SOCW 6210: Human Behavior and the Social Environment II Week 10 LIFE SPAN INTERVIEW Below are some questions to start the conversation with your interviewee. Do not hesitate to add additional questions as needed. You are encouraged to reach out to a senior center, adult living facility, or nursing home to locate an interviewee. When interviewing an individual, please consider how to show respect to an individual of this age within their cultural values. Begin your interview with demographics……………. How do you prefer to be addressed? What is your age? Where were you born? How do you identify your ethnicity? How do you identify your gender? Remembering the Past……………………. What is your earliest memory? Who were your friends when you were growing up? Did you maintain those friendships throughout life? Any reason why or why not? What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.) growing up? In your young/middle adult years? As an older adult? What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Over the years…………… What was the happiest moment of your life? © 2017 Laureate Education, Inc. 1 What world events had the most impact on you? Do you have military experience? If so, how did it mold you as a person? Was religion/spirituality a part of your youth? Adulthood? Currently? Who is the person who influenced your life the most? Have you lost a loved one? If so, how has that loss affected your life? What are some of the most important lessons you feel you have learned over the course of your life? As you look back over your life, do you see any “turning points”; that is, a key event or experience that changed the course of your life or set you on a different track? What are some of the important choices or decisions you made that you have learned from? What are you most proud of? How would you like to be remembered? Currently Experiencing…………………………. What has been your experience with aging? (physically, socially, environmentally) How would you define successful aging? Do you have any challenges to access to healthcare? How do you see yourself today? [elder, senior, older adult; use this term in the following questions] How are your friendships as a [use term identified by individual]? Are you involved with [use term identified by individual] activities or social clubs? What does this mean for you? Have you had any experiences with services not being available to you as a [use term identified by individual]? Have you experienced discrimination as a [use term identified by individual]? Other types of discrimination? © 2017 Laureate Education, Inc. 2 .

1. SOCW 6210: Human Behavior and the Social Environment II
Week 10 LIFE SPAN INTERVIEW
Below are some questions to start the conversation with your
interviewee. Do not hesitate to add additional questions as
needed. You are encouraged to reach out to a senior center,
adult living facility, or nursing home to locate an interviewee.
When interviewing an individual, please consider how to show
respect to an individual of this age within their cultural values.
Begin your interview with demographics…………….
How do you prefer to be addressed?
What is your age?
Where were you born?
How do you identify your ethnicity?
How do you identify your gender?
Remembering the Past…………………….
What is your earliest memory?
Who were your friends when you were growing up? Did you
maintain those friendships throughout life? Any reason
why or why not?

2. What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach,
etc.) growing up? In your young/middle adult years?
As an older adult?
What was school like for you as a child? What were your
best and worst subjects?
Over the years……………
What was the happiest moment of your life?
© 2017 Laureate Education, Inc. 1
What world events had the most impact on you?
Do you have military experience? If so, how did it mold you
as a person?
Was religion/spirituality a part of your youth? Adulthood?
Currently?
Who is the person who influenced your life the most?
Have you lost a loved one? If so, how has that loss affected
your life?
What are some of the most important lessons you feel you
have learned over the course of your life?
As you look back over your life, do you see any “turning
points”; that is, a key event or experience that changed
the course of your life or set you on a different track?
What are some of the important choices or decisions you
made that you have learned from?

3. What are you most proud of?
How would you like to be remembered?
Currently Experiencing………………………….
What has been your experience with aging? (physically,
socially, environmentally)
How would you define successful aging?
Do you have any challenges to access to healthcare?
How do you see yourself today? [elder, senior, older adult;
use this term in the following questions]
How are your friendships as a [use term identified by
individual]?
Are you involved with [use term identified by individual]
activities or social clubs? What does this mean for you?
Have you had any experiences with services not being
available to you as a [use term identified by
individual]?
Have you experienced discrimination as a [use term
identified by individual]? Other types of
discrimination?
© 2017 Laureate Education, Inc. 2

4. Solving Business
Problems
with Mike Figliuolo
Exercise Handout
Solving Business Problems with Mike Figliuolo
2 of 6
The Problem Solving Process
Output
Clearly defined problem
statement with success
criteria
Output
Factors and issues
affecting answer defined
and categorized
Output
Possible solutions scoped as
hypotheses and most likely
answers chosen for analysis
Output
Deep analysis of
hypothesized answers.
Paths either confirmed
or eliminated with data

5. Output
Synthesis of data into a clear,
structured and compelling
recommendation
Pin th
e Prob
lem
Identi
fy All
Issues
Best Guess
Analyze the Paths
Conceptual Thinking Cri
tical T
hinkin
g
Pitch a Recommendation
Solving Business Problems with Mike Figliuolo
3 of 6
Pin the Problem - Pinning Questions
What is the high level problem?
Answer focusing questions
What is the objective?

6. Who are the stakeholders/influencers?
How will you measure success?
What will be the specific scope?
What constraints exist?
Evaluate prior efforts
Has this problem been considered in the past? What’s different
now?
Were there any challenges last time this was addressed?
What ingoing assumptions limit our thinking?
Who was involved in the problem solving?
Derive insights from new lenses
What are the perspectives of the CEO, front line staff,
customers?
What is the 10,000 ft. view vs. the 50 ft. view?
Can you reimagine the problem in new ways?
What happens if you remove built-in constraints?
Understand relevant causalities
Are elements of the problem derived from other elements?
What are the root causes of this problem?

7. Is there actually a deeper or preceding problem?
Are there repercussions to anticipate?
Are there chronology/sequence issues relating to the problem?
Solving Business Problems with Mike Figliuolo
4 of 6
The Problem Solving Process
Sort aspects of the problem into distinct/complete categories by
function or theme
Some will be related. Others will be different enough to merit a
separate category
Limit number of primary categories for easy map-making
Solving Business Problems with Mike Figliuolo
Product A
Sales Product B
Product C
Region 1
Sales force Region 2
Region 3

8. Short term
Strategy Mid-term
Long term
Revenues
Profits
Costs
Segments
Current
customers
Prospect
customers
Financial
Challenges Marketing
Strategy
Solving Business Problems with Mike Figliuolo
5 of 6
As You Analyze, Pick the Best Paths in the Least Time
“High Road” – Look from Above
Always revisit your Best Guess and the “pinned” problem

9. Estimate expected rewards before you start detailed analysis
Use 80/20 and back-of-envelope thinking
Use experts as data sources
Share good ideas
Test your thinking
“Low Road” – Evaluate the Ground
Only run the numbers you need to run
Don’t wander into the weeds for too long
Beware of “polishing dirt”
Focus your attention on only the best paths
Get back on the high road regularly to regain perspective and
get out of the details
Trust your gut! Take risks!
Solving Business Problems with Mike Figliuolo
6 of 6
Guiding Principles on Assertions
Assertions are truths stated for persuasion
Assertions are clear, explicit and direct – the audience knows

10. where you stand
The difference between a strong assertion and a weak opinion is
the facts
In a conflict of assertions, the best evidence wins
Once an audience agrees with your assertion’s proofs,
controversy disappears