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SessionFour008

Interviewing With Ease
JohannaRothman

Ever been in a situation where you wanted more information, but couldn�t quite figure out how to ask the question? Whether you�re eliciting requirements, interviewing vendors, interviewing candidates for a job, deciding who you want on a project team, or just asking your family about their day, you�re asking questions and wanting to hear answers. Imagine if you were interviewing a vendor and asked, "Can you give me an example of how that reference account implemented this software?" Or, imagine if you were a candidate for a job but your interviewer wasn't very skilled -- by answering the question the interviewer should have asked, you look like a powerful and suitable candidate.

Asking questions so that you hear accurate answers is a skill they don't teach you in school. (As far as I know, I'm one of the few people who teach how to answer the questions you weren't asked but should have been.) Skillful questioning and answering can make the difference between a successful project, a suitable candidate, selecting a vendor -- anything that involves connecting with people to hear more about what they do and what they have to offer.

In this session, Johanna will explain about a variety of questioning techniques and how to use them. Then, we�ll break into groups based on your particular issues and practice the questions -- and see what kinds of answers you hear.

• Discuss interviewing issues
• Discuss which questions make sense when (examples include: context free questions, open questions, closed questions, behavior-description questions, auditions, meta-questions)
• Learn and practice selecting which questions to use in which situations

Minimum: 3

Maximum: None

Constraints: None

Track

Team Effectiveness
Organizational Effectiveness
Tools and Skills