Deep Guest Research

Tim Ferriss shares his interview preparation technique of finding obscure details about guests to help them open up.

"I'll very frequently dig up a 3rd grade teacher or a mentor that helped them when they were transitioning from one place to another, something that got mentioned in passing in a profile in the New Yorker 8 years ago. I'll be like 'Who was so-and-so?' And that can get them off autopilot.

Whether someone's been interviewed a lot or very little, I will often ask them beforehand if there are any greatest hits stories - what are stories people respond really well to that stick with them, that people have brought up with you a year later, 2 years later. They could be an academic - academics talk to people, just not necessarily Tony Robbins or Edward Norton, but they're in front of people so they should probably have some examples or anecdotes or studies that really stick with people.

I'll then figure out a question or a cue to prompt talking about that. I lead with that for two reasons: First, I'm starting with something my audience is likely to resonate with. Number two, I'm giving them a win right upfront, and that is helpful oftentimes when someone doesn't know where the conversation is going to go."