questioning skills

Examples of Hypothetical questions

'What would you do if...?' 'What would happen if...?'

a open question

-They ask the respondent to think and reflect. -they will give opinions and feeling. -they give control of the conversation over to the respondent.

Clarify the detail

For Probing questions: Initially, you may have heard some brief comment or two that made you realize that there is more here to discover.

Managing and coaching

Here, rhetorical and leading questions are useful too. They can help get people to reflect and to commit to courses of action that you've suggested: "Wouldn't it be great to gain some further qualifications?"

Simple Steps in Paraphrasing

In the process of paraphrasing, the structure may be distorted but make sure to keep the thought or meaning. Only paraphrase when there is a need to do so. If the question is simple enough to be understood, there is no need to restate it.

Avoiding misunderstandings

Use probing questions to seek clarification, particularly when the consequences are significant. And to make sure you avoid jumping to conclusions, the Ladder of Inference Add to My Personal Learning Plan tool can help too.

Paraphrasing questions

for seeking verification or understanding the thought

The first step in paraphrasing is to

locate the key points or highlighted words in the original question. Focusing on those important words, find synonyms that may replace the original words.

Tag questions

turns a statement into a question. They are often used for checking information that we think we know is true.

Closed Questions usually start with

Are you, Is, should, Will, Have, Could, Can, etc. you want the statements, facts, and information quick.

learning

Ask open and closed questions, and use probing questioning

Say 'Tell me more about'

Asking 'tell me more' is a very open and general question that also focuses the other person on a particular area, giving you more information about this. As an open request it allows the other person more leeway in what they say, and gets you more detail. This causes a slower convergence, which may not be a bad thing as it can provide richer, more accurate information.

Implication questions

Asking questions that gets the other person to think of consequences or implications of current or past events links the past with the future in an inescapable chain of cause-and-effect. "If you go to the party tonight, what will happen in your examination tomorrow?" "If you vote for that party, then what do you think will happen to taxes? What happened last time they were in power?"

Deductive Reasoning

Deductive reasoning, or deduction, starts with a general case and deduces specific instances.

Close-ended question

Elicit brief, factual answers "Yes" or "No" answers. Focus the discussion

Open questions start most likely with

Who, what, where, when, why, and how. you want opinions values, and feelings.

De-fusing a heated situation

You can calm an angry customer or colleague by using funnel questions to get them to go into more detail about their grievance. This will not only distract them from their emotions, but will often help you to identify a small practical thing that you can do, which is often enough to make them feel that they have "won" something, and no longer need to be angry.

reflective questioning

a technique in which one person prepares and asks questions that are designed to provided opportunities for the respondent to explore his knowledge, skills, experiences, attitude, beliefs and values

Paraphrasing Phrases

"If I heard you correctly, you were asking if..." "You were asking that...Is that right?" "As I understand it, you want to know if.... Am I correct?" "So your question is about..."

A closed question

-gives you facts -they are short and quick to answer -they keep control of the conversation with the questioner.

Using Questioning Techniques

-learning -Relationship building -Managing and coaching -Avoiding misunderstandings -De-fusing a heated situation -Persuading people

Open-ended question

Focus the topic while allowing the client freedom of response. How, when, where, what questions

Spot the signals

For Probing questions Before you start probing, you must spot the signals they are sending that there is more here than meets the immediate eye.

Silence

For Probing questions: A non-verbal probe can also be used, for example by raising your eyebrows and tilting your head. This shows you are interested in a particular point and they may give you more detail without you having to say anything.

Repetition

For Probing questions: A simple way of eliciting further information is just to repeat the key phrases they used about which you want more information. Them: Afterwards, he whispered to me and I wasn't sure what to say. You: He whispered to you? Them: Yes, he said I was very nice.

Judgment

For Probing questions: The other person may well have made decisions which imply an evaluation or judgment of some kind. Either they or someone else has made a decision which can be surfaced and explored for weaknesses. For example, if a person says "that wouldn't work", then you could explore who decided this.

Use searching questions

For Probing questions: Use questions that lead them to tell you more about the area of interest. This may use closed questions for ask specific details and open questions to encourage them to ramble Who? When? What? Where? Why? How? are all probing questions that can help you dig down into further detail. Using these powerful questions is covered in further detail at the 5W1H page.

Vagueness

For Probing questions: What we say is often severely abbreviated from what we intend or think. We censor our thoughts or assume that things are already known. This can come out in vague words or statements that signal that there is more here. For example if they say "I don't know" may indicate uncertainty or doubt. What don't they know? How did they get to 'not knowing'?

Use process questions

For funneling questions Process questions ask about how things are done, asking for more detail about the process.

Decreasing detail

For funneling questions The reverse of narrowing the funnel is to broaden the funnel, asking questions that give you less specific information and more information about more general topics. Decreasing detail is similar to inductive reasoning, where thinking goes from specific to more general.

Use broadening questions

For funneling questions Use questions that give you less detail about a small area and more information about related topics. Hence ask 'Who else', 'What else', etc.

Use vague questions

For funneling questions You can also use vague questions. When the real purpose of the question is not clear, the other person has more leeway to answer the question in any associated way.

Increasing detail

For funneling questions You can use questions to find out increasing detail about some particular topic of interest. This narrows the funnel, giving you more information about a smaller area. Increasing detail is similar to deductive reasoning, where thinking goes from general to more specific.

Funnel Questioning

Funnel questioning seeks further information either that goes into more specific detail or becomes more general

Inductive Reasoning

Inductive reasoning, or induction, is reasoning from a specific case or cases and deriving a general rule. It draws inferences from observations in order to make generalizations.

Assumptive questions

Leading questions can use the assumption principle, for example by moving the subject of the sentence: "How much will prices go up next year?" This assumes that prices will go up next year - the subject of the question is about how much prices will go up. In fact it is very difficult to avoid assumptions. Even if you said: "Do you think prices will go up next year?" ...you are still forcing the other person to think first and possibly exclusively about prices going up (If they answer 'no' then this may mean they will be stable, and a thought about them going down may not have been made).

Persuading people

No one likes to be lectured, but asking a series of open questions will help others to embrace the reasons behind your point of view. "What do you think about bringing the sales force in for half a day to have their laptops upgraded?"

Relationship building

People generally respond positively if you ask about what they do or enquire about their opinions. If you do this in an affirmative way "Tell me what you like best about working here", you will help to build and maintain an open dialogue.

Coercive questions

Questions that force specific answers can include implicit or explicit coercion. Thus: "You are coming tonight, aren't you? If you aren't then there will be trouble." "How can you say you won't come?" "You do love me, don't you?

For increasing detail Use focus words

Using words like 'specifically', 'actually' or 'particularly' gives the person subtle direction to give you more detail in a particular direction. Use these alongside Kipling questions such as 'What', 'How' and 'When'.

probing questions.

When questioning someone, you may want at times to get into deeper detail about some particular issue or problem. For example the other person may have indicated that they cannot make a decision today. This could be because they have an objection or simply that there is more information for you to discover, such as the process by which they make decisions.

Paraphrasing is also

a way of showing active and effective listening to the speaker as well. Once you are able to restate the statement or question it only goes to show that you attention was focused to the person talking.

hypothetical questions

allow you to gauge how someone might act or what they think about a possible situation. They are effective in getting the person to think up and discuss new ideas or approaches to a problem

when is reflective questioning appropriate.

any context that calls for thoughtful and personal consideration invite reflective questioning. this may include considering alternative courses of actions, examining relation, clarifying beliefs and values, and exploring commonalities

Reflective questions

frequently used to check and clarify your understanding. This style of question reflects back to the speaker what they have just said and allows them to fully explore their knowledge of a situation. These questions also provide an opportunity for the other person to give voice to the emotions they felt at that particular time without you having to interpret why this happened in your question. Use of reflective questions dispenses with you having to express an interpretation or judge why the other person felt this way

Linked statements

ou can also create leading questions by using the association principle around things you said previously and which are still in the mind of the person being questioned (hint: they will stay there longer if you put emotion into them). For example: "I really hate this government!!...What are your thoughts about the XX party?" You can also put something else of significant leadership within the question (note the social coercion in this statement): "What do you think about John Richards? Many people are opposed to him, by the way." You could alternatively add desirable carrots in the statement: "Would you prefer to live in Alba or in Barta, where the crime rate is very low." Note how the crime rate in Alba is not mentioned, but the link of low crime with Barta will still make it more desirable.

Leading Questions

questions that are deliberately designed to make them think in a certain way. Leading questions either include the answer, point the listener in the right direction or include some form or carrot or stick to send them to the 'right' answer.

The process in paraphrasing is very simple.

that there are three important elements contained in a paraphrased question or statement. -One is it should have similar meaning or the same thought as the original question. -Next, it must elicit the same answer as the original question. -Lastly, the paraphrased question must show alternate wordings and order of some words.