❓ Interview Question Bank

Curated collection of effective questions adapted for different stakeholder types. Learn the art of asking questions that generate genuine insights rather than confirming what you already believe.

🔗 From Problem Tree to Powerful Questions

Connecting to Your Assumptions

Each assumption (A) from your Problem Tree Analysis needs validation through carefully crafted questions. Poor questions lead to poor data - this guide helps you ask questions that unlock real understanding.

The Validation Framework

Transform your Problem Tree elements into exploration themes:

Root Causes → “Help me understand why…”
Core Problem → “Tell me about your experience with…”
Effects → “What happens when…”

🎯 Universal Opening Questions

Building Rapport and Context

These questions work across all stakeholder types to open conversations:

Ice Breakers:

“Tell me a bit about yourself and your connection to [issue/community]”
“How long have you been involved with [issue/organization/community]?”
“What’s a typical day like for you regarding [relevant context]?”

Context Setting:

“What changes have you seen in [issue] over the past few years?”
“How does [issue] show up in this community?”
“When did you first become aware of [problem]?”

Permission to Explore:

“What would be helpful for us to understand about [issue]?”
“What questions should we be asking that we might not know to ask?”
“What do outsiders often misunderstand about this situation?”

👥 Questions by Stakeholder Type

Primary Stakeholders (Directly Affected)

Understanding Lived Experience:

EFFECTIVE ✅
"Can you walk me through what happens when [problem occurs]?"
"What does [problem] mean for your daily life?"
"How do you currently manage/cope with [challenge]?"

INEFFECTIVE ❌
"Don't you think [problem] is serious?" (leading)
"Why don't you just [simple solution]?" (judgmental)
"Is [problem] your biggest challenge?" (assumptive)

Exploring Root Causes:

EFFECTIVE ✅
"What makes this problem harder to solve here?"
"What would need to be different for this to improve?"
"What barriers do you face when trying to [desired action]?"

INEFFECTIVE ❌
"Is it because of [single cause]?" (oversimplifying)
"Who's to blame for this?" (blame-focused)
"Don't you have [resource]?" (assumptive)

Understanding Effects:

EFFECTIVE ✅
"How does [problem] affect your family/work/community?"
"What opportunities have you missed because of [problem]?"
"What worries you most about the future if this continues?"

INEFFECTIVE ❌
"You must be suffering a lot?" (presumptive)
"Doesn't this make you angry?" (emotional leading)
"How bad is it really?" (minimizing)

Secondary Stakeholders (Influence/Expertise)

Technical Validation:

EFFECTIVE ✅
"Based on your expertise, what are we missing in our analysis?"
"What evidence have you seen that supports or challenges [assumption]?"
"What approaches have you seen work in similar contexts?"

INEFFECTIVE ❌
"We think [solution], do you agree?" (confirmation seeking)
"Isn't [cause] the real problem?" (leading)
"You're the expert, what should we do?" (over-dependent)

Resource and Partnership:

EFFECTIVE ✅
"What role could your organization play in addressing this?"
"What resources or capabilities exist that aren't being utilized?"
"What would successful collaboration look like to you?"

INEFFECTIVE ❌
"Can you fund our project?" (premature ask)
"Will you support whatever we decide?" (vague)
"Don't you think you should help?" (guilt-based)

Tertiary Stakeholders (Broader Context)

System Understanding:

EFFECTIVE ✅
"How does [problem] connect to your area of work?"
"What indirect effects of [problem] do you observe?"
"Who else is working on related issues we should know about?"

INEFFECTIVE ❌
"This isn't really your problem, is it?" (dismissive)
"You probably don't know much about this?" (assumptive)
"Can we count on your support?" (premature)

🔍 Deep Dive Question Techniques

The Five Whys Technique

Start with a surface observation and dig deeper:

“Why do you think [problem] happens?” → “Because [surface reason]”
“Why does [surface reason] occur?” → “Because [deeper reason]”
“Why is [deeper reason] the case?” → “Because [systemic reason]”
“Why does [systemic reason] exist?” → “Because [root cause]”
“Why has [root cause] persisted?” → “Because [fundamental issue]”

The Critical Incident Technique

Explore specific examples for rich detail:

“Can you tell me about the last time [problem] affected you?”
“Walk me through exactly what happened”
“What were you thinking/feeling at that moment?”
“What did you do? What didn’t you do? Why?”
“Looking back, what would have helped?”

The Appreciative Inquiry Approach

Focus on what works to understand what’s possible:

“Tell me about a time when this worked well”
“What was different about that situation?”
“What made success possible then?”
“How could we create more of those conditions?”
“What strengths exist that we could build on?”

💬 Question Flow Strategies

The Funnel Approach

Start broad and narrow down:

BROAD: "Tell me about healthcare in your community"
    ↓
"What are the biggest challenges people face?"
    ↓
"You mentioned distance to clinics - tell me more"
    ↓
"How do pregnant women specifically manage this?"
    ↓
SPECIFIC: "What happens during emergencies at night?"

The Problem-Solution Bridge

Connect current state to desired future:

Current State: “How does [problem] work now?”
Impact: “What does this mean for you?”
Ideal State: “What would good look like?”
Barriers: “What prevents that from happening?”
Opportunities: “What could help bridge this gap?”

The Stakeholder Web

Understand relationships and influences:

“Who else is affected by this problem?”
“Who has power to change this situation?”
“Who influences the decision-makers?”
“Who would oppose changes? Why?”
“Who are your allies in addressing this?”

🚫 Questions to Avoid

Leading Questions

❌ “Don’t you think corruption is the main problem?”
✅ “What factors contribute to this problem?”

❌ “Wouldn’t education solve this?”
✅ “What role does education play?”

Binary Questions

❌ “Is this a big problem?” (Yes/No)
✅ “How does this problem affect you?” (Open)

❌ “Do you support our approach?” (Yes/No)
✅ “What are your thoughts on this approach?” (Open)

Loaded Questions

❌ “Why don’t people care about this issue?”
✅ “How do different people view this issue?”

❌ “When will the government finally act?”
✅ “What role could government play?”

Multiple Questions

❌ “What causes this, who’s affected, and what should we do?”
✅ Ask one clear question at a time

Jargon-Heavy Questions

❌ “What’s your theory of change for systemic transformation?”
✅ “What changes would make the biggest difference?”

🎭 Cultural Adaptation

Direct vs. Indirect Cultures

Direct Culture Approach:

Clear, specific questions
Direct attribution acceptable
Okay to challenge/debate
Time-efficient focus

Indirect Culture Approach:

Softer, circular questions
Third-person framing
Respectful, non-confrontational
Relationship before task

Power Distance Considerations

High Power Distance:

More formal language
Acknowledge hierarchy
Permission-seeking tone
Defer to authority

Low Power Distance:

Casual, peer-to-peer
Challenge acceptable
Collaborative tone
Equal participation

Individual vs. Collective

Individual-Oriented:

“What do YOU think?”
Personal experiences
Individual impact
Personal solutions

Collective-Oriented:

“What does the community think?”
Group experiences
Community impact
Collective solutions

📝 Question Planning Template

Pre-Interview Preparation

STAKEHOLDER: [Name]
TYPE: [Primary/Secondary/Tertiary]
CULTURAL CONTEXT: [Notes]
TIME AVAILABLE: [Duration]

PRIORITY ASSUMPTIONS TO VALIDATE:
1. [From Problem Tree]
2. [From Problem Tree]
3. [From Problem Tree]

MUST-ASK QUESTIONS:
□ [Opening/rapport question]
□ [Core validation question 1]
□ [Core validation question 2]
□ [Core validation question 3]
□ [Solution exploration]
□ [Who else to talk to]

IF TIME ALLOWS:
□ [Deeper dive topic 1]
□ [Deeper dive topic 2]
□ [Future visioning]

SENSITIVE TOPICS TO APPROACH CAREFULLY:
- [Topic]: [How to frame]
- [Topic]: [How to frame]

CLOSING:
□ Summary and verification
□ Next steps
□ How to stay in touch

💡 Advanced Questioning Techniques

When You Hit Resistance

They say “I don’t know”:

“What’s your best guess?”
“What have you heard others say?”
“If you had to explain to someone else?”

They give vague answers:

“Can you give me a specific example?”
“What did that look like in practice?”
“Help me understand the details”

They seem uncomfortable:

“We can skip this if you prefer”
“Would you rather discuss something else?”
“Is there a better way to ask this?”

When You Need to Probe

Clarification:

“What do you mean by [term]?”
“Can you help me understand?”
“I want to make sure I got this right…”

Elaboration:

“Tell me more about that”
“What else?”
“And then what happened?”

Examples:

“Can you give me an instance?”
“When was the last time?”
“What did that look like?”

When You’re Checking Understanding

Summarizing:

“So if I understand correctly…”
“Let me play back what I heard…”
“The key points seem to be…”

Verification:

“Did I capture that accurately?”
“What did I miss?”
“Is there more to add?”

📥 Next Steps

After preparing your questions:

Review cultural factors using the Cultural Considerations Guide
Practice active listening techniques
Prepare documentation with the Conversation Documentation Template
Test questions with your team first

Remember: The best interviews feel like conversations. Prepare thoroughly, then be present and responsive to what you actually hear, not what you expected to hear.