interview

Skill: interview

Conduct Socratic interviews to expose ambiguity and deepen understanding.

When to Use

• Unclear requirements
• Complex problems
• Before major decisions
• Identifying blind spots
• Challenge assumptions

Interview Process

1. Establish Context

• What is the problem?
• What do we think we know?
• What's the goal?

2. Probe Assumptions

• What are we assuming?
• Why are we assuming this?
• What if we're wrong?

3. Explore Evidence

• What evidence do we have?
• How strong is it?
• What's missing?

4. Test Alternatives

• What else could be true?
• What other explanations exist?
• What would disprove this?

5. Assess Uncertainty

• What don't we know?
• How confident are we?
• What would change our view?

Question Types

Clarifying

• "What do you mean by X?"
• "Can you give an example?"
• "How is this different from Y?"

Assumption Probing

• "What are you assuming here?"
• "Why assume X rather than Y?"
• "What if that assumption is wrong?"

Evidence Evaluation

• "What evidence supports this?"
• "How would we know if this is wrong?"
• "What's the strongest evidence?"

Alternative Exploration

• "What other approaches exist?"
• "What would happen if we did X instead?"
• "What's the best alternative and why?"

Implications Testing

• "If this is true, what else must be true?"
• "What would follow from this?"
• "What are the consequences?"

Ambiguity Scoring

Rate ambiguity on scale:

Score	Level	Description
1	Clear	No ambiguity, single interpretation
2	Minor	Slight ambiguity, mostly clear
3	Moderate	Notable ambiguity, needs clarification
4	Significant	Major ambiguity, multiple interpretations
5	Severe	Fundamental ambiguity, needs resolution

Ambiguity Categories

Terminology

• Undefined terms
• Multiple meanings
• Jargon without explanation

Scope

• Boundary unclear
• Inclusion/exclusion fuzzy
• Overlap undefined

Process

• Steps missing
• Order ambiguous
• Responsibilities unclear

Outcome

• Success undefined
• Metrics absent
• Trade-offs unstated

Output Format

## Interview: {topic}

### Opening Context
{what we discussed}

### Key Exchanges

#### Exchange 1: {subject}
**Q:** {question}
**A:** {answer}
**Ambiguity:** {score} - {notes}

#### Exchange 2: {subject}
...

### Assumptions Exposed
- **{assumption}** — {questioning}
- **{assumption}** — {questioning}

### Evidence Gaps
- **{gap}** — {what's missing}
- **{gap}** — {what's missing}

### Alternative Views
- **{alternative}** — {description}
- **{alternative}** — {description}

### Ambiguity Summary
| Category | Score | Key Issues |
|----------|-------|------------|
| Terminology | {n} | {issues} |
| Scope | {n} | {issues} |
| Process | {n} | {issues} |
| Outcome | {n} | {issues} |
| **Overall** | **{n}** | **{summary}** |

### Remaining Questions
1. {question}
2. {question}

### Next Steps
{how to resolve remaining ambiguity}

Constraints

• Ask genuine questions
• Follow the thread
• Don't lead the witness
• Document all ambiguity
• Don't resolve prematurely