# Story-Based Interview Templates

## Teresa Torres Methodology
**Core Principle:** Ask for specific situations, not generalities. Avoid "usually," "generally," "typically" because humans have notoriously biased memories and are poor at generalizing.

## Question Templates

### Opening Templates
1. **"Tell me about the last time you..."**
   - "Tell me about the last time you tried to [accomplish goal]."
   - "Tell me about the last time you felt frustrated with [system/process]."
   - "Tell me about the last time you had to make a decision about [topic]."

2. **"Describe a specific situation where..."**
   - "Describe a specific situation where [problem] occurred."
   - "Describe a specific situation where you successfully [achievement]."
   - "Describe a specific situation where you felt stuck/uncertain."

3. **"Think about a recent example of..."**
   - "Think about a recent example of when things went well."
   - "Think about a recent example of when things didn't go as planned."
   - "Think about a recent example of when you had to prioritize."

### Deep Dive Templates
4. **"Walk me through exactly what happened when..."**
   - "Walk me through exactly what happened when you encountered [problem]."
   - "Walk me through exactly what happened from start to finish."
   - "Walk me through exactly what you did, thought, and felt."

5. **"What was going through your mind when..."**
   - "What was going through your mind when you made that decision?"
   - "What was going through your mind when you realized [insight]?"
   - "What was going through your mind when you felt [emotion]?"

6. **"What did you do next after..."**
   - "What did you do next after that happened?"
   - "What did you do next after you realized [thing]?"
   - "What did you do next after you made that choice?"

### Context Exploration Templates
7. **"What else was happening around that time?"**
   - "What else was happening around that time that might be relevant?"
   - "What else was going on in your life/work when this occurred?"
   - "What other factors were influencing the situation?"

8. **"Who else was involved and what were they doing?"**
   - "Who else was involved and what were they doing/saying/thinking?"
   - "How did other people react or contribute?"
   - "What role did others play in the situation?"

9. **"What information did you have at the time?"**
   - "What information did you have at the time of the decision?"
   - "What information were you missing that you wish you had?"
   - "What assumptions were you making?"

### Outcome Exploration Templates
10. **"What was the result of that situation?"**
    - "What was the immediate result?"
    - "What were the longer-term consequences?"
    - "How did it affect you/others?"

11. **"Looking back, what would you do differently?"**
    - "Looking back, what would you do differently knowing what you know now?"
    - "Looking back, what was the key learning?"
    - "Looking back, what was actually most important?"

12. **"How did that experience change your approach?"**
    - "How did that experience change how you think about [topic]?"
    - "How did that experience change what you do now?"
    - "How did that experience change your priorities?"

## Domain-Specific Story Starters

### For Software Discovery
- "Tell me about the last time you used [software/tool] and felt frustrated."
- "Describe a specific situation where [feature] didn't work as expected."
- "Walk me through exactly what happened when you tried to [accomplish task]."

### For Personal Clarity
- "Tell me about the last time you felt truly aligned with your values."
- "Describe a specific situation where you had to choose between competing priorities."
- "Walk me through exactly what happened when you made [big life decision]."

### For Business Strategy
- "Tell me about the last time your business faced a significant challenge."
- "Describe a specific situation where a decision had unexpected consequences."
- "Walk me through exactly what happened during [key business event]."

## Avoiding Generalization Traps

### ❌ DON'T ASK:
- "What do you usually do when..."
- "How do you generally handle..."
- "What typically happens when..."
- "In general, how do you feel about..."

### ✅ DO ASK:
- "Tell me about the last time you..."
- "Describe a specific situation where..."
- "Give me a concrete example of when..."
- "Walk me through exactly what happened..."

## Follow-up Prompts for More Detail

### When Response is Vague:
- "Could you give me a more specific example?"
- "What was a particular instance of that?"
- "Can you recall a specific time when that happened?"

### When Response Lacks Detail:
- "What happened right before that?"
- "What happened right after?"
- "What were you thinking/feeling in that moment?"
- "What did you actually do/say?"

### When Response is Abstract:
- "What would that look like in practice?"
- "Can you give me a real example of what you mean?"
- "How would I recognize that if I saw it happening?"

## Note-Taking Prompts for Story Analysis

After each story, note:
1. **Specific details** mentioned (who, what, when, where)
2. **Emotions** expressed (frustration, satisfaction, confusion)
3. **Actions taken** (what they actually did)
4. **Outcomes observed** (what resulted)
5. **Patterns emerging** across multiple stories
6. **Contradictions** between stories and generalizations
7. **Unstated assumptions** revealed by the story

## Example Interview Flow Using Stories

### Initial General Statement from User:
"I usually have trouble prioritizing my tasks."

### Story-Based Follow-up:
"Tell me about the last time you had to prioritize tasks and found it difficult. Walk me through exactly what happened."

### Expected Detailed Response:
"Okay, yesterday morning I looked at my to-do list and saw 15 items. I had a meeting at 10 AM, so I knew I had about 2 hours. The first item was 'email client about project delay' which felt stressful, so I skipped to 'update project timeline' which also felt overwhelming. I ended up checking Slack for 30 minutes, then answering easy emails for another 30... by 9:30 I hadn't done anything important and felt anxious."

### Analysis from This Story:
- **Pattern:** Avoidance of stressful tasks
- **Emotion:** Anxiety driving procrastination  
- **Action:** Default to easy, low-value work
- **Missing:** Clear criteria for what's actually important

### Next Question Based on Story:
"What was going through your mind when you saw 'email client about project delay' on your list?"

## Benefits of Story-Based Interviewing

1. **More accurate data:** Specific memories are more reliable than generalizations
2. **Richer context:** Stories reveal emotions, constraints, and complexities
3. **Uncover patterns:** Multiple stories show consistent themes
4. **Build empathy:** Understand the human experience behind the problem
5. **Generate insights:** Details spark new understanding of the situation

## Practice Exercise

Take this generalization and convert it to story-based questions:

**User says:** "I'm generally bad at following through on projects."

**Story-based alternatives:**
1. "Tell me about the last project you didn't follow through on. What happened?"
2. "Describe a specific situation where you started a project but didn't finish it."
3. "Walk me through exactly what happened from when you began the project to when you stopped working on it."

---

**Methodology Source:** Teresa Torres, Continuous Discovery Habits  
**Key Insight:** Humans are terrible at generalizing but good at recalling specific experiences  
**Skill Integration:** Use these templates within the Clarity Interviewer's dynamic questioning