Interviews are all about asking the right question
Asking the right question is key to getting the right answer. We will practice direct and indirect questions, and we’ll use a variety of ways of asking questions.
Asking the right question is key to getting the right answer. Of course, you will go into an interview with prepared questions, but as the course of conversation changes, you will need to quickly come up with a wide range of professional questions. We will practice direct and indirect questions, and we’ll use a variety of ways to ask question politely.
The language note to start is to illustrate the importance of using a variety of phrases.
The student should know that we never repeat the same thing over and over.
Optional
You can teach this point:
In English, it’s unnatural to use the same phrase too many times. We especially never want to repeat the same thing twice in a row. Consider this:
Teacher: Nice to meet you
Student: Nice to meet you too.
We add the “too” so that person B doesn’t repeat the same phrase exactly.
Is this the same in your language? Or is it acceptable to use exactly the same phrase often? (In Japanese, you say exactly the same thing.)
Have you done interviews? Did any unexpected information come up? If so, what do you do when interviewees offer unexpected information?
Mine information from the client: have they had trouble asking polite questions quickly and off-the-cuff?
Sometimes direct questions are fine, but in professional situations, it's important to be polite.
Have the student read the next section. Focus on tone and pronunciation. Ask about nuance—is it a little polite/ very polite? When can we use this language?
Here are some ways to ask indirect questions. Please choose two from each group and practice saying them smoothly and naturally. We’ll use a simple question: "What time is it?"
These are popular ways of asking indirect questions:
- Do you know what time it is?
- Can you tell me what time it is?
- Could you tell me what time it is?
- Would you mind telling me what time it is?
You can state what you want to know.
- I’d like to know what time it is.
- I’m wondering what time it is.
- I was just wondering what time it is.
If the interviewee may not know the answer:
- Do you happen to know what time it is exactly?
- Do you have any idea what time it is exactly?
- Is there any chance you can tell me what time it is exactly?
Practice smooth, natural pronunciation with your instructor.
These are indirect questions. Note that the word pattern is different: what time IS it? // can you tell me what time it IS?
Most students will have an understanding of indirect questions and will be comfortable with some of the language in this section. You can take this chance to expand the phrases they use.
Also, for phrases that your student understands but hasn't used, practice pronunciation. It can be like this:
Pronunciation: when we use phrases, we push the words together, so
“I was just wondering” may sound like / AI-w’s jus WUN-dring
For lower-level students, you may have to take time to practice direct questions first, and accept some direct questions through the practice section. Stress the importance of balancing direct language with more polite language.
1. Making indirect questions from direct questions
Your instructor will say a direct question, and you can use these phrases to ask smooth indirect questions. Try to do this as quickly as possible.
For example:
Instructor: What time is the meeting going to start?
Student: I was just wondering what time the meeting is going to start.
Now, try more questions with your instructor.
2. Getting more detail
Next, try to find out as much detail as possible about a topic. Your instructor will say a sentence. Ask as many questions as possible about it—questions can be related to what was just said, or not.
Here's an example; the instructor is A.
A: I went to Thailand
B: Oh? Where in Thailand did you go?
A: Well, we landed in Bangkok and were there for a day before we went to Chumphon.
B: Ok, can you tell me where exactly that is?
A: It's south of Bangkok, about an hour by plane.
B: Sounds nice. So, what did you do there?
A: Oh, all kinds of things: we went scuba diving and my friend tried kiteboarding.
B: Can you tell me a bit more about kiteboarding?
A: Sure, it's like windsurfing, but you use a kite instead of a sail. It looked pretty interesting.
B: Oh, and I actually have a question about Chumphon. Do you have any idea how many people live there?
A: Sorry, I'm not really sure.
Now, try with a new topic. Ask when it happened, what time, who was there, and as many other questions as you can.