Questioning Techniques—Asking

Questioning Techniques—Asking Questions Effectively
    Good morning, everyone. This time we’ll talk about a key factor in our daily communication— asking questions. Garbage in, garbage out, is a popular truth, often said in relation to computer systems: If you put the wrong information in, you’ll get the wrong information out. The same principle applies to communications in general: If you ask the wrong questions, you’ll probably get the wrong answers, or at least not quite what you’re hoping for.
    Asking the right question is at the heart of effective communications and information exchange. By using the right questions in a particular situation, you can improve a whole range of communication skills, for example, you can gather better information and learn more:(1)you can build stronger relationships, manage people more effectively and help others to learn too.
    So here are some common questioning techniques, and when and when not to use them.
    The first technique is to use open and closed questions. A closed question usually receives a single word or very short, factual answer. For example, "Are you thirsty?" The answer is "Yes" or "No" : "Where do you live?" The answer is generally the name of your town or your address.
     (2)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. For example, 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.
    Open questions are good for developing an open conversation such as "what did you get up to on vacation" , finding out more detail such as "what else do we need to do to make this a success?" and finding out the other person’s opinion or issues like "what do you think about those changes?"
    Closed questions are good for testing your understanding, or the other person’s such as " so, if I get this qualification, I will get a raise?" , concluding a discussion or making a decision such as "now we know the facts, did we all agree this is the right course of action?" and(3)they are also good for frame setting. However, 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.
    The second technique I want to talk about is the funnel questions. This technique involves starting with general questions, and then homing in on a point in each answer, and asking more and more details at each level. It’s often used by detectives taking a statement from a witness.
    Using this technique,(4)the detective has helped the witness relive the scene and gradually focus on a useful detail. Perhaps he’ll be able to identify young men wearing a hat like this from CCTV footage. It is unlikely he would have got this information if he’s simply asked an open question such as "Are there any details you can give me about what you saw?"
    Funnel questions are good for finding out more details about a specific point such as " Tell me more about Option 2. "(5)They are also good for gaining the interest or increasing the confidence of the person you’re speaking with, for example, "Have you used the IT Helpdesk?" "Did they solve your problem?" "What was the attitude of the person who took your call?"
    The third technique is probing questions. Asking probing questions is another strategy for finding out more details. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking your respondent for an example, to help you understand a statement they have made.(6)At other times, you need additional information for clarification such as " When do you need this report, 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 such as " How do you know that the new database can’t be used by the sales force?" An effective way of probing is to use the 5 Whys method, which can help you quickly get to the root of a problem.
     (7)Probing questions are good for gaining clarification to ensure you have the whole story and that you understand it thoroughly and drawing information out of people who are trying to avoid telling you something.
    The fourth technique is leading questions. Leading questions try to lead the respondent to your way of thinking. They can do this in several ways. For example, the assumption that "How late do you think that the project will deliver?" assumes that the project will certainly not be completed on time. You may add a personal appeal to agree at the end: "Lori’s very efficient, don’t you think?" or "Option 2 is better, isn’t it?"(8)You may also give people a choice between two options, both of which you would be happy with, rather than the choice of one option or not doing anything at all. Strictly speaking, the choice of "neither" is still available when you ask "Which would you prefer, A or B" , but most people will be caught up in deciding between your two preferences. Note that leading questions tend to be closed.
     (9)Leading questions are good for getting the answer you want but leaving the other person feeling that they have had a choice. They are also good for closing a sale: " If that answers all of your questions, shall we agree a price?"
    The fifth technique is rhetorical questions. Rhetorical questions aren’t really questions at all, in that they don’t expect an answer. They’re really just statements phrased in question form such as " Isn’t John’s design work so creative?"
     (10)People use rhetorical questions because they are engaging for the listener as they are drawn into agreeing rather than feeling that they are being "told" something like "John is a very creative designer".
    You have probably used all of these 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 even more effectively. Try it next time you are talking with others. Thank you for listening.