How to Interview Employees (a.k.a. Colleagues)

When you put a microphone in front of someone, they change.

Especially in a corporate setting.

I’ve studied how to interview employees for years. In person. On the phone. Zoom. For a video. For an article.

As soon as the mic comes out or the Teams transcript starts rolling, people tense up.

Some seem eager for the spotlight and are comfortable being interviewed.

But that’s rare.

Should You Use a Script When Interviewing Employees?

The best way to interview anyone, let alone an employee, is to not have a script.

I learned this from listening to the legendary Bob McCown for years.

No prepared questions.

If you interview from a list of prepared questions, you’re going to miss something in the person’s answers because you’re too worried about asking your next question.

This is especially tough for listeners if it’s an audio or video interview.

The listener feels left out. But if the interviewer is genuinely curious and asks the next clear question based on the previous answer, the listener will be more engaged because they probably have the same question.

The listener and interviewer are learning at the same time.

Off-the-cuff interviews can be tough to do in corporate America, where most people (especially executives) like a prepared list of questions to be shared beforehand.

In that case, I still listen intently to their answers even if I know they are talking points. The reasons is so that I can ask a spontaneous follow-up question based on what they said. The goal is to get them talking off script, however slightly.

What Questions Produce Stories, Not Statements?

The best questions in most settings are open-ended.

Walk me through the day it happened…

That tenderizes the interviewee. Gets them talking.

Then you go from there.

Rarely, if ever, ask: How did that make you feel?

You won’t get an interesting reply.

What Is the Silence Technique?

This is another powerful interview tool that gets abandoned, especially when the interviewer has a prepared list of questions.

You have to give the person you’re interviewing time to think.

When it seems like they’re done giving an answer, wait a few beats. The person is usually still thinking, processing. They will often continue with more of the answer.

And, if you’re lucky, it’ll include something a little more genuine because they’ve already recited the staged answer.

What Do You Do With the Quote They Ask You to Cut?

Sadly, this is often unavoidable in a corporate setting.

Especially if it involves an executive.

This is where your corporate communications leader – that executive’s peer – can advocate for the content to remain. This can be hard to do. It takes a unique comms leader to pull this off (although it also takes a cool CEO or other executive to see the value of leaving it in from a why standpoint for the reader).

Whenever I have to cut a quote that I think is powerful, I tuck it away in my article notes for context or reference later.

Practical Checklist

In closing, here’s a practical checklist:

• Avoid prepared questions at all costs
• Ask the next question based on the interviewee’s answer
• Use the Silence Technique
• Ask as many open-ended questions as possible

Interviewing people is one of my favorite things to do.

Let me know if you’d like to chat more about it.

Key Points

• The best way to interview anyone, let alone an employee, is to not have a script.
• If you interview from a list of prepared questions, you’re going to miss something in the person’s answers because you’re too worried about asking your next question.
• The best questions in most settings are open-ended — like “walk me through the day that happened” — rather than “how did that make you feel?”
• The Silence Technique — waiting a few beats after someone seems done answering — often gets them to continue with something more genuine.
• When an executive asks to cut a powerful quote, a corporate communications leader can advocate for it to remain, and if it’s cut, it’s worth tucking away for context or reference later.

Common Questions

Should I prepare a list of questions before interviewing an employee?
No — the best way to interview anyone, let alone an employee, is to not have a script. Prepared questions can cause you to miss something in the person’s answers because you’re too worried about asking your next question.

What if the executive I’m interviewing insists on seeing questions beforehand?
In that case, still listen intently to their answers even if you know they are talking points. The reason is so you can ask a spontaneous follow-up question based on what they said — the goal is to get them talking off script, however slightly.

What kind of questions get the best answers?
Open-ended ones, like “walk me through the day that happened.” That tenderizes the interviewee and gets them talking. Rarely, if ever, ask “how did that make you feel?” since you won’t get an interesting reply.

What is the Silence Technique in interviewing?
It’s waiting a few beats after someone seems to be done giving an answer. The person is usually still thinking, processing, and will often continue with more of the answer — sometimes something more genuine because they’ve already recited the staged answer.

What should I do if an executive asks me to cut a quote?
A corporate communications leader, as that executive’s peer, can advocate for the content to remain, though that can be hard to pull off. If the quote does get cut, it’s worth tucking away in your article notes for context or reference later.