When I had just started as an editor at the newspaper, I was allowed to interview the alderman for Finance. Because there had to be significant cutbacks and I wanted to make a good impression, I had carefully prepared my questions. I was completely ready!
But I soon found myself sinking into a swamp of container terms and political jargon. The alderman’s words sounded like a foreign language to me. I nodded and smiled as if I understood exactly what he was talking about, but panic slowly bubbled up. How was I supposed to write an understandable article about this?
You’re not the only one
Every copywriter experiences it at some point. You have prepared thoroughly for an interview, but the interviewee’s answers unexpectedly seem like pure abracadabra. You feel stupid or think the other person thinks you are stupid if you show that you don’t understand much. Help!
What is going on?
Chances are your conversation partner uses a lot of jargon, vague terms, fancy words or woolly expressions. Sometimes people are so deep in their field that they no longer realize how incomprehensible they sound.
In addition, interviewees sometimes try to package a negative message. Politicians, for example, are masters at this; they talk about turning around, cost optimization and budgetary adjustments when they simply mean cutting back. You just have to know that…
Whatever the case, it is possible that the interviewees themselves do not know exactly what it is about. They are not well informed about all the details or the product has not yet fully crystallized. They try to cover that up in their answers.
Finally, it may happen that your interviewee, for whatever reason, prefers not to be open and therefore remains vague and incomprehensible.
Please ask further
Through trial and error I have learned that there is only one thing to do: keep asking. Ask your ‘stupid questions’ anyway and if necessary ask them a few more times. Keep asking until you fully understand the subject matter.
Otherwise, you are guaranteed to get into trouble when writing your text. It is impossible to write an interesting, readable story if you yourself do not understand what you are putting on paper. That is not in anyone’s interest, not even if your readership is highly educated or completely at home in the subject.
Understandable texts convince
From various studies, such as this one by Henk Pander Maat and Jet Gravekampit turns out that even highly educated people prefer texts that are easy to read. They are even more likely to be convinced of the message by an understandable text.
Also, don’t be afraid to make your clients aware that there may still be ambiguities in their story. Content marketer Renske Holwerda clearly expressed in a comment under one of my LinkedIn posts that you are helping them with this.
This person will probably also have to explain the subject matter to clients and then this is a good way to become aware of ambiguities/gaps in your story. Because where a copywriter does ask these questions, a client often does not. Instead, he searches further. – Renske Holwerda (content marketer)
Ask these 5 ‘stupid questions’
Gather your courage and always ask for more clarification if you don’t understand the interviewee’s answer. You can do this in these five ways:
- Imagine telling this story to someone who knows little about it/is unfamiliar with this term, how would you explain it?
- Can you explain that a little further?
- Can you give an example of that?
- What exactly do you mean by…?
- Do I understand correctly when I write down that…?
If you continue to encounter a lot of resistance, address it: “I notice that you find it difficult to be specific or to give an example. However, it is important for your potential customers to understand your product or service well. What makes it difficult for you to…?”
Be aware of the stupid
Even if you know a lot about a subject, it is smart to play dumb sometimes so that you are surprised by the answers. Sometimes you are so familiar with the subject that you no longer ask the most obvious ‘dumb questions’.
Be aware of this pitfall and try to approach each interview with an open, investigative attitude. A (fake) fresh look can provide you with valuable insights and surprising quotes when interviewees simplify complex material in their own words.
‘Stupid questions’ are worth their money
It can take some courage to ask ‘stupid questions’, especially if you’re just starting out as a copywriter or if you doubt your own knowledge of a subject. But that’s part of growing in your profession. It’s your job to keep asking questions, even when things get tough.
You are doing your clients a great service. By writing understandable texts, you help them retain and attract customers. There is a good chance that they will find you again for a few ‘stupid questions’!
Source: www.frankwatching.com
