Larry King wrapped up his CNN television show with a kind of schmaltzy program, as one might expect. Amid a particularly awkward segment where Fred Armisen from Saturday Night Live was imitating Larry King and peppering him with questions, he asked, "What's the best interview question?"
The real Larry King responded, “’Why?’ is the greatest question because you can’t answer it in one word, and it forces the other person to think.”
What a great strategic insight about such a simple question.
Several years ago, a so-called career coach suggested I ask fewer “why” questions since, in his estimation, they made me seem negative. As a result, I’ve downplayed "why" in the Brainzooming question repertoire. Having heard Larry King’s perspective, however, I’ll be putting more “why” questions into the mix.
P.S. The real star of the show was Cannon King, who did a spot-on imitation of his father getting ready to go to the show that evening. Somebody should give this kid a program! – Mike Brown
