The last question to ask in any interview.

This week I’ll help you wrap up your conversation by sharing the very last question I ask in every single interview. Are you ready? Here it is: 

Do you have anything else you’d like to say? 

You’d be amazed at the information those nine words can unlock. 

No matter how much research you’ve done and how carefully you’ve prepared your questions, you may have missed a key piece of the puzzle. It may be a brand new development, information that isn’t public knowledge (yet), or an important detail that simply slipped your mind.   

And because this question ‘wraps up’ the official part of the interview, it’s often when sources relax and stop thinking so much before they speak. 

Often, this is where you’ll get your best quote - the one that doesn't sound scripted or like business-speak. Or your source will share a colourful anecdote that adds life to your writing project.  

Sometimes, if the person you’ve been interviewing has been reluctant to speak, this ‘wrap up’ question becomes the starting point for your actual interview. That’s happened to me more than once over the past 16 years! 

Try it the next time you conduct an interview, and let me know what happens.