss? […] What's his management style?"
    • Notice how the first question is very polite while the second is direct. Does the second question seem rude? No! It seems polite because the initial question was polite. 

3. Express gratitude

  • You can say positive things throughout the interview, e.g.:

    • Thanks.

    • Great.  

    • Perfect. 

    • Interesting. 

    • Makes sense. 

    • Good insight.

    • This is useful.

Warm Up

Choose a topic based on your teacher's hobbies or background. Ask them one general question and three more specific follow-up questions. 

The last two lessons have been pretty heavy. Take a moment to lighten it up. 

Choose a topic based on:

  • your hobbies;
  • what you've studied;
  • your industry experience; or
  • your hometown/country. 

Try to give the student a few options, e.g.: "Your choice—you can ask me about my hobby [playing guitar], or my education background. I studied [English literature]."

For now, correct any obvious mistakes, but there's no need to teach specific strategies. You can do that in the Language section.

Example: 

Teacher: You can ask me about my hobby—playing guitar; or my education background—I studied English literature. 
Student: Okay, I'll ask about your studies.
T: Sure.
S: Where did you study? 
T: I studied in Canada.
S: Where exactly in Canada?/ Why did you choose that university?/ What did you think about that university? 

Risks: Your student may ask weird questions, or ask them too directly, or too politely.

End with a discussion. Ask:

  1. How was that?
  2. Were your questions smooth and polite?
Language

A. Roadmap

Interviewees often appreciate knowing where you are going to lead them during the interview. So, start by laying out a roadmap, then smoothly transition between topics.

  1. First, introduce the idea.
    • First, let me lay out a roadmap.
    • As I mentioned in the email, there are a few key areas to talk about.
       
  2. Next, introduce the points.
    • I’d like to start with A. Then we’ll get to B, and then C. 
    • First, let’s talk about A. After that, we can discuss B, and then C.
    • To begin, I’d like you to tell me about A. Then B, and then C.
       
  3. Then start. 
    • So, let’s begin with A.
    • So, let’s get started.

Exercise

  • Think of an industry you've worked in before.
  • Now come up with three ideas for different questions you could ask an expert.
  • Then, lay out a clear roadmap.

B. Politeness

In English, your level of politeness is set in the first few sentences. After that, you can get more and more direct. This style means you don’t waste time or repeat yourself.

Group the following questions into more formal and less formal.

  1. I’d like to ask you about […].
  2. What is the […]?
  3. Could you tell me about […]? 
  4. Tell me about […]. 
  5. I’m actually wondering about […]. 
  6. Interesting. Tell me more. 

Exercise

Use your question ideas from Practice A. Politely introduce the topic and then ask direct questions related to that topic. 

C. Open questions

When introducing a topic, good questions are typically open and neutral.

  • Avoid closed questions, and especially avoid leading questions, unless you are using them to quickly establish agreement.

Which questions would you improve? Why do they need improvement? And how would you improve them?

  1. Do you think bio-plastics are the most sustainable packaging solution? 
  2. What do you think about the profitability of this industry? 
  3. Would you say that bio-plastics are the future of the industry?
  4. I’ve heard that bio-plastics are the future of the industry. Is that right?

Exercise 

Pick a topic you know well, and ask your teacher three open questions. 

D. Closed questions

On the other hand, closed questions can sometimes be used when you have a solid understanding of the topic. A quick yes or no answer can confirm what you know. You might use these more as you confirm hypotheses through the project.

It's most polite to use "I" statements.   

  1. Am I correct in understanding that […]? 
  2. It seems to me that […]. Is that right?
  3. I recently heard […], is that correct?
  4. I believe […]. Is that right?

Exercise

Confirm three things you know about your teacher, and then ask open, direct follow-up questions. 

  • E.g., "I believe you live in London, right? [Yes.] How's the cost of living compared to other places?" 

    A. Roadmap

    Making a roadmap is useful because: 

    • You seem more authoritative.
    • The expert knows that they don't need to guide it themselves or add unnecessary information. 
    • You can more easily transition between topics later. 
    1. First, introduce the idea.
      • First, let me lay out a roadmap.
      • As I mentioned in the email, there are a few key areas to talk about.
    2. Next, introduce the points.
      • I’d like to start with A. Then we’ll get to B, and then C. 
      • First, let’s talk about A. After that, we can discuss B, and then C.
      • To begin, I’d like you to tell me about A. Then B, and then C.
    3. Then start. 
      • So, let’s begin with A.
      • So, let’s get started.

    Exercise

      • Think of an industry you've worked in before.
      • Come up with 3 questions you could ask an expert. For example:
        • What's the...
          • main bottleneck most companies experience?
          • most common change that clothing manufacturers make?
          • breakdown of energy costs in a typical factory?
          • best way to save energy?
          • future of eco-friendly energy production?
      • Then, group the questions by topic and lay out a clear roadmap.

      As I mentioned in the email, there are a few key areas to talk about. I’d like to start with the main bottleneck. Then we’ll get to a breakdown of energy costs and finally best-practice for saving energy. 

      Possible discussion: If you have a few different topics, which one do you start with?

      • Typically, you can start with the topic that is most important, or most likely to be answered well by your interviewee. 

      B. Politeness

      In short, start politely and then use direct language. 

      Group the questions:

      • More formal
        1. I’d like to ask you about […].
        5. I’m actually wondering about […]. 
        3. Could you tell me about […]? 
      • Less formal

        2. What is the […]?
        4. Tell me about […]. 
        6. Interesting. Tell me more. 

      NOTE

      • Polite sentence + direct question = polite style. 
        • "I'd like to ask about your boss... What's his management style?"
        • Notice how the first question is very polite while the second is direct.

        • Does the second question seem rude? No. It is polite because the initial question was polite. 

      Exercise

      Pick a topic you know well, and ask three leading, and then open questions. 

      For example:

      • Closed: Do you think the All Blacks are the best rugby team in the world? 
      • Open: Which rugby team is the best in the world?

      C. Open questions

      Good questions are typically open and neutral.

      Which questions would you improve, and how would you improve them?

      1. Do you think bio-plastics are the most sustainable packaging solution? 
        • This is a leading question. It leads the answer in a certain direction.
        • Better: "Could you tell me about sustainability in bio-plastics?"
      2. What do you think about the profitability of this industry? 
        • Good. 
      3. Would you say that bioplastics is the future of the industry?
        • Again, a leading question. 
        • Better: "What material is the future of the industry?"
      4. I’ve heard that bio-plastics are the future of the industry. Is that right?
        • Good, depending on what you want to do. 

      Exercise 

      Any topic is fine—the best one is the topic that was discussed earlier. 

      D. Closed questions

      On the other hand, closed questions can be used when you have a solid understanding of the topic. A quick yes or no answer can confirm what you’ve learned so far in your project.

      Be sure to use "I" statements to be polite.   

      1. Am I correct in understanding that […] ? 
      2. It seems to me that […]. Is that right?
      3. I recently heard […], is that correct?

      Exercise 

      • Get the student to confirm things about yourself. 
        • E.g. "I think you know some things about me, right? Confirm them."
      • If they don't know much about you, give them your TEF profile (theenglishfarm.com/users/[your TEF name]) to find information to confirm.
      Practice

      Case

      A holding company has 6 different innovative subsidiaries. It is facing a variety of challenges:

      1. Lack of consistency and standards across its data storage warehouses.
      2. Source system databases generate different styles of reports.
      3. High cost to integrate data from new source systems
      4. Difficult to maintain consistency according to a code, as past efforts have failed.
      5. Limited ability to utilize modern analytics technologies to improve decision-making.

      Your project is to establish a data warehouse system according to best practice. A data warehouse is an information system that contains historical and commutative data from single or multiple sources.

      You are creating a framework to support rapid integration of new data sources. You would also like to position the business to leverage analytics and AI technologies. 

      You want to know:

      1. The names of 3 companies that are best-practice examples in data warehousing using cloud-based technology for innovative tech companies.
      2. Why tech company implementation efforts for maintaining consistency in data storage have failed.
      3. How to prevent too many styles of reports when warehousing data from a variety of subsidiaries, from the viewpoint of a parent company with a variety of holdings. 

      Introduce the topic, addressing why me, why this, why now, and why you. Then ask your questions smoothly and logically. 

      Interview 1—Olivia Devier

      A data warehousing pioneer, Olivia works as a freelance consultant and expert in the U.K. She specializes in using cutting-edge tools to leverage data and gain insights to accelerate a company's development cycle and fulfill its mission.

      Interview 2—Franz Mueller

      Franz is a partner in your company's Philadelphia office. He has worked with a number of multinational companies to develop cross-border data warehousing. Your team leader, Kenneth, spoke to Franz for a project last year and said he played a pivotal role in the success of the project.