In previous tips, we've shared some questioning and listening techniques designed to overcome difficult research challenges and drive more effective research.

One research challenge exists when a contact finds a question too personal or too risky to answer. They may not want to be associated with their answer, even though you meant no harm with your question.

One effective technique to avoid or overcome this challenge is what we call the "Straw Man" technique. This type of question implies the presence of another person and invites the interviewee to put themselves in that person's shoes. This makes their answer much less personal.

Here is a situation to consider. What if an interviewee thought there were some inadequacies with the company's leadership team? How likely are they to open up with their opinion if they don't know you well? If you were to ask them, "What do you think needs to change in your company?", would they really tell you that they think their leadership team needs an overhaul?

This is a situation where a "Straw Man" question might work well. Here is an example, "If a new General Manager were to take over this organization tomorrow, what is the first thing he or she would change?"

Both questions can get to the same answer, even though the "Straw Man" question is "safer" for a person to answer. By asking the question this way, you allow the interviewee to provide an answer like, "If a new GM were taking over tomorrow, I think he or she would probably take a good hard look at our front line leadership team to see if the company is headed the right direction".