Adam Bryant of the New York Times regularly interviews CEOs and other business leaders for his column, Corner Office. I’ve long admired his interviewing style. He asks short, pointed, open-ended questions that get his subjects thinking — and opening up to him.
Lately, I’ve been noticing how he gets in a one- or two-word follow-up question and draws out more insights from a source. Anyone who has conducted interviews will appreciate the beauty of questions like:
- “What else?”
- “Any others?”
- “How?”
Because it’s questions like these that take a source to places they weren’t expecting. And the interviewer uncovers new layers to a previous answer.
Read a few of Adam Bryant’s interviews; watch a master at work.
Tags: communication style, Writing
