7 Things I Learned From "Stop Asking Questions" by Andrew Warner

Hi guys,

I recently read and summarized Andrew Warner's "Stop Asking Questions" for Founderness. For those who don't know, Andrew runs a pretty popular business podcast called Mixergy.

It's a brilliant book that every podcaster, interviewer, or just a person interested in holding more meaningful conversations should read.

Here are 7 things I learned from the book:

1. Ask your interviewee what they expect from the interview.

Andrew asks a simple, yet effective question to his guests before they come on the podcast: "What's a win for you?"

That eases tension and assures the interviewee that you have their best interests in mind.

2. Join the resistance

Joining the resistance is a useful psychological tactic when talking with people who do not want to open up during a conversation.

Instead of pushing back, agree with them. When you're trying to get some failures out of people, instead of saying: "Tell me about your problems." say: "It's amazing to talk to a person who hasn't had a failure."

3. Stop asking [too many] questions

Andrew reveals that asking question after question made him seem needy in the eyes of his guests. And if you're needy, people don't respect you, which reduces the quality of their answers.

Instead of asking questions, take the lead in the conversation. Instead of asking "How did you get your first customers?" say "Tell me how you got your first customer."

4. Put words in someone else's mouth

Use what others have said as a means of asking the question. Some examples of that:

• What do you say to someone who's listening to us and thinking...?
• What would you say to someone who thought...?
• I imagine someone listening to us thinking... What would you say to that?

5. Seek out specific stories

Seek out stories in your interviews. Pay attention when your interviewees make general statements about their lives and follow up with a request for specific examples.

Ask specific questions, not general "Tell me a story". One story.

Remember, key insights do nothing for your audience if no one remembers them. Use stories to make them stick.

6. Stop Asking "Most" Questions

"Most" questions are generally hard to answer and usually lead to boring answers. Instead of asking "Who's the most influential person in your life?", ask "Could you tell me about a person who's had a big influence on your life?"

7. End of a high note

Always end the conversation with an easy, home-run question for the guest.

Hope you found this interesting! I highly recommend this book. Especially considering it's not one of those "centered around a single concept" books. There are only around 160 pages of useful content.