Celebrity Interview

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Examine a topic through personal narrative and structured audience questions without relying on slide presentations.

Use it when: Use when introducing a leader, examining an organizational transition, or exploring technical expertise through practical stories instead of a formal speech.

Skip it when: Skip when the guest needs to present dense tabular data or regulatory text that requires line-by-line reading, or when the group has fewer than four participants.

Group arrangement: Whole-room listening, followed by individual reflection, pairs, quartets, plenary interview, and a brief whole-room debrief.

Timing: Source specifies 35 to 60 minutes; this run sheet sets a standard 50-minute schedule including audience debrief.

Materials and tools

• Index cards (3x5 inch, at least 2 per person)
• Pens or pencils (1 per person)
• Two chairs or stools placed at the front facing the room
• Timer

Before participants arrive

1. Place two chairs at the front of the room where all audience members have clear sightlines.
2. Draft 4 to 6 initial probing interview questions focused on personal motivations, specific dilemmas, and concrete examples.
3. Brief the guest on the conversational format and confirm that slides will not be used.
4. Distribute index cards and pens to participant seating areas.

Say this to open

Welcome. Today we are skipping the slide deck. I will interview our guest for twenty minutes to explore the real stories, challenges, and decisions behind our topic. As you listen, notice what resonates and what questions remain unanswered. Afterwards, you will build questions in small groups and send them forward for our final round of interview questions, followed by a brief reflection on key takeaways.

How to run it

1. Introduce the guest and topic 3 minutes

   Introduce the invited guest and the core topic. State the conversational format and explain that audience members will generate questions after the opening dialogue.

2. Conduct primary interview 20 minutes

   Interview the guest using prepared, probing questions. Ask for specific examples, dilemmas, and personal motivations rather than abstract policies. Prompt the guest for concrete stories whenever answers become generic.

3. Generate audience questions 8 minutes

   Guide participants through question formulation: 1 minute of silent reflection, 2 minutes in pairs to compare thoughts (forming one trio if the participant count is odd), and 3 minutes in quartets to combine themes (allowing trios or a group of five as needed). Have each group spend the final 2 minutes writing their top one or two questions clearly onto index cards, then bring them to the front table.

4. Curate and ask audience questions 12 minutes

   Sort the collected cards quickly across the table into 3 or 4 theme piles. Discard duplicate topics, pick the single clearest card from each pile, and pose those selected questions to the guest. Paraphrase for brevity if needed. Aim to cover 3 to 4 distinct topics within the time limit.

5. Debrief takeaways 5 minutes

   Invite participants to reflect on the discussion. Pose one or both debrief questions to the room: Which story gave you the clearest picture of practical challenges, and what unanswered question should we carry forward? Take 2 or 3 brief volunteer responses, noting that verbal sharing is optional.

6. Close and acknowledge 2 minutes

   Summarize one or two main insights from the dialogue, thank the guest, and conclude the session.

Debrief questions

• Which story or response gave you the clearest picture of the practical challenges ahead?
• What unanswered question should our working groups carry forward into upcoming work?

Finished output: A curated set of participant question cards highlighting core audience concerns and direct verbal answers from the featured guest.

Remote

Spotlight the interviewer and guest on video during the main interview while other attendees stay muted. During the question generation phase, use 1 minute of silent drafting, 5 minutes in small breakout rooms of 3 or 4 people, and then have one person from each room paste their strongest question into the shared chat for the facilitator to read aloud. For debrief, invite written responses in the chat or spoken contributions via raised virtual hands.

Hybrid

Seat in-person attendees facing the physical stage while a central camera and microphone capture the interviewer and guest. Remote attendees watch the main video feed. For question generation, create separate remote breakout rooms and in-person small groups. Remote participants submit questions into the shared chat while in-person groups place their index cards on a designated front table. The facilitator reads from both streams evenly. During debrief, alternate taking reflections between the chat and the room.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may choose whether to speak during small-group discussions or contribute purely by writing on cards.
• Any participant may pass on writing a question card without explanation.
• Speaking aloud during the whole-room debrief is completely optional; participants may listen silently or write notes for themselves.
• Seating arrangements must ensure unobstructed lines of sight and clear audio amplification for both speakers.

If the session gets stuck

The guest gives long, abstract answers or attempts to deliver a lecture.

Politely interrupt at a natural breath, summarize the last point in one sentence, and redirect: Can you tell us about a specific moment when that challenge showed up in practice?

The index cards contain too many questions to read through within the allotted time.

Skim only the first line of each card, quickly separate them into 3 piles by rough topic, and select only the top card from each pile to ask immediately.

Terms used here

• 1-2-4 progression: A sequence where people think individually for 1 minute, compare in pairs for 2 minutes (with one trio if numbers are odd), and consolidate in groups of four for 3 minutes (with groups of three or five if numbers do not divide evenly).