Listening is the real job
When doing interviews it’s easy to ask closed-ended questions because we often know the sort of answer we’re looking for. So we bake that answer in to the question.
But you’ll get richer information, and be able to create more compelling insights if you listen.
If you’re following a script you’ll be waiting for the other person to finish their answer so you can move on to the next question. But if you’re really listening, you’ll be able to ask follow up questions which are much harder than scripted questions. You’ve got to come up with them in real time, while also listening, while also keeping the interview on track.
And that’s the real challenge.