Intended for:
Everybody – we all need to ask questions everyday but do we always ask the right questions in the right way?
Training course contents:
A set of tips providing guidance on how to ask great questions can be downloaded for free from the link at the bottom of this page, or you can follow the notes below…
20 Questioning Tips
1. Ask one question at a time
2. Be confident in your questioning
3. Keep your questions clear and simple
4. After you have asked the question keep quiet and wait for the answer
5. After the answer appears to have finished, stay quiet for 1-2 more seconds.
6. Use funneling technique (e.g. open/probing/closed questions)
7. Ask how they feel about an issue as well as factual questions
8. Use open questions for detailed answers
9. Use probing questions for more detailed in formation
10. Use specific probing questions (e.g. how many times did that happen?)
11. Use closed questions for short specific answers
12. Use ‘What, Why, and When, and How, and Where and Who.’
13. Ask clarifying questions if the answer is not clear or you need it expanded
14. After hearing a vague comment do probe (e.g. what do you mean by that?)
15. Use the echo technique by repeating what they have just said as a question?
16. Follow up with related questions
17. Avoid or limit leading questions – you don’t want to give the answer if you are seeking information
18. Don’t offer answers of your own before they have answered
19. Ask whether they have anything to add – you’ll be surprised by how much extra information you will collect with this one simple question
20. Close by asking whether they have any questions for you
Objectives:
To provide assistance to anyone who needs to improve the quality of their questioning. This tip sheet on questioning would be a good additional document with any Trainer Bubble training course materials that involve good communication and examples include these topics…
Interview Skills – Training Course Materials
Questioning Skills – Training Course Materials
Train the Trainer – Training Course Materials
Coaching Skills – Training Course Materials
