We ask questions. We answer questions.

We do it all the time.

Seems simple enough, right?

But Jason Alba thought differently.

Jason is the CEO of the highly successful career management tool JibberJobber and author of "I'm on LinkedIn: Now What?"

Jason invited me to write a guest post about using LinkedIn's "Answers" section to our benefit. Of course, I couldn't refuse the offer :-)

If you have a minute, check out "The Power of Questions: 5 Secrets to Strengthen Your Brand" on Jason's companion blog for his book.

Thanks, Jason, for the opportunity!

---Tom

The Power of Questions 5 Secrets to Strengthen Your Brand

Have you ever spent a lot of time preparing for an interview only to walk away less than thrilled with what you captured?

Don't let it happen again.

Since I've been blessed to interview hundreds of heroes over 23 years and in an earlier post, I shared my one big secret to capturing a great interview.

So now, here are my best 22 interviewing tips to help you make every interview your best story possible.

1. Create a comfortable place for the interview; have water ready for your hero and be reassuring.
2. Ask open-ended questions to get the person talking in depth. Avoid asking questions that create a “yes” or “no” answer.
3. Be a “story steward.” If you will be editing your hero’s story, tell them that. They will feel more comfortable knowing that and open themselves up to you. If you are not editing their words, tell them who is so they understand the process.
4. If your hero freezes up, remind them you are their “story steward.” It is you who will be taking care of their words and story.
5. Do not interrupt! Nod your head in acknowledgement while they answer.
6. Ditch your list of questions when your hero says something surprising. Ask new questions based on what was said, not necessarily what is next on your list.
7. Keep you questions short: ten words or less!
8. Ask: “What’s at stake?” This is an excellent question to end your program. It could be interpreted any number of ways, so let your hero choose how to answer.
9. Ask: “What does the future hold for you/your company?”
10. Ask: “How did you get into this business?
11. Ask: “What do you think your story tells our audience?”
12. Ask: “What’s the most amazing part of your life?”
13. Listen 100%. Stop playing your tapes. Listen to theirs.
14. Ask the first few questions again at the end of the interview. Everybody’s warmed up by then and you’ll likely get better, as well as, different answers.
15. Try not to give the questions ahead of time to your hero. Most likely, they will wind up memorizing answers and come off stiff during the actual interview.
16. Ask “throw away” questions when first starting. This gets everybody warmed up. Try, “What are your hobbies?” “What books are you reading?” and the like.
17. Imagine hearing the type of answers you want. This helps you focus precisely on the question you need to ask to create the answers you want.
18. Be completely open to “infinite possibilities.” Anything can, and will, happen!
19. Repeat questions, if necessary, to capture the answer you really need. Do not be afraid to say, “I liked that answer a lot. Can you give me a shorter version of it?”
20. At the end of the interview, ask “Is there anything we missed?” Invite your hero to say whatever else might be on their mind.
21. Allow the crew to ask questions, if it’s appropriate. You can count on being surprised!
22. Share gratitude to your hero for the unique opportunity of capturing their remarkable story to help change the world.

Got a tip? Share it here.

---Tom

P.S. This post was inspired by Brian Clark over at Copyblogger. Brian challenged his readers to take one of his Cosmo headlines and apply it to our blog. Check out the comment section for other amazing posts.

My 22 Best On Camera Interviewing Tips Ever

"Our product is peace," John Lennon riffed. "Let's sell it like soap!"

That was almost 40 years ago, folks.

Imagine. Just imagine.

---Tom

Selling Peace Like Soap

Today's leading mind-body teacher, Deepak Chopra, spoke today at the United Nations.

His topic? "Consciousness and the Pursuit of Peace." In the hour plus talk, Deepak shares his insights about the power of creativity, the creation of joy at work and the evolution of human consciousness.

Here's a few take-aways in case you're interested...

There is a new paradigm currently underway. It's called "consciousness." What will be the next phase of human evolution? The survival of the wisest.

Physical stuff is not physical. The essential nature of the physical world is non-physical...it's non-stuff. Yup.

Energy and information is the raw material of the universe.

The physical world is as proportionally void as intergalactic space. Read that again...that's a lot of space!

We are flickering in and out of existence! We are in a state of discontinuity that appears continuous.

Since we are perpetually going in and out of existence, this creates the illusion of continuity. It's the same effect as watching a movie. The frames move fast enough for our eyes to experience continuity. In fact, the movie is nothing but a series of "on" and "off" signals. The exact same thing is happening in "real" life.

Where do we "go" in the "off?" What is in the "off?" What are the qualities of being in the "discontinuity"?

Here are the five attributes of the "off" or discontinuity that leading scientists so far agree on:

1. There are infinite possibilities! There is "all that was, is and will be." Since there is no energy, no space-time, no information in the "off," only an infinite amount of possibilities can exist.

2. Non-correlation. Everything is in harmony with everything else. Everything in nature is perfectly synchronized.

3. Chaos abounds! There is a proliferation of uncertainty.

4. Quantum leaps of creativity occur through that chaos.

5. The "Observer Effect." You cannot have a physical world unless there is a consciousness to witness it.

Through cyberspace, we have for the first time the ability to gather insights from the most forward thinkers alive to achieve critical mass to heal our world.

Perhaps this gives us a glimpse into where our creativity "comes from."

If you don't get it first time around, don't worry. The lecture in not for the light-hearted.

Grab a cup of tea, folks. Do not miss this.

---Tom

Creativity and the 5 Qualities of the Divine Discontinuity