Journal / 文章
采访前，我把问题写小一点
比起问一个很大的“为什么”，具体到某一天、某个动作，回答往往更接近真实经历。
Before an interview, I make the questions smaller
刚开始练习采访时，我会在本子上列很多问题。每问完一个就打勾，生怕空下来几秒，显得自己没准备好。结果一场采访结束，问题都问到了，笔记里却没有多少能直接写进稿子的细节。
后来老师提醒我们，把问题问得具体一点。我把“大学生活让你有什么变化”改成“你第一次觉得自己和高中不一样，是在哪一天”。对方会开始回忆一个地方、一通电话，或当时和谁在一起。这样的回答有时间和动作，继续追问也更容易。
准备时，我现在会把问题分成两部分。一部分核对基本事实：时间、地点、人物和过程；另一部分留给现场，根据对方刚说的话继续问。第二部分没办法提前写满，它要求我真的听见回答。
我还是会怕冷场。不过对方停下来想一想时，我不再立刻拿下一个问题填进去。有一次我多等了几秒，对方补充的那句话，后来成了整篇作业最清楚的一段。
采访前把问题写小，不代表把题目做小。只是先从一个人真正经历过的时刻进去，再看看它能把我们带到哪里。
Read the English versionA question about one day or one action often brings a more useful answer than a very large “why.”
When I first practiced interviewing, I filled my notebook with questions. I ticked each one off as I asked it, afraid that a few quiet seconds would make me look unprepared. By the end I had completed the list, but my notes contained few details that could go directly into the story.
Later, a teacher suggested making the questions more specific. I changed “How has university changed you?” to “When did you first notice that you were different from high school?” The answer began with a place, a phone call, and the person who was there. Once an answer has time and action, a follow-up becomes easier.
Now I prepare two kinds of questions. The first checks basic facts: time, place, people, and sequence. The second can only be written during the conversation, in response to what the person has just said. That part requires actual listening.
I still worry about silence, but I no longer fill every pause immediately. Once I waited a few more seconds and the sentence that followed became the clearest paragraph in the assignment.
Making a question smaller does not make the subject smaller. It gives me a real moment to enter through, then lets the conversation show me where to go next.
