Preparing Questions for a Written Response
Launch library · evergreen read
Questions intended for a written rather than spoken answer need a different kind of care in their drafting, since there will be no opportunity to clarify or rephrase in the moment if a subject misreads what is actually being asked of them. There is no opportunity here to clarify tone or intent once the questions have already been sent.
Precision matters more here than in a spoken exchange, where tone and immediate follow up can smooth over an ambiguous question. A written question should be clear enough to stand entirely on its own, without the interviewer present to explain what they meant. A subject reading a written question has only the words themselves to interpret, with no other context to rely on.
It also helps to keep written questions relatively few and focused, since a long list can feel like a burdensome task to a subject rather than an invitation to reflect, discouraging the thoughtful answers the format is best suited to produce. A shorter, more focused set of questions tends to earn a genuinely more considered response than a longer one ever does.