The 4 Most Reliable Tele-Interview Questions
Whenever I conduct a Teleseminar interview with a thought leader in my area of interest, I often lean on the four learning styles that researcher David Kolb discovered in the 1980s.
Your listening audiences typically fit into four distinct learning styles Kolb uncovered and they are: WHY learners, WHAT learners, HOW learners and WHAT IF learners.
Which of the four learning styles do you feel that you fit into?
Regardless of your learning style, I believe anyone can become a great interviewer if they focus on what Kolb’s findings over 20 years ago.
To make it easy for you, here’s the questioning sequence template I utilize in my own interview that is a trusted friend to inoculate me from embarrassment or and criticism from blowing an interview:
-
WHY is (TOPIC) so important for our audience to learn more about?
-
WHAT is (TOPIC) by definition?
-
HOW does (TOPIC) work in a step-by-step process?
-
WHAT IF our listeners utilized the strategies you are teaching us about (TOPIC), what would their live be like in 30 days, 90 days, 1 year?
Just fill-in your topic of interest where you see “TOPIC” above and you’re good to go!
You can also ask questions about obstacles or strategies or questions that are specifically relevant to your topic and audience. But the four questions you can’t live without are the WHY, WHAT, HOW and WHAT IF questions.
I consider them my four most trusted servants to extracting the nectar from the fruit of any of my Tele-Interviews.
Although I don’t get caught-up with the percentage breakdowns of each learning style, I do follow a certain sequence based on what I believe to be their attention levels.
Fair Warning: I have no scientific evidence that support my next recommendation, other than my intuition derived from conducting over 1,200 Tele-Interviews in 15 years.
My experience tells me the correct sequence of questions are: WHY, WHAT, HOW, WHAT IF.
The sequence I utilize is counter-intuitive because most other interviewers, including Larry King, Barbara Walters and Oprah will typically ask the “WHAT” question first.
But I choose to ask the “WHY” question first because my experience has taught me that WHY learners are the least patient and tolerant of the four types of listeners.
I know lots of WHY learners and I find them to be easily distracted. Auditory stimuli and bright, shiny objects easily sway their attention away so it’s critical to focus your interview on them first.
Next come the WHAT learners in the interview sequence and then the HOW learners, followed closely by the WHAT IF learners, which is what I believe I am :-)
Again, I can’t scientifically substantiate the sequencing recommendation above, but the Tele-Interview rave reviews I get from my students and colleagues support that my sequence is spot-on.
What To Do Now: Give me your comment about this post. Do you agree or disagree with my recommendation?
When you’re done commenting, I want you to create a questionnaire template for your next interview, no matter what communication medium you choose to utilize – Teleseminar, radio, TV, hot seat on-state, face-to-face or whatever.
Practice it. Utilize it. Learn from it and you’ll find that your interview style will evolve from good to great.
Tags: alex mandossian, david kolb, Info Marketing, information marketing, information publishing, productivity, Teleseminars
I hope you read this post twice. It’s that important. Every week, week after week, students ask me what are the best Teleseminar interview questions to ask.
This post answers that question once-and-for-all.
Please re-read this is post and leave a comment if you find a typo :-)
~ Alex
I am probably firstly a WHY learner and it seems the rest of the sequence in the order as you listed them certainly applies to me. I also like to know WHO it is I am listening to and have a rapport in relation to the topic before I can fully engage in what they are saying.
I remember you mentioning these before in other areas and I am glad you revisited this topic. Great reminder.
Live Your Dreams,
Jill Koenig
http://www.TheGoalGuru.com
Twice! I had to read it three times! Good topic to bring up personally and I took alot from it! Thank You!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Steph Love and Brad Petersen. Brad Petersen said: Better, more profitable teleseminars with "The 4 Most Reliable Tele-Interview Questions" by @alexmandossian http://ow.ly/qU8I [...]
Kolb’s 4 questions are the 4 most useful questions you’re ever likely to need. This structure can be applied to presentations, reports, phone calls and emails, training sessions, facilitations, project management – the list goes on and on. In fact any situation where human beings are involved!
[...] The 4 Most Reliable Tele-Interview Questions… [...]
Great Post. We ask similar questions to our small business owners to better understand their company and product offering. I certainly believe your (4) questions get to the heart of it. In our cast we replace the topic with the business name.
Thanks for the insight.
Hi Alex,
As a “WHY” learner myself, I wholeheartedly agree with putting it first. When it comes to knowledge consumption, the first thing I want to understand is WHY this is important for me to learn now. If I don’t get that question answered quickly, I’m off like a rocket.
In fact, for me “WHY” is always the underlying question since it provides the context from which I can ask “WHAT IF” about the “WHAT” that I am learning.
Thanks for a great post!
– Paul
A really important and valuable article. I, too, like the who question – but in an interview that may be a given!
Thanks Alex for yet another learning gem!
A really important and valuable article. I, too, like the “who” question – but in an interview that may be a given!
Thanks Alex for yet another learning gem!
Hi Alex,
Thank you for the post! Although I did have to keep on reading over and over. I am a “What If” learner.
Alex… of all the people I look to for advice on success, I consistently get good advice from you. Thanks for the tips and all you do for your customers.
I just started interviewing speakers for our Rotary Club and putting a link to the interview in our email newsletter. This is letting me get my “learning curve” out of the way before I do it professionally to help build a new business I’m starting this fall.
These 4 questions in some way, shape or form is what I’ve been doing partly because I remembered some advice you gave on how to break through writer’s block. I think you are right on!
Best regards,
Bill
Alex -
I agree with your order on interviews. That likely would translate over to marketing copy for your interviews too. “Why” learners may not read to far into your copy before they decide to go on to another page.
To your success!
Stephanie
Productive & Organized – We’ll help you find your way! tm
PS == love your new branding.
Thank you, Alex!
This is great. Very timely. I am just now putting out my first health newsletter and very shortly I will include expert interviews in my newsletter. I can adapt your teleseminar recommendation for a printed interview. I am looking forward to this. It will be fun and your clear explanation should help me much more quickly and directly achieve the results I and my readers are looking for. Thank you!
BTW, If you want to see the newsletter, goto: http://www.myhealthoptimizer.com and then click the Subscribe link. I promise you the newsletters will contain valuable health information that you will not be likely to find elsewhere. Of course, the newsletter is free.
Hi Alex,
I totally agree with you and for me the sequence you have makes more sense because until I know why I should spend time with the presentation/teleseminar host everything is irrelevant.
I always try to find out if the event/topic I am in makes sense for me , is it worth of my time etc..
If it is , then I get involved with it and continue otherwise I exit out of it right away.
Just to get little more clarity about this topic, can I know if you have any specific format for engaging audience/listeners while you go through these 4 phases of conversation ?
I would really appreciate it if you can elaborate on this topic ?
Looking forward to hear back from you.
Thanks & Regards,
-Gaj
I’m not familiar with Kolb but I am familiar with interviewing. I’m a freelance business and health writer and get all my direct quotes thru phone interviews. I’m thinking how I approach my subjects and if my questions fall in line with your sequence. I suspect I’m more of a WHAT first person because the subjects I talk to are often the topic and don’t lose interest. However, when I write the story – the article – it is the WHY that comes first. Almost always. Never thought about this!Always good to be aware of what you do intuitively!
Alex
“Please re-read this is post and leave a comment if you find a typo :-)” I guess there are lots of “why” learners seeing shiny object because they’re leaving comments without reporting typo’s.
Great post! Really great actually. I’ve not done this but will start immediately. This will only serve to connect on a level I may have been missing in my tele-seminars & interviews. My company is called Connecting so this vital for me.
Now to work on getting rid of those shiny objects. :)
BTW…how did you get your tweets to show up on your comments like that, assuming it’s an auto program. See….another shiny object. (SIGH)
Hugs from a TSSer
Kellie Frazier dot com
This is great Alex, and these 4 questions/learning styles can be used just as well for writing articles and blog posts, shooting a video, and other communications.
The “WHY” is more important in a training situation, which is what many people are doing with teleseminars.
For Larry King, the “WHAT” makes more sense, since he wants to draw interesting storytelling out of many of his interviewees as entertainment for his audience.
Warm regards,
Patrick
Hi Alex,
This feels completely true! It looks like you might be implying that the WHAT IF learners are the most patient and easy to engage. Do you think those learners have drawn some preliminary conclusions from your WHY and HOW portions and are curious to see how their initial ideas fit with your conclusion and also to see what other possibilities might exist?
Another great Alex guideline for us to follow.
Thanks,
Columbia
How do I put money on my paypal account without a bank account or credit card?
I see another practical application for these great questions.
Not many people get interviewed, but lots of us teach or train others. It could be as informal as helping the kids with their homework or coaching their soccer team. It could be as formal as writing an office manual or teaching our employees to give good customer service.
As you reread Alex’s blog post, think about you could use his 4 conversation questions to improve your own teaching skills.
A personal note:
The first question is a WHY question. When I was 12 and attempting to waltz in cotillion classes, I didn’t see the why of it. It wasn’t learning; it was going through the motions. CLUNK, clunk, clunk. I would have tried harder if someone had explained to me that I would enjoy waltzing to country music in my 40s and 50’s. (Is it asking too much of a dance teacher to predict the future?)
To borrow from Nietzsche: He who has a why to learn, can bear with almost any how.
[...] Read the rest of Alex’s post here. Then please leave your comments below. [...]
Alex,
Love the questions. The best way to get people talking about themselves or ask for help and they will open up to you.
Thanks for sharing these powerful questions
Belle
Alex,
Not only are these excellent interview questions, they are also…
1) Excellent self-assessment questions for an entrepreneur or business; and
2) Excellent assessment questions for business consultants and coaches to use when determining to work with a prospective client or helping a client become (more) successful.
I also use variations of these questions in seeking testimonials, modifying them to ask someone how s/he would describe the product, service or event; how s/he would describe the benefits to her/himself and how she knows or imagines others would benefit; and for question #4, how her/his life was before purchasing the product or service or attending the event, how it is now, and how s/he knows or imagines life will be in the future as a result. (I learned the “Before/After/After” testimonial format from you, as well.)
Great post, as always. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and offering the opportunity for others to share their perspectives, too.
Jay Aaron
Visionary Strategist
http://JayAaron.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://Twitter.com/newthoughts
The first three questions have always been standard in my Talk with Experts Teleseminars, but I like the fourth and plan to start using it with my next interview.
It completes the “WHY” question. Obviously the listeners need to see the obvious benefits of learning the topic to stay interested enough to turn off their busy lives long enough to stay tuned into the call.
Hugs,
Kristi Sayles
http://TalkwithExperts.com
Hi Alex,
Thanks for another excellent post.
I think starting with the ‘Why’ questions is important even for the other categories because it triggers the sense of motivation and purpose in all. Particluarly in these busy times when people are inundated by requests for their time, attention and action; “why should one even consider this (topic)?” is a question that everyone is being compelled to ask. I find your comparisons with other interviewers interesting, I feel they may be more focussed on eliciting information for information’s sake, which was once a good strategy. But your approach is focussed to towards creating a change now.
Cheers
Gitie
Alex your blog is great! I need to study your blogs some more so some day maybe I’ll have something great to teach to.Unfortunatly I’m one to loose focus easily and not get anything productive done.I’m trying to get better though.I try to follow to many things at once.
Hey Alex,
I agree with your and David Kolb’s assessment of the core four main us human beings learn and take in information. One of my ‘learning’ mentor’s, Wyatt Woodsmall (teacher of NLP amongst other things), says that the order is what, why, how, and what if. I side more with the way Wyatt teaches simply because I believe the ‘what’ preps the information to be received and only after the information (the ‘what’) has properly been prepped can we then receive it.
Furthermore, I also believe that the ’silent’ but critical question that we (the encoder of the information) must first answer is the ‘who’ question. Meaning who is the information that I have prepared, intended for. In other words, who is the end user.
I’m a student of Dan Kennedy and he teaches his marketing triangle: market – message – media (I believe it works best in this order but, just like you I don’t have any scientific evidence to prove it). Starting with the “who” your message is intended for enables you to then go about crafting your message which answers the 4 core questions. But, if you do a bad job identifying the “end user” if you will, then it doesn’t matter how compelling your message is because it wont have the desired affect intended to achieve.
(Quick side note, you do an excellent job of identifying and selecting your target audience/market (aka – the “who”) your information, products and trainings are geared to have the most significant impact on)
Personally, I’m a ‘why’ person. In today’s fast paced global environment, time and attention is our most sacred assets. Even though the ‘why’ is the 2nd step in my model, the what is usually given. Thus, the ‘why’ must be compelling enough to retain my attention and keep me interested and if it doesn’t I simply move on and focus my time, focus and energy on something else.
I know this is a rather long comment but, I’m a detailed person. I hope my comments are helpful for you and everyone else who has read and commented on your post.
~ Charles ~
Splendid article . Will definitely copy it to my blog.Thanks.
Alex,
Great post! This is the perfect template for getting an audience from point A to point B. I consider myself a “what” learner and I agree with you about “why” learners.
Sometimes I apply another layer, this time using NLP: some learners need to see the big picture while others are detail-oriented.
I’ve learned a ton from you my friend regarding the process of interviewing and presenting.
Thanks again for a thoughtful and insightful post.
–Marc
30 Minute PR Guy
Alex,
What we really like about you is how you take the complicated and simplify it.
We learned this from you and make sure that when creating any communication piece that these 4 areas are covered.
Thanks,
–Pat & Lorna
http://TheCoolestCouple.com
Thank you.
What a long, strange trip it’s been since WGMS #1 and then the Ted Thomas webinar to both of you becoming faculty members and instructors for 3 of my training courses including IOS, TSS and VBTS!
What I appreciate most about you two is how you also take complicated concepts and reduce them to their most granular and basic level so even an 11 year old can understand it … upon first viewing.
I’m writing this to publicly acknowledge you both for the massive value you created for my other students and me, especially with the Quick Start programs of Spectacular Presentation videos. We have one more coming up … TSS 2010, so stay tuned for that directive.
Until, many thanks for contributing to this blog and my students.
Gratefully,
~ Alex
Marc,
I agree with you, you are a “what” learner … and a “process” thinker, which will be another topic to post in the future.
I must thank you for giving me the Tweet/Retweet application idea I’ve now employed on this blog. It does make a difference and it could be a good topic for a future post on this blog as well. Thanks for your contributions.
Good Sales,
~ Alex
Charles,
Thanks for your post and especially your “Quick Side Note.”
I get that you’re a “Why” learner and the detailed comment is not only welcomed, but also encouraged :-)
I hope you take a minute and contribute to my “Wall” at http://www.ProductiveToday.com … I think you could add a ton of value to the other “Wallers” by drilling deep into the essence and meaning of each marketing principle discussed.
Again, many thanks.
~ Alex
Kimberly,
Sharpening focus is easy. Just get narrower and narrower with your topic of interest so that you appeal to a micro-niche. Your micro-niche will know what you stand for and you’ll know their needs, pet peeves, predicaments, challenges, pains, wounds, problems, etc. a lot easier.
Example: Market = Sports; Niche = Golf; Micro-Niche = Putting or Driving
Example: Market = Biz Opportunity; Niche = Work-at-home entrepreneurs; Micro-Niche: Stay-at-home single mompreneurs
Get the picture?
My good friend, Steve Pierce does an exceptional job describing the importance of seeking and focusing on “micro-niches” so I recommend you “Google” him and get his info on the topic.
Best of success,
~ Alex
Gitie,
Thanks for stopping by and for your comment.
The “why” question is the one to start with because in my experience the “why” learners are the least patient. You lose them the fastest during Tele-Interviews.
Cheers,
~ Alex
Kristi,
The “What If” question is the “big picture” question and propels the listening audience’s vision into the future of “what might be.”
The “What If” learner, according to Kolb, is also a “Why Not?” learner, which makes sense. After the WHY, WHAT, HOW and WHAT IF questions are answered, the only logical and emotional question to ask is Why Not?
Thanks again for dropping by and I encourage you to comment on my “productivity wall” at http://www.ProductiveToday.com
Talk soon,
~ Alex
Jay,
Self-assessment and interview questions are typically the same thing for me … I’m only interesting to others as an interviewer if I’m first “interested” in the topic or subject matter. Plus, it’s easier to promote, seek testimonials and make money from topics that interest me.
Thanks for giving me the excuse to re-comment on this because the single biggest mistake I find most marketers make is they focus on topics they feel will make them money, but they have no intrinsic interest in the topic. We see this a lot in the IM community.
Anyway, I better stop before I offend Internet Marketers, so thanks for stopping by and offering your insights and comment.
All good wishes,
~ Alex
Belle,
You’re welcome.
As an interviewer, I’ve found the more engaged people are with my questions, the better the interview will go.
Talk soon,
~ Alex
Tracey,
Great point and excellent insight. Thanks for sharing it with our readers.
~ Alex
Kellie,
Contact us at http://www.AlexHelpDesk.com and Eric will give you the application for the Tweet thingy :-)
I got the idea from Marc Harty and Ivan Misner, founder and Chairman of BNI. They both have the “Tweet” app. on their blog and it does accelerate the traction to get more blog comments and even Facebook follow up.
Good luck,
~ Alex
Ruthan,
You nailed the point in your comment.
What you are – possible a “What” learner – has little relevance to whom you interview because if your bias is projected on to them or the interview, you extract less content (I call it “nectar”) and the intimacy and passion of the interview diminishes.
So just being aware of the other types of “learners” can be curative to creating better, more content-rich interviews … and in your case, articles for your target audience or market niche.
Thanks for commenting and I encourage you to also comment on my Productivity Wall at http://wwwProductiveToday.com
Again, many thanks for dropping by.
~ Alex
Alex,
It all makes sense now. I have been studying interviews and find that most of the “professionally” trained journalists follow the same pattern and it bores me. Now I know why? I want to know the why first. Thanks a million.
Jim
Hi Alex, I wonder if this order is the best for a deeper reason than individual preference? We are bombarded with information these days; we can only take the time to read a certain amount of it. So being told quickly WHY to spend my time on this surely the most important question? I think that is so even if some other focus is my primary interest when studying a topic. WHAT then logically takes the next place because we have to know what we are studying, even if this is only a short one-liner. (Maybe a real WHAT guy would want more, but don’t we all need at least this much?) Not so sure about HOW and WHAT IF, but your ordering seems sensible because it holds out the possibility to leave the listener with an inspiring finishing message.
I suppose I am saying, perhaps you have discovered something more fundamental and more deeply based in the psychology of learning, and it is more important than just juggling the competing learning styles.
Cheers,
Ron House
http://peacelegacy.org
Alex,
Yes, TweetMeme is a great little plugin. When I spoke at the DFW American Marketing Association last month I showed how I create a “TwitStorm” via authority figures retweeting my articles. And YES, it would make a great idea for a future post.
You’ve mentioned “process thinker” several times and I think that’s key when you are developing information marketing products and programs. From one “process thinker” to another, it makes all the difference in the world in helping people consume the information we teach and share.
–Marc
It’s interesting to find how challenging the content side is for someAll I can say is WOW!! You have stunned me with the amount a valuable reading here
Good and in depth article but full of useful information
When a store has double doors why do they only let you use one of them?
Thanks a lot for this post. Very helpful. We’re applying it to our blog posts as well – thinking about what kind of readers come to our site. Thanks, again!
Thank you very much for that astonishing article
What are costs for scoring G&T tests?
Thanks for this great post Alex… I’m doing a musical teleseminar tonight and my guest will actually be performing live on the call! I came here to the best teacher of teleseminars to make sure it’s a wild success…. and I’ll be adding these questions to my call!
This is sooo important. When we interview we forget that the audience perceive different from us
Thanks Alex!
You bring me great clarity on how to interview!
Robert
You’re welcome, Robert.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
~ Alex
[...] The 4 Most Reliable Tele-Interview Questions By Alex Mandossian on September 24, [...]
You know I did your VBT training a couple of years ago and still I’m getting the odd gem. This is on of them.
Thank you Alex
Thank you for that, I found the 4 questions very useful.
I can’t wait to begin using this format in my interviews that I do for teaching saltwater aquarium enthusiasts (www.saltwateraquariumsecrets.com)
So I’m guessing the people you say are Why listeners are likely ADD ADHD? lol!
Thanks for breaking the interview method down into something simple while explaining your reasoning for doing it in the order you do.
Not to be different, I am wondering if there is a fifth dimension to these styles called:
“SO WHAT” or ‘How can I leverage this information to impact more people’
Thanks for sharing Alex, Ash
Good post guess i am more of a how with some why thrown in ;-)
Thanks, Alex. As has been mentioned by other responses, there are applications for this structure which go way beyond tele-interviews. Using these questions in your order could bring interest and clarity to many of the things I’m involved with almost daily. From meetings to presentations in professional situations and in local politics, I can envision many times when this would help to get a point across to the largest possible audience.
These questions are just the thing I need right now. I also loved your pitch letter info. So, very helpful to keep me moving forward.
Thank you Alex.
Sometimes a few meaningful and properly sequenced questions can make all the difference between good marketing and great marketing. Linda, thanks for stopping by and commenting. Visit my Productivity Wall when you have a chance at http://www.ProductiveToday.com
Good sales,
~ Alex
Yes, and the SEQUENCE is critically important – in my experience. If I answer the “WHY” question last, I lost 1/3 of my audience. The “WHY” learners seem to be the least patient, but also the most responsive if “continuing education” (CE) is involved.
Thanks for commenting Tom and please visit my Productivity Wall at http://www.ProductiveToday.com because you’re comments are welcome there as well.
Onward and upward,
~ Alex
If you’re a “HOW” learner, then you probably love the 4 steps ;-)
Thanks for stopping by,
~ Alex
Good to see you here.
How about “Why not?” which is another version of “What if …” :-)
The “So what?” is another version of a “WHY” learner, in my experience. Thanks for dropping by and please visit my Productivity Wall at http://www.ProductiveToday.com because your comments there will be most appreciated.
~ Alex
Alex,
I am now rewriting the presentation I will give this weekend at Pat O’Bryan and Joe Vitale’s event. The topic is ‘Making Huge Profits with a Tiny List’, and I will ask and answer these four questions related to my topic. The audience will get more from what I will be sharing and become more productive in the process. Thanks so much.
~ Connie
Alex:
In marketing Colin Rose’s accelerated learning based language training, which is a true breakthrough in the industry, but is so knew that it requires a lot of explaining at first, I can confirm that your sequence applied works best with my buyer audience. Your observation could not be more true. It will help me stay focused during my next presentations. Thank you!
Kris Litwinski
Warsaw, Poland
Next time, but your URL or “Affiliate URL” in the post so my readers know where to go and you get paid for the referral. It’s allowed ;-)
Good Sales,
~ Alex
Fascinating! Not only was your blog post useful enough that I returned weeks later to reread it, but I read through the comments too and found them useful! I’m going to check out tweetmeme, which is one of the tips I gleaned from the comment section.
Thanks Alex for sharing your secrets so that we have an easier time, instead of all of us reinventing the wheel.
I’m looking forward to TSS in December!
Jacqueline
Hey J, thank you for reading the posts and the comments.
I find the comments often more fascinating and informative than the posts. The “many-to-many” methodology on a blog really adds value to all readers so thank you for noticing.
~ Alex
[...] Another great article on this is from master Alex Mandossian, if you enjoyed this, go read this on how he uses this framework to make super successful teleseminars..upto 12K of them,… [...]
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