Analysing interview questions
Different question types
Open-ended question: Most common type of question used, designed to give out more information.
Closed-ended question: Very easy to answer, they are used to encourage participation from the interviewee.
Multiple question: Gives the interviewee a choice between different answers, leave the person whose being interviewed a lot of room to give detailed answers.
Direct question: Straight to the point questions that force the interviewee to give a specific answer.
Suggestive question: The question leans towards the answer, more direct.
Entertainment interview – Reporter to Mila Kunis
In this particular interview, we see actress Mila Kunis interviewed by several different interviewers at the premier of her new movie 'Third Person'. She becomes very uncomfortable with one interviewer, who starts asking her very personal questions such as how she was feeling with her general day-to-day life. She replies that "I don't like to talk about my personal life due to publication". According to the interviewer themselves, "she didn't respond to any question I asked her in a good way, she saw every question as dull or offensive in some way". The interviewer then proceeds to ask her more about her personal life, in particular her immigration to the United States. The interviewer states, "she became very moody with me and wouldn’t answer any of my questions properly, but she proceed to reassure me that this wasn't a reflection on her as a person, and that this was still a good interview".
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM0jPYhI0v0 - Mila Kunis scolds a photographer
[[Accessed 13th September 2015 at 13:19]]
Mila's body language towards the interviewer clearly shows that she doesn't like the kind of questions that are being asked to her. Most of the questions asked are very open-ended and leave a lot to the imagination, meaning that the interviewer is most likely guaranteed to get a hit or miss answer to some of the questions. In particular, the question that's to do with Mila's immigration to the US clearly strikes a nerve ending with her as she proceeds to direct the interviewer in a hostile way, asking them to wait their turn and to stop yelling at her. The interviewer doesn't give up, continuing to try and get their questions across to Mila, leaving her frustrated and unable to answer any other questions properly. Sometimes using so many open-ended questions isn't the best option as the interviewer can always ask a question that might strike a raw nerve with the interviewee, and that will make them feel uncomfortable and other questions might annoy them even more.
Entertainment interview – Daybreak to Jenna Coleman
“So what’s it like working on something [Doctor Who] that’s loved by people around the world?” – Open question, this particular question encourages Jenna to give a detailed answer, as it’s a more in-depth question.
“What was it like filming that last scene? I know you and Matt [Smith] were pretty close, and I heard you only got the job because you could speak quicker than him?” – Multiple question, because more than one question has been asked, it invites Jenna to give more than one answer. It can also lead into more questions if the answers she gives are detailed enough.
“Is it true that you’ve never seen the show [Doctor Who] before acting on it?” – Suggestive question, the ‘is it true’ part leans towards the actual answer as it sets Jenna up for the answer. As with multiple questions, a suggestive question can lead towards other questions too if the answer given is in-depth enough.
News interview – Parkinson to Rowan Atkinson
“He’s [Mr. Bean] hugely popular around the world with fans isn’t he?” – Close-ended question, this question only really has one answer to it as its very close ended and only leans towards one question.
“What was the reason why it [Blackadder] was set over 500 years ago?” – Open-ended question, it requires the interviewee to give a detailed answer and to explain their answer fully. The interviewer is trying to get the interviewee to give a detailed answer, and is trying to shift away from a simple answer.
“Did you feel bad in the moment, like when you did it?” – Open-ended question, requires the interviewee to give a more detailed answer then they would if the interview asked them a close-ended question.
Different question types
Open-ended question: Most common type of question used, designed to give out more information.
Closed-ended question: Very easy to answer, they are used to encourage participation from the interviewee.
Multiple question: Gives the interviewee a choice between different answers, leave the person whose being interviewed a lot of room to give detailed answers.
Direct question: Straight to the point questions that force the interviewee to give a specific answer.
Suggestive question: The question leans towards the answer, more direct.
Entertainment interview – Reporter to Mila Kunis
In this particular interview, we see actress Mila Kunis interviewed by several different interviewers at the premier of her new movie 'Third Person'. She becomes very uncomfortable with one interviewer, who starts asking her very personal questions such as how she was feeling with her general day-to-day life. She replies that "I don't like to talk about my personal life due to publication". According to the interviewer themselves, "she didn't respond to any question I asked her in a good way, she saw every question as dull or offensive in some way". The interviewer then proceeds to ask her more about her personal life, in particular her immigration to the United States. The interviewer states, "she became very moody with me and wouldn’t answer any of my questions properly, but she proceed to reassure me that this wasn't a reflection on her as a person, and that this was still a good interview".
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM0jPYhI0v0 - Mila Kunis scolds a photographer
[[Accessed 13th September 2015 at 13:19]]
Mila's body language towards the interviewer clearly shows that she doesn't like the kind of questions that are being asked to her. Most of the questions asked are very open-ended and leave a lot to the imagination, meaning that the interviewer is most likely guaranteed to get a hit or miss answer to some of the questions. In particular, the question that's to do with Mila's immigration to the US clearly strikes a nerve ending with her as she proceeds to direct the interviewer in a hostile way, asking them to wait their turn and to stop yelling at her. The interviewer doesn't give up, continuing to try and get their questions across to Mila, leaving her frustrated and unable to answer any other questions properly. Sometimes using so many open-ended questions isn't the best option as the interviewer can always ask a question that might strike a raw nerve with the interviewee, and that will make them feel uncomfortable and other questions might annoy them even more.
Entertainment interview – Daybreak to Jenna Coleman
“So what’s it like working on something [Doctor Who] that’s loved by people around the world?” – Open question, this particular question encourages Jenna to give a detailed answer, as it’s a more in-depth question.
“What was it like filming that last scene? I know you and Matt [Smith] were pretty close, and I heard you only got the job because you could speak quicker than him?” – Multiple question, because more than one question has been asked, it invites Jenna to give more than one answer. It can also lead into more questions if the answers she gives are detailed enough.
“Is it true that you’ve never seen the show [Doctor Who] before acting on it?” – Suggestive question, the ‘is it true’ part leans towards the actual answer as it sets Jenna up for the answer. As with multiple questions, a suggestive question can lead towards other questions too if the answer given is in-depth enough.
News interview – Parkinson to Rowan Atkinson
“He’s [Mr. Bean] hugely popular around the world with fans isn’t he?” – Close-ended question, this question only really has one answer to it as its very close ended and only leans towards one question.
“What was the reason why it [Blackadder] was set over 500 years ago?” – Open-ended question, it requires the interviewee to give a detailed answer and to explain their answer fully. The interviewer is trying to get the interviewee to give a detailed answer, and is trying to shift away from a simple answer.
“Did you feel bad in the moment, like when you did it?” – Open-ended question, requires the interviewee to give a more detailed answer then they would if the interview asked them a close-ended question.