01 / START HERE
A useful way to approach it.
Ask for a concrete story: 'What changed after your first failed prototype?' invites an example, decision, and lesson. Start with the audience's question and what the subject can genuinely describe, rather than requesting a rehearsed slogan.
Draft questions in o1 from verified background you supply. Do not invent the subject's history or quotes. This guide prepares written questions; it does not conduct or record an interview. The fictional maker example demonstrates an authored question sequence.
02 / THE PROCESS
Go from question to next step.
- 01
Define the viewer's question
Describe what the finished interview should help the audience understand. Choose a clear angle such as a creative decision, a production challenge, or a project's turning point. A broad biography interview may need several angles; do not let a long background brief replace the purpose of this particular conversation.
- 02
Prepare verified subject context
List background facts you can support, the subject's relevant experience, and information that still needs confirmation. Mark topics requiring permission or an agreed boundary. Do not use an assistant's plausible biography as research. If current background matters, inspect appropriate sources or ask the subject directly before incorporating it into a question.
- 03
Build an open question sequence
Begin with approachable context, move into specific experiences and decisions, then ask about reflection. Write one question at a time instead of combining several requests. Avoid wording that presupposes the answer or declares an unverified success. Give the subject space to explain what happened rather than confirm the story you hoped to tell.
- 04
Prepare follow-ups and evidence prompts
For important questions, add a follow-up asking for an example, a sequence, a tradeoff, or something the viewer could see. Ask what a broad claim means in the subject's own context. Do not script their response. A useful follow-up can change after you hear the actual answer; the written agenda should support listening, not replace it.
- 05
Review boundaries and production needs
Check the agenda with your interview purpose and practical constraints. Confirm participation, recording arrangements, and any sensitive-topic boundaries through your usual process. Identify objects, locations, or demonstrations that could support the conversation. After the interview, verify factual statements and quote context before publishing; a prepared question is not evidence of the answer.
03 / YOUR STARTING POINT
A prompt you can make your own.
Replace the bracketed fields. Add only information you have permission to share. This is a reusable text prompt; it does not run a task from this page.
Draft an interview agenda for {{subject}} about {{topic}} for {{audience}}. Verified background: {{facts}}. Unconfirmed background: {{unknowns}}. Boundaries and production constraints: {{limits}}. Write open questions in a useful sequence, with a follow-up and possible evidence or demonstration request for each important question. Avoid leading wording, invented biography, presumed success, and scripted quotes. Distinguish questions from facts. Finish with what I should confirm before the interview and what needs verification before publication.04 / SEE THE SHAPE OF IT
Illustrative maker-interview question set
Fictional subject and authored questions. No interview occurred, no answers were predicted, and no quotations were obtained.
| Open question | Possible follow-up | Evidence / production need |
|---|---|---|
| How did this project begin? | What was the first version like? | An early object or sketch, if available |
| Which decision was hardest? | What alternatives did you consider? | Subject describes their own tradeoff |
| What did you change after testing? | Can you show one difference? | Two versions the subject can discuss |
| What would you try next? | What would you need to learn first? | Keep future plans as the subject's stated intention |
The agenda encourages specific accounts while leaving room for unexpected answers. It does not turn a proposed narrative into a fabricated subject quotation.
05 / KEEP YOUR JUDGMENT
What to watch before you use it.
Embedding an answer in the question
Leading language narrows the response and can reinforce an unsupported premise. Ask what happened before assuming why it succeeded.
Writing a fictional biography
Use confirmed background and flag gaps. An invented detail can distort the question and undermine the entire interview.
Following the agenda without listening
Treat follow-ups as options. The actual answer may introduce a more useful question than the next item in your draft.
06 / THE FINAL PASS
A little review goes a long way.
Your checks stay on this page. They do not approve or run a task.
07 / GOOD QUESTIONS
Before you begin.
How many questions should I prepare?
Prepare a focused core set and optional follow-ups suited to the available conversation. The goal is enough coverage for the viewer's question, not a fixed number. Allow time for concrete stories and clarification instead of racing through a large list.
Can the assistant write likely answers?
Avoid treating imagined answers as subject testimony. You can plan what evidence a question might seek, but the person must supply their actual experience. Keep fictional teaching examples labeled.
Should I share questions with the subject beforehand?
Choose a preparation approach that fits the interview and the subject's needs. Confirm important boundaries and practical arrangements either way. Sharing an agenda can support preparation, but it does not establish agreement with a narrative or permission to invent answers.