Getting Questions Before An Interview?

I have gone back and forth about actually posting this. If you are reading it, then I did. Obviously, this really “got my Sicilian up.”

The following is my opinion. It is a strong opinion and it can be at times mean spirited. I make no apologies. It is a topic about which I am passionate. It may offend some, and while not my intent, it doesn’t mean that it won’t. Again, this is my opinion, I am not saying I am correct, or mine is the only way to look at this topic. As I used to say when discussing and debating politics on the local newscast —

“I don’t need for you to be wrong, for me to be right.”

Whether you agree or disagree, I invite you to use the comment section and have your say. Since I have had mine, more than likely, I will not respond.

Over the years, I have given close to one hundred interviews. They have been on varying topics. Ranging from healthcare to politics to writing. Some have been on radio, some on TV, and some on podcasts. Some live and others pre-recorded. I have also participated in live audience debates, panel discussions and I was one, along with my friend The Yonk, of several political “experts” for a local newscast. In all of those, I have never once been given questions ahead of time. Not including, of course, interviews that are done strictly via written correspondence.

The reason for the above statement, and this post, is that I have read on social media about people being interviewed and receiving the questions ahead of time. When I asked about this, I was given responses such as avoiding dead air, or making sure you are prepared to discuss the topic or brand without being caught off guard or saying something off the top of your head that may not be correct.

As I was considering these answers, I admit to being completely stunned. Actually, I can honestly say, that I have never heard of such complete and utter and wholeheartedly repilsive and repugnant bullshit!

A pause in speaking, while reflecting on a question, is not what is meant by dead air. A pause to reflect on what you are going to say, demonstrates a serious consideration of the presented question.

And knowing your topic or brand? I mean really, if you don’t know you, your topic, and/or your brand well enough to speak intelligently off the top of your head, without being given questions ahead of time —

YOU HAVE NO FUCKING BUSINESS TALKING ABOUT THEM!

Before I wrote this, I wanted to ask someone on the other side of the microphone, so I got in touch with an old radio colleague, and someone who has interviewed me quite a few times. He has conducted probably somewhere in the area of a thousand interviews, if not more, and he told me he never once gave an interview subject the questions ahead of time.

I am not intending to be rude, although I am quite aware that it appears that way, because, intended or not, it is in fact rude — which is why I didn’t express any of this directly to the posters. I simply wished them well.

Yet, I remain fascinated by this concept and it leads to other questions…

How do you have a spontaneous, and more importantly genuine, give and take, if you know both the give and the take?

If an interesting answer is given, does the interviewer try to probe a bit further and expand?

Is the interviewer even listening to the responses, or merely checking the question of the list and moving on?

Most disturbing…

Is the subject being genuine, or fraudulent, by having had time prior to the interview to prepare answers to the questions?

Perhaps I am simply used to being interviewed by professionals that take their craft seriously. Or, I’m a bit naive and anachronistic in believing that the purpose an interview is to gain insight, not merely self-promotion, and that the role of the interviewer is to not only ask probing questions, but listen to the answers as well.

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“Who am I?”

I am an independent, self-published teller of tales. I am an author of scarcely any renown. However, as a storyteller, I know who I am, and with that persona, I am both confident and comfortable. I invite you to visit my website, ShortStoryScribe.com and/or Amazon Author Page, if you are so inclined please purchase a copy and leave a review.

Thank you,

The Damaged and Broken Collection“ is a contemporary fiction series written by storyteller Joe Leonardi (also published under Dr. Joseph Leonardi, DC), focusing on heavy, real-world themes such as trauma, PTSD, suicide, bullying, and societal struggle.

The series explores characters navigating deep emotional and psychological scars. The books included in the collection, ranked by their volume number, are:

The Damaged and Broken Collection Books

Author Background

Leonardi identifies primarily as a storyteller rather than a formal academic, emphasizing raw, narrative-driven impact over rigid grammatical structures. His personal website and bibliography can be explored via his Amazon Author Profile.

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