Preparing questions in advance of research or an interview is vital for a variety of reasons. First, it means you’ve thought of all possible questions in advance. This in turn means any follow-up interview will focus on drilling deeper instead of playing catch-up.
During the interview itself, you can genuinely listen to the respondent’s answers instead of thinking up the next question. (Similar to handling a crisis or negotiating a deal, most people’s creativity disintegrates during tense situations.) Most important, it universally improves creative sessions because it ensures your brainstormers have the information they need to generate new ideas.
ost questions fall into ten different categories. The list below isn’t meant to be definitive, but I’ve often it’s a good place for teams to adapt and expand to fit a particular situation or client. (It probably goes without saying, but depending upon the organisation or the topic, you may need to sign a non-disclosure agreement to get the information you need.)
The easy method: begin by brainstorming all possible questions in each area. A friend uses a slightly more elaborate method. She begins by developing questions in each area by listing a) what information she knows for sure, b) what assumptions she has (what she think she knows), and c) what she doesn’t know. After you have plenty of questions in each group, finish by using R-O-P-E.
- Remove any questions that doesn’t make sense in context with the others.
- Organise similar questions together.
- Prioritise the questions.
- Evaluate the questions one last time – just to make sure you haven’t missed anything.
A last piece of advice: divide the questions among team members so one person isn’t doing all the work.
Group 1. Background, or Facts of Establishment
Ask questions about the company or organisation, including its ...
- Products, services or offerings
- Industry or category
- Intellectual property
- Network: associations, organizations, groups, individuals
- Proprietary methodologies, steps or phases
- Vision and mission
Group 2: Outcome and Impact
Ask questions about the …
- Objectives or goals of the project or assignment
- Consequences or benefits of a successful outcome
- Milestones or phases along the way to be recognised
- Impact to the organisation, internally and externally
- Impact to the industry or category, internally and externally
- Project success criteria
- Measurement and evaluation
Group 3: Environment
Ask questions about the wider perspective, outside of the company or organisation, such as …
- Economic environment
- Societal environment
- The history - particularly details which suggest the present state of affairs
- The future – trends or forecasting which may impact or influence future decisions
- Any previous campaigns or ideas which addressed the same subject or topic
Group 4: Competition
Ask questions about …
- Direct or indirect competitors
- Real or perceived competitors
- Other products, choices
- Competitors increasing or decreasing in strength, and why
- Anything or anyone who competes for attention in the same ‘space’
Group 5: Issues and Barriers
Ask questions about …
- Obstacles, problems, issues or barriers that are standing in way of success
- Perceptual issues – ones the audience thinks are issues by in truth, are not
- Communications issues
- Logistical, organisational or operational issues
- Probable causes for each issue
- Best (or past) methods to address each issue
Group 6: Opportunities and Drivers
Ask questions about …
- Opportunities, drivers, assets to leverage
- Points of differentiation
- Unique selling propositions
- Any ‘good news’
Group 7: Audiences
Ask questions about the …
- Primary target audience – the single audience which needs to change its opinion, attitude or behaviour
- Secondary audiences – anyone who influences the primary audience’s decision
- Media influences, traditional and digital
- Current or desired perceptions of any or all audiences
Group 8: Logistics and Operations
Ask questions about …
- Budget
- Time frame
- Processes (approval processes, communications processes)
- Resources
- Internal staff, consultants, agencies of record
Group 9: Internal Agenda
Ask questions about the …
- Decision-making process
- Organisational or cultural style or tone, corporate vocabulary
- Other departments or units which need to be informed or updated
