With a Five-Act script, your interviews are sure to be effective. However, there are a few more techniques Michael uses to make them even better.
1. Be a good host
For just a moment, imagine you are the target customer who comes in for an interview. You’ve shown up to try some new product (you’re not quite sure what) in a building you’ve never been to before, and you’ll be watched by some person you just met. This encounter might have seemed like a good idea a couple of hours ago, but now you’re not so sure.
The Interviewer is the host, and the customer is the guest. Michael makes sure the customer is comfortable before the interview begins. He smiles a lot. He’s mindful of his body language. He munches on mints so his breath will be fresh. And he always starts with questions designed to put the customer at ease.
2. Ask open-ended questions
To understand what the customer thinks, you have to be careful not to ask leading questions. Some leading questions are obvious and easy to avoid (we’re sure you won’t say “You like this, right?”). But sometimes, you’ll ask a leading question without meaning to do so.
Let’s say you’re interviewing a customer who’s looking at your website—you want to know what the customer thinks, and whether she would be likely to sign up for a demo of your product.
Interviewer: “Now that you’ve seen the site, would you be ready to sign up now, or do you need more information?”
Customer: “Um, I guess I’d need more info . . . Oh, here’s the FAQ. I’ll check it out.”
This exchange looks okay at a glance, but the multiple-choice question (“ready to sign up” versus “need more information”) has influenced the customer’s response. You’re assuming that the customer wants to do one of those two options. It’s tough to do, but you should avoid asking multiple-choice questions. They’re almost always leading questions in disguise.
Now, consider what would happen if you ask an open-ended question instead.
Interviewer: “Now that you’ve seen the site, what are you thinking?”
Customer: “I dunno, I mean . . . I don’t think it’s right for my company.”
Interviewer: “Why is that?”
Customer: (Insert fascinating reason here.)
We just made this scenario up, but it’s something we’ve seen play out dozens of times. When you ask an open-ended question, you’re more likely to get an honest reaction and an explanation of why.
All of this may sound a little complicated, but Michael’s advice to avoid leading questions comes down to just two rules:
DON’T ask multiple choice or “yes/no” questions. (“Would you . . . ?” “Do you . . ?” “Is it . . . ?”)
DO ask “Five Ws and One H” questions. (“Who . . . ?” “What . . . ?” “Where . . . ?” “When . . . ?” “Why . . . ?” “How . . . ?”)
As with everything, asking questions like these gets easier with practice. One simple trick for the Interviewer: Write some sample “Five Ws” questions right into the script.
3. Ask broken questions
Michael Margolis is the master of broken questions. The idea behind a broken question is to start asking a question—but let your speech trail off before you say anything that could bias or influence the answer.
Customer: “Hmm!”
Michael: “So, what . . . is . . .” (Trails off into silence.)
Customer: “Well, I was just surprised to see that the prices were so high.”
Michael got an honest, useful response out of the customer without even asking a real question. And because the question was so vague, she didn’t feel pressure to tell Michael what she thought he wanted to hear.
In a situation like the example above, where the customer is reacting to something but not saying what, it’s tempting to ask a leading question like “Were you looking at the pricing there?” With a broken question, you can encourage people to think aloud, without leading them in any direction.
You can also learn a lot by just remaining quiet. Don’t always feel compelled to fill the silence with conversation. Stop and watch and wait and listen.
4. Curiosity mindset
Our final bit of advice on how to be a great Interviewer is not a technique, but a state of mind. On Thursday, the team has to be in a prototype mindset. On Friday, the team, and especially the Interviewer, should work hard at adopting a curiosity mindset.
Being in a curiosity mindset means being fascinated by your customers and their reactions. You can develop this mindset by focusing on the surprising details of what your customers say and do. Always ask “why?” Never assume or jump to conclusions. Before each interview, anticipate how interesting the information will be that you’ll learn from the customer. Use your own body language to make yourself friendlier and more receptive: smile, lean in, and don’t cross your arms. Curiosity is an outlook that can be embodied, and even learned.
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If you’d like to learn more about customer interviews (and see a video of Michael conducting an interview), check out thesprintbook.com.