Interviews: Between the Nose

Recall your last interview? What was that like?

As a former-journalist, interviews were the essence of my profession. Pre-Internet, we had to arrange for face-to-face or telephone or facsimile interviews. Today, these methods prevail except that e-mail, Skype and web-cam provide virtual-based opportunities. Photographs are delivered within minutes upon agreement of its use.

How often do we interview? Actually, we do it all the time, especially during conversations. Conversations are voice-based transactions that exchange persons speaking. If it were one-sided, then it would be a presentation or talk. Conversations are interactions between the noses. When you seek the counsel of your triathlon coach, you need to be specific and exact in your questions. We ask questions because something piques our curiosity, stimulates our interest to learn, or intrigues us.

Interviews are golden moments to learn, discover and consider points of views. We work with the information that’s offered to us. Interestingly, interviews are part of other perspectives including re-views, pre-views, viewpoints, and over-views. Sometimes, it is useful to know what we don't know - our blind spots.

Questions form the basis of interviews, so it is only purposeful that we ask them comprehensively. Comprehension works on asking the open-ended questions like who, what, when, where, why, which and how. These questions serve to explore the depth and breadth of responses. When you combine them, they become more intriguing and involve the interviewee, as you pique their curiosity. For example, how do you know whom to trust during a crisis? When was a time where you felt most confident in your abilities to lead?

Close-ended questions confirm and affirm what has been said; they strengthen our sense of listening. Know what I‘m saying?

Leadership Lessons: Which points of view do you indulge in most?