Yeah, maybe “dumb” should be in quotation marks. My point is that I hear too many radio and TV hosts posturing for their audience instead of getting their guests to reveal something about themselves. It’s sloppy journalism.

Also, the journalist/lawyer/investigator often asks questions that they already know the answer to, because they don’t want to assume what the person’s answer will be.

In some circumstances, asking a dumb question is appropriate, because it’s important for the person to state the obvious.

I agree that the objective of the interviewer is NOT to look smart. Their objective is, or should be, to find out as much about the person/subject as is possible, AND to find out specific information that they particularly wish to know. This is true for job interviews, public relations interviews, news interviews, etc. And the way to do that is indeed to ask questions.

But where I disagree is that those questions should ever be “dumb questions”. Open-ended? Yes, often. “Dumb”? Never.

Examples of dumb questions?
“How do you feel about your husband being trapped down in the mine” (Really irritates people viewing the news.)
“What position did you have in the last company you worked for?” (On the front page of the resume in the interviewer’s hand.)

Asking “dumb” questions can bring an interview to a screeching halt, because the person being interviewed becomes irritated with the questions AND the person asking them. Where a job interview is concerned, it can result in a very qualified candidate losing interest in the job you are trying to fill. Where a public relations or news interview is concerned, it can result in increased gamesmanship, or the interviewee being less forthcoming, or even that individual walking away from the interview entirely.

Ask questions — many of which should be open ended. But consider carefully the questions that should be asked. And after asking those open-ended questions, don’t hesitate to ask more pointed questions to solicit more specific information.

John Hornbeck
http://www.MarketingTalentNetwork.com
http://www.YourMTN.wordpress.com/

Thanks. I`m full of brilliant insights like that!

In the case of a job interview, it could be useful to ask a question that tries to get the person to reveal something about themselves.

Asking a question that reveals how much you know about some topic won`t necessarily help you decide whether the person would be good at the job.

Sounds like the same kind of bozo you were arguing with.

I’m always under the impression that an interview is supposed to pick a suitable candidate for the role specified. No matter how highly anyone holds a job if the questions are not relevant then the interviewer has failed and will most likely hire someone to help him/her drag the company down.