Learning to ask questions from watching Leadership Live with David Rubenstein

My personal learning journey to asking better questions.

Disclaimer: This is for my personal learning, and I have no intention of distorting or stealing the content of Mr. David Rubenstein’s interviews. I note the questions while watching the interviews to learn how to ask better questions.

The David Rubenstein Show: Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch

• Now that you have been the secretary for a while, is the job as good as you thought it is going to be and you’re happy that you have it?
• Where did you operate from when COVID-19 was prevalent?
• You came to Washington to get your undergraduate education at American university and so you’re an African-American male and this is the 1960s 1970s late 70s so were there lots of job opportunities?
• It’s one of the few museums at the Smithsonian up to now where you don’t you can’t just walk in because you need tickets because this demand is so great and did you expect the demand be that great?

The visible techniques, in my opinion, are:

1. End with 5W1H questions.
2. Create logical flow starting with a well thought question. Followed by interviewee’s answer, and after which using the keywords from interviewee’s answer to ask the next question. This creates logical flow for people listening to the interview.
3. Provide a few examples after asking a question, and reiterate the question. (IMO, this gives the interviewee time to grasp the question and formulate a response)
4. Know the interviewee’s background to ask relatable questions; thus, minimise asking generic questions.
5. Start with mentioning the humble and honorable background or experience of the interviewee, and go on to ask the question with relevant to his humble background or experience.

PM Lee Hsien Loong at the Atlantic Council dialogue on 28 July 2020

• … in our country that would be considered a landslide, were you happy with the result?
• You… served for 16 years as Prime Minister, your father served for 31 years, I assume you are not going to beat that record right?
• Well let’s talk about COVID-19… foreign workers, is that fair? And how do you have it under control now?
• You have a … contact tracing system, you might describe how that works and whether you think it has been as successful as you would like?
• … in your view?
• … what is the system that you have, and are you convinced that it is the best system for Singapore?
• Back to the U.S. elections and so forth, … do they have any political party they want to win the U.S. or you stay very neutral in this?
• … what is the general reaction in Singapore or Asia to what is happening in happening in Hong Kong now?
• How do you compare you know the current President of China with others that you have met? In terms of his ability, his desire, how do you assess him…?
• How is that going? And what are you goals?
• So if the next President of the United States whoever it might be…. he call you and said I need some advice to enhance our relationship in Asia, what would be your one or two things you would tell the next President to do?

The visible technique, in my opinion, is:

1. Start the sentence with the subject e.g. if the question is about China, Hong Kong, and U.S. sanction, then bring up the subject as early as possible, and end the question with 5W1H. (IMO, this gives the interviewee time to grasp the topic of the question and formulate a response)

Leadership Live With David Rubenstein: Michael Evans, Alibaba Group President

• Where am I getting you today? Where are you coming from?
• I should disclose to people that don’t know Michael that well… What is it like to win a Olympic gold medal?
• For people living outside of China… What does Alibaba do?
• Governor Cuomo contacted you… Is that what essentially happened?
• Alibaba is not trying to compete with Amazon I guess… Is that fair?
• What is like to be a Chinese face company, you have the government coming after you? What is it like?
• Amazon has done so well in the US, it almost does not have a number 2 competing with it. Does Alibaba have a number 2 or somebody is even close to Alibaba?
• So you do not speak mandarin, so you probably speak some of it, why do you not need to speak mandarin? Do they speak English when you are having board meetings, do they have interpreters? How do that work?
• What are your biggest worries about the future?
• You have a twin brother is that right, he doesn’t work at Amazon is that right?

The visible technique, in my opinion, is:

1. End with a question, particularly 5W1H.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon | Leadership Live with David Rubenstein

• Many companies have been hurt in the COVID-19 crisis, particularly retailers but Walmart has done particularly well. Is that correct?
• Why are other retailers not able to get street traffic but you are getting street traffic or is online traffic?
• How total stores does Walmart have?
• Do you expect to hold on to all these employees or you think that we will get a decline in sales after the COVID-19 period?
• When you look at the sales product, what has been in the greatest demand? Hand sanitiser? Face mask?
• The great decision that somebody made I guess to David Glass was to go into food if you and Sam Walton hadn’t gone into food. You are the biggest retailer in the US, is that right?
• Let’s talk about your own background for a moment, did you go to a fancy Ivy league business school, did you work at a fancy consulting firm private equity firm, how did you get this job to be the CEO of Walmart?
• When you go into Walmart stores people know who you are, or people don’t know who you are?
• Any customers say this place isn’t so good and this is what they should do to fix it, and what do you say to them that I am the CEO and I will fix it or what do you say?
• There is a myth or maybe it’s a myth that the most important thing that people really want is the lowest possible price is that true when they shop at Walmart or is it the quality of the product, what is it that people want?
• You biggest competitor in business is Amazon I assume, is that correct?
• What have you learned from Amazon? Did they teach you certain things or you have done something they wish they have done?
• It is rumoured that you are going to announce some kind of Prime of equivalent for Walmart is that going to be announced some time soon?
• It is also rumoured that you are getting into health insurance, is that true?
• Let’s take a moment talk about what you have been doing in the various areas and where you have stores, are making contributions to food bank? What have you been doing philanthropically in different areas?
• Tell me what keeps you up at night? You don’t have any gray hair you seem like you are calm. You have anything keeps you up at night?
• You are a very young man by my standards, and you have been doing this for 6 years, can you imagine yourself doing this for another 6 years? Do you have any aspiration to go into government?

The visible techniques, in my opinion, are:

1. End with a 5W1H question.
2. Start with open-ended questions with the intention of eliciting certain keyword/topic, and once the keyword/topic is mentioned, use the keyword/topic to ask the intended question.
3. Change the mood using i.e. Let’s talk about or Let’s take a moment talk.

David Rubenstein | Full Address and Q&A | Oxford Union

Mr. Rubenstein noted the following format for his interviews:

1. Interview them about their lives and how they rose from obscurity and came up.
2. Followed by, ask them 3 or 4 questions after some humorous questions.
3. Do the interview without notes because notes are like crutches. If the interviewer has good memory then he does not need the crutches. Furthermore, as soon as we look down, we lose eye contact with the person we are interviewing then it does not seem like a real conversation.