Ten questions to ask someone building change

You finally meet them. The founder of the recycling start-up. The woman who opened a school in her village. The young man who organised 300 volunteers to clean the beach. You have 20 minutes. You want to learn everything.

And then your brain produces the most boring question in history: "So… how did you start?"

There's nothing wrong with that question. But if you want to understand how change really happens — what works, what fails, and what's just a nice story — you need better questions.

What are the ten best questions to ask someone who is building change — and why do they work?

This guide is for students, journalists, young entrepreneurs, teachers and anyone curious. It's also useful if you're the person building change: these are the questions you should be ready to answer.

Why good questions matter

Questions are tools. A weak question gets a speech. A strong question gets a story, a number or an honest doubt.

The physicist Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying the important thing is "not to stop questioning." Whether or not he said it in exactly those words, the idea is sound. Research in business and psychology agrees: a Harvard Business School study led by Karen Huang (2017) found that people who ask more questions — especially follow-up questions — are rated as more likeable by the people they talk to. Good questions don't just get better answers. They build better relationships.

In a study of conversations, people who asked more follow-up questions were seen as more likeable. (Huang et al., "It Doesn't Hurt to Ask," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2017) Tip: The magic follow-up is simply, "Can you tell me more about that?"

Question 1 — "What problem are you solving, in one sentence?"

This question forces clarity. Many projects sound exciting but are vague: "We empower youth through innovation." What does that mean?

A good answer sounds like: "Girls in our district drop out of secondary school because they have no money for sanitary pads, so we make and sell affordable reusable pads."

If the person can't answer in one sentence, the project may not be clear yet — even to them.

Question 2 — "Who exactly has this problem? Have you talked to them?"

Real change starts with real people. Ask who the "users" or "beneficiaries" are — age, place, situation — and how often the founder speaks to them.

The best changemakers can tell you stories about specific people they met. They know their names. This connects to a key lesson in How to test a tech idea with the people who need it.

Joke break: If the answer is "Everyone has this problem," be careful. The only thing everyone has is a phone charger that doesn't fit their friend's phone.

Question 3 — "What did you try first that didn't work?"

This is maybe the most valuable question on the list. People love to share successes. The failures teach more.

Listen for honesty. A changemaker who says "Nothing failed" is either very lucky or not telling the whole story. Someone who says "We gave out free water filters and three months later half were used as flower pots" has learned something real.

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." — attributed to Thomas Edison

Question 4 — "How do you know it's working?"

This is the evidence question. Ask for numbers and for stories — both matter.

• Numbers: How many people? How much change? Compared with what?
• Stories: What does one family or student say changed?

Good changemakers measure results, not just activities. "We trained 500 teachers" is an activity. "Children in those teachers' classes improved their reading scores by 20%" is a result. For more on this, read How to measure whether an initiative helped.

Question 5 — "Who pays for this, and what happens if that money stops?"

Money is not a rude topic. It's a survival topic. Ask:

• Is it funded by donations, grants, sales, government or members?
• How long will the money last?
• What's the plan if a big funder leaves?

Projects that depend on one donor are fragile. Projects that earn some income, or are supported by the community, often last longer. See How to build a business with your community.

Question 6 — "Who else is working on this, and how do you work with them?"

No one solves a big problem alone. A strong changemaker knows the other organisations, government services and businesses in the space — and has partnerships, not just competitors.

Watch for the "we're the only ones" answer. It's rarely true. Collaboration is often the difference between a small project and a big change. See What communities learn when they work across borders.

Question 7 — "What would you do with twice the resources? With half?"

This question reveals priorities. With double resources, some people would expand; others would improve quality. With half, what would they protect?

It helps you understand what the person believes is the core of their work — the part they would never cut.

Question 8 — "What do the people you serve criticise about your work?"

Everyone gets complaints. The question is whether they listen. Great changemakers say things like, "Parents told us the classes were too late in the evening, so we moved them." That shows they learn from feedback.

This is the same lesson every business learns — read Why customer feedback matters more than a logo.

Question 9 — "What keeps you going on the bad days?"

Building change is exhausting. Money is late. Partners disappear. People criticise. This question opens up the human side: faith, family, a specific child they met, a mentor, stubbornness.

It's also a chance to talk about rest and burnout — a serious issue for activists and founders. Read Why rest matters for people building busy lives.

"It always seems impossible until it's done." — widely attributed to Nelson Mandela

Question 10 — "What should someone like me do to help?"

End with action. Maybe they need volunteers, feedback, a connection, a skill, or just someone to share their story.

This question turns an interview into a relationship. Many mentoring connections and job opportunities start exactly here. See Why local mentors can change a young person's future.

Bonus: how to ask them well

A few tips to get great answers:

• Do your homework. Read about the person first so you don't waste time on basic facts.
• Listen more than you talk. Aim for them to speak 80% of the time.
• Use silence. After an answer, wait three seconds. People often add the most interesting part after a pause.
• Ask "Can you give me an example?" Examples turn big words into real stories.
• Be respectful but brave. Money and failure questions are allowed when asked kindly.
• Record (with permission) and take notes. Check names and numbers afterwards.

Real conversations to learn from

Interviews with changemakers are everywhere if you look:

• Podcasts and talks featuring African entrepreneurs and activists.
• Books like Wangari Maathai's "Unbowed" or William Kamkwamba's "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," which answer many of these questions in their own stories.
• Local radio shows that interview community leaders.

Try this exercise: pick a local person building change and ask them these ten questions. Then write a short article. You'll learn more in one hour than in a week of scrolling. Start with a neighbour — see A day with a community organiser in Cotonou.

Red flags to listen for

While good answers teach you a lot, some answers should make you curious — or careful:

• Only big words, no examples. "We revolutionise holistic empowerment ecosystems." Ask: "What did that look like last Tuesday?"
• Only activities, no results. Hundreds of workshops but no idea what changed.
• No failures at all. Every real project has some.
• Unclear money. Nobody can explain where funds come from or go.
• The founder is the only hero. Real change is almost always a team effort.
• No contact with the people served. If the founder hasn't spoken to a user in months, the project may have drifted.

Red flags don't always mean something is wrong. They mean you should ask one more question.

Adapting the questions for young changemakers

If you're interviewing a student or a young person who has just started a project, soften some questions:

• Instead of "How do you know it's working?" try "What have you noticed since you started?"
• Instead of "Who pays?" try "How do you cover your costs right now?"
• Instead of "What failed?" try "What surprised you?"

Young changemakers are often still learning. Your questions can help them think more clearly — which is a kind of mentoring in itself.

Curiosity is a form of respect

When you ask someone real questions — about their failures, doubts and evidence — you treat them as a serious person doing serious work. That's a compliment. And the answers help all of us separate real change from good marketing.

So next time you meet someone building change, skip "How did you start?" (or ask it second). Start with: "What problem are you solving, in one sentence?"

Discover more changemakers in our People section and Africa & Action section.

Questions

What are good questions to ask a social entrepreneur?

Ask what problem they solve in one sentence, who has the problem, what failed first, how they measure results, who pays, and how others can help.

How do I interview a community leader?

Prepare by researching them, prepare open questions, listen carefully, ask for examples and follow-ups, and check facts after the conversation.

What is the difference between activities and results?

Activities are what a project does (like training people); results are what changes because of it (like higher income or better grades).