Lesson 2: Questioning Techniques
Why are questions important?
To aid learning
To arouse interest
Encourage thinking
To help someone discover their own thoughts and feelings
Change someone’s viewpoint
Focus attention
Build relationships
Support clients
De-fuse a situation
Avoid misunderstandings
Asking the right questions is at the heart of effective communication and information exchange.
Using different questioning techniques can help you gather information, build better relationships, manage people effectively and can help others to learn.
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Open and Closed Questions
Open questions produce longer answers whereas closed questions usually receive a one word answer.
Closed question e.g. What’s your name?
Open question e.g. How do you feel today?
Watch the video belowÂ
Can you recognise the different questionsing techniques being used?Â
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Open questions are good for developing conversations, finding out more detail and finding out other peoples opinions.
Closed questions are good for testing your own or someone else’s understanding, concluding a discussion, making a decision and frame setting.
Probing Questions
Probing questions can help you get more detail and clarification
e.g. when do you need this report by?
Probing questions are good for getting people to expand their response and challenging unrealistic ideas.
Funnel questions
Funnel questions are good for finding out details about a specific point, gaining a persons interest and increasing the confidence of the person you are talking to.Â
Leading Questions
Leading questions try to lead a person to a certain answer. The answer is suggested for them.
e.g. you don’t like maths do you?
Leading questions are good for getting the answer you want.
