When was the last time you got to know your ideal audience? I mean, like really got to know them.
Befriending your audience isn’t as simple as sending out a nice survey and hoping for an answer. I agree that the online survey is a good start, but you need to jump through multiple hoops to gather enough intelligence on your audience for smart content creation.
The process involves active listening.
Active listening is the ability to redirect your focus from what is going on inside your head to the needs of your prospective interviewee. It’s all about them.
Read: The Key to Identify and Befriend Your Ideal Audience
When conducting human-centered interviews, you have to actively listen. The benefit is on both sides of the table. On one side, you’re able to comprehend and build a deeper understanding of the needs and concerns of the audience. If you’re able to see to their level, content creation actively becomes more focused and purposeful. On the other hand, your audience knows if you’re not ‘in it to win it.’ Interviewing is tedious and hard work for both sides. Active listening helps ensure the time is well spent — and the audience remains engaged.
Active listening benefits the interview process, but how can we take a step further with our empathy interviews?
Preparation for the interviews is only the beginning. Once the interview process begins, it becomes more important to remain human-centric in the way interviews are conducted. Here are a few suggestions.
Create a friendly atmosphere. Often times, I see customer interviews in cold and unfriendly office spaces. There is no reason not to take a current customer out to lunch or coffee to conduct an interview. As long as the space is quiet, a more friendly and relaxed atmosphere helps the interview run smoother.
Introduce yourself, then make it all about them. The interview needs context. What is the project? Why are you there? Answer the basics, then immediately turn the attention to the interviewee, because the interview is about them. How often have you been in an interview where the interviewer [Mark and Marge] dominated the conversation?
When in doubt, ask why. ‘Why’ is the magic statement for human-centered interview questions. By continuously asking why, you dig deeper and deeper into the meaning, emotions, motivations, and thinking process that leads the interviewee to come to a conclusion on their thoughts.
I personally believe the interview question list is never set in stone. It’s continuously evolving and improving. It’s becoming more and more human-centered as you learn how to ask better questions and ask in such a way that your audience spills the secrets. Now, I’m spilling my secrets. Below are eight interview questions I ask my audience frequently. Why frequently? Because the intelligence gathering process never ends. You need to continue to gather and befriend your audience in order to keep fulfilling their needs — and help them achieve their goals.
Here are my favorite interview questions to ask your audience.
Human-centered interview questions are fundamental components of human-centered digital content. I would even argue that it’s the most important component. Human-geared interview questions help you navigate to the heart and soul of your content. The process involves active listening, conducting empathy interviews, and asking the right questions of your audience.
CEO LinkedIn Lead Strategy Lead
Megan is the CEO of MTC | The Content Agency. As CEO, she’s in charge of making sure the team fulfills client project expectations and everything runs smoothly. As Lead Strategist, her strategy background is provided on all projects – LinkedIn Marketing, SEO, Content Strategy, and Content Writing. Based in Berlin, Megan enjoys long bike rides around the city.
