Alan Alda’s Interviewing Tips for Uncovering Business Requirement
Be curious, but not too smart. Skilled interviewers must be curious. Alda has a natural interest in science, but he warns of the “too-smart syndrome” where interviewers think they’re nearly as well versed in the subject as interviewees:
Perhaps you’ve observed too-smart interviewers. Their questions tend to be long-winded, often eliciting blank stares or responses like “What was the question again?” Interviewers who try to impress others are missing the point. Ask simple, straightforward questions and you’ll have a better chance of understanding complex concepts.
- Prior to the interview, send out an announcement describing the high-level discussion topics and confirming the interview time and place. Don’t attach a detailed questionnaire to this meeting notice. You can’t achieve a conversational flow if you’re reviewing questionnaire results-presuming anyone bothers to complete the survey.
- Interview questions prepared in advance are fallback devices, used only if uncomfortable lulls occur in conversations or to ensure key points are covered before ending sessions.
- Most good conversations tend to wander, so remember your session goals and steer conversations back on track if you stray too far from core issues. Stay at a relatively high level in the interview’s early stages.
- “There’s one skill that I really make use of in a big way, and that is listening. If you don’t listen deeply, the connection won’t take place…. [You have to be] willing to be changed by the person you’re listening to, where you’re not just waiting for a pause so you can say your thing, but you’re actually letting them have an effect on you if they can.”