Journal
Listening beyond the headline
A few ways to give an idea more room than its shortest summary.
Read storyThe question behind the conversation
An interview can have a list of questions and still lack a useful centre. Before writing the list, ask what makes the subject worth spending time with. Which uncertainty, experience or change of perspective might the conversation help someone understand?
Read enough to avoid asking for information that is already easy to find. Look for the places where an account becomes particular: an example, a decision or a moment when someone changed their mind. These can lead to a more useful exchange than a sequence of broad opinions.
Keep the outline flexible. A careful follow-up often begins with listening to the answer that was actually given, rather than moving immediately to the next prepared question. Preparation gives the conversation a starting point; attention helps it find a direction worth following.
Keep reading
Another perspective.
Make room for the whole answer.
Follow the question
Begin with curiosity and leave room for the subject to become more interesting than the first outline.
Listen for the detail
A particular experience, example or change of mind can give a conversation its useful centre.
Keep a way back
Show notes, reading and listening links help you return to the ideas that matter.