Page 205 - ConvinceThemFlip

get them talking
Ask yourself this question: Are my conversations like a
game of tennis, where the action goes back and forth, or
like a game of golf, where we may all be playing the same
hole, but we get together only when it’s time to write
down the score? If you’re tired of hitting the ball all by
yourself, then look around. There are all kinds of people
who are ready to teach you a little tennis.
I’ve been interviewed hundreds of times, and whenever
I can, I ask my interviewers how they get people talking.
It doesn’t matter whether I’m talking to a print journalist,
a radio personality, or a TV host. They all say the same
thing: Questions are the spark plugs of conversation,
especially open questions. Open questions get the ball
rolling and open people up; closed questions shut them
up. Open questions send you to the heart and emotions,
while closed questions direct you to the head and logic.
Any question that begins with “Who,” “What,” “Why,”
“Where,” “When,” or “How” calls for a visit to the imagina-
tion. Questions beginning with “Are you,” “Did you,” “Have
you,” request a logical, yes-or-no answer. For example:
Q: “Did you go to the store?”
A: “Yes.”
Great, now I have to think of another question! Let’s try
it again with some questions that will start things rolling:
“Who was at the store?”
“What did you do on your way to the store?”
197