The One Question Oprah Winfrey Says Every Guest Asked
Do your prep work
This is Interviewing 101, but the best way to conduct a great interview is to do your research up front and find out who your subject or candidate is before you ever begin. No one is better than this than Terry Gross, the longstanding host of NPR’s Fresh Air. She’s asked probing questions and gotten compelling responses from many luminaries, including most recently Colson Whitehead, Halle Berry, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
“I read, watch, or listen to as much of the person’s work as possible, so I have an understanding of what makes them, or their story, important,” she told The New York Times in 2018. By doing this, she’s able to clarify up front why this person matters and why they’re worthy of her listeners’ time.
You can do the same when you prep diligently for an interview. Not only will the interview go better, but you’ll be able to convince hiring managers of what makes a particular candidate interesting and unique.
Oprah Winfrey (source: Milwaukee, via Wikimedia Commons)
Listen deeply
Oprah Winfrey has made her name as an interviewer in part because of her ability to listen closely and treat people with dignity. She’s demonstrated this most recently in her much-acclaimed interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
In the more than 35,000 interviews she’s conducted over the course of her career, Oprah has found one thing in common. “Everyone you meet just wants to be seen and heard,” she told an audience during her ”2020 Vision” tour (before the pandemic started).
“I can tell you,” she added, “in your daily encounters, in your kitchen, in your work, in all of your relationships . . . that is what every person you encounter is looking to know. ‘Did you see me? Do you hear me?’”
When you listen intently to a candidate, it helps them feel seen and heard. It makes them feel important, which will only help them form a positive opinion of your company and the role they’re interviewing for.
Stephen Colbert (source: Montclair Film, via Wikimedia Commons)
She is comfortable with silence
Silence feels uncomfortable for both the interviewer and the interviewee. And while many interviewers race to fill any pause that lasts more than a second or two, Oprah sits back and waits.
She knows her guests feel awkward too. And she lets them fill the gap.
The pause is often a sign that a guest is hesitating to share more information. When theres an awkward silence, however, most guests will be eager to fill it — even if that means chiming in with the rest of a story that theyre hesitant to tell.
This is crucial as it means her guests often go on to share the harder parts of their stories or the raw emotions theyre experiencing.
5 public speaking lessons from Oprah’s playbook
Here are five lessons from Oprah’s playbook, with a nod to the great Larry King:
FAQ
How do I conduct an interview like Oprah?
- Do your prep work. …
- Listen deeply. …
- Know the three to five questions you want to ask. …
- Put people at ease. …
- Keep it conversational. …
- Ask short, simple questions and give your interviewees lots of room to talk. …
- Ask open-ended questions.
Who is the best interviewer in the world?
Oprah is kind when asking questions but she’s also direct. Her manner of asking tough questions in a matter-of-fact way helps people feel more comfortable answering. After all, if you’re apologetic or you seem uncomfortable asking a question, people may think they should feel awkward about answering.
How many interviews has Oprah done?
