January 2000 | Facilitation Skills
Open questions invite the person being questioned to determine the content and direction of the response. They tend to elicit expansive by encouraging people to speak freely.
WHEN
Open questions are most useful when team members:
• Are not sure where to begin with the questioning
• Need background information about...
January 2000 | Facilitation Skills
Closed questions restrict the person being questioned to the topics of the questioner’s choice. They discourage elaboration and allow team members to get at specific pieces of information in a consistent manner. Most often, a person being questioned will provide a very brief response to a closed questions – nothing more than a “yes” or “no.”
January 2000 | Facilitation Skills
The descriptions we’ve given for open and closed questions should be considered guidelines rather than hard-and-fast rules. When questioning to obtain information, team members should keep these additional points in mind.
January 2000 | Facilitation Skills
Team members sometimes do not have enough information to respond adequately to a statement. At other times, they do not understand what has been said. This lack of information or understanding can harm the team and the success of the project.
January 2000 | Facilitation Skills
Confirming questions enable team members to check their understanding of what has been said and why. It is a good idea to confirm any statement that is open to several interpretations, even if team members think they understand it in the context of the conversation. This helps eliminate misunderstandings, especially when talking with someone who uses technical language.