Personal Effectiveness
Asking Questions
"The way that you become world-class is ... by asking good questions"
- Tim Ferris -
"Garbage in, garbage out," is a popular truth, often said in relation to computer systems: if you put the incorrect information in, you will get the incorrect information out. The same principle applies to communication in general: if you ask the wrong questions, you will get the wrong answers, or at least not what you are hoping for.
Asking the right question is at the heart of effective communication and information exchange. By using the right questions in a particular situation, you can improve an entire range of communication skills. For example:
- you can gather better information and learn more
- you can build stronger relationships
- you can manage people more effectively
- and you can help others to learn too.
OPEN AND CLOSED QUESTIONS
A closed question usually receives a single word or short, factual answer. For example, "Are you thirsty?" The answer is "Yes" or "No"; "Where do you live?" The answer is the name of your town or your address.
Open questions elicit longer answers. They usually begin with what, why, how. An open question asks the respondent for his or her knowledge, opinion, or feelings. "Tell me" and "describe" can also be used in the same way as open questions. Here are some examples:
- What happened at the meeting?
- Why did he react that way?
- How was the party?
- Tell me what happened next
- Describe the circumstances in more detail.
A misplaced closed question, on the other hand, can kill the conversation and lead to awkward silences, so are best avoided when a conversation is in full flow. Closed questions are often misused when seeking for answers. In these cases, questions are stated as an opinion, rather than investigating what could be: “Wouldn’t you agree that …” or “Isn’t it true that ….” If you have an opinion, it is more effective to state it as an opinion. Wording your opinion as a question is confusing and often leads to narrowing the dialogue, as opposed to widening the dialogue.
Open questions are good for:
- Developing an open conversation: "What did you get up to on vacation?"
- Finding out more detail: "What else do we need to do to make this a success?"
- Finding out the other person's opinion or issues: "What do you think about those changes?"
Closed questions are good for:
- Testing your understanding, or the other person's: "So, if I get this qualification, I will get a raise?"
- Concluding a discussion or deciding: "Now we know the facts, are we all agreed this is the right course of action?"
- Frame setting: "Are you happy with the service from your bank?"
CLARIFYING QUESTIONS
Asking clarifying questions is another strategy for finding out more detail. Sometimes it is as simple as asking your respondent for an example, to help you understand a statement that they have made. At other times, you need additional information for clarification, "When do you need this report by, and do you want to see a draft before I give you my final version?" Or to investigate whether there is proof for what has been said, "How do you know that the new database can't be used by the sales force?"
Use questions that include the word "exactly" to clarify further: "What exactly do you mean by fast-track?" or "Who, exactly, wanted this report?"
Clarifying questions are good for:
- Gaining clarification to ensure that you have the whole story and that you understand it thoroughly.
- Drawing information out of people who are trying to avoid telling you something.
PROBING QUESTIONS
Probing questions are designed to encourage deep thought about a specific topic. They are typically open-ended questions, meaning the answers are primarily subjective. Probing questions are intended to promote critical thinking as well as to get the person asked to explore their personal thoughts and feelings about a particular subject.
Some examples of probing questions are:
- Why do you think that is?
- What sort of impact do you think this will have?
- What would need to change for you to accomplish this?
- Do you feel that that is right?
PROBING QUESTIONS VERSUS CLARIFYING QUESTIONS
Though closely related, clarifying questions and probing questions are fundamentally different in both nature and intent. Unlike probing questions, the answers to clarifying questions are based on facts. Clarifying questions are typically brief and are designed to clarify the subject being discussed. These types of questions often provide valuable information that allows others to ask more effective probing questions.
Some examples of clarifying questions are:
- Is this what you said?
- Did I summarize what you said correctly?
- What criteria did you use?
- What resources were used?
USING QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES
You have used diverse questioning techniques before in your everyday life, at work and at home. But by consciously applying the appropriate kind of questioning, you can gain the information, response, or outcome that you want more effectively.
Questions are a powerful way of:
- Learning: ask open and closed questions, and use clarifying questioning.
- Avoiding misunderstandings: use clarifying questions to seek clarification, particularly when the consequences are significant. And to make sure that you avoid jumping to conclusions.
Some final suggestions on questioning:
- Make sure that you give the person you are questioning enough time to respond. This may need to include thinking time before he or she answers, so do not just interpret a pause as a "No comment" and plow on.
- Skillful questioning needs to be matched by careful listening so that you understand what people really mean with their answers.
- Your body language and tone of voice can also play a part in the answers you get when you ask questions.