General Question Structure:
QWASM: Question word, Auxiliary verb, Subject, Main verb.
In Yes-No questions (questions where the answer is yes or no),
there is no Question Word.
#1 Open-ended versus closed-ended questioning
Open-ended questions typically elicit more information, while closed-ended
questions can be answered with one word or phrase. For instance, “Tell me what
happened that night” is an open-ended question that might lead to your gathering
plentiful information from the interviewee, whereas “where was the party” is a
closed-ended question that can be answered directly with the address of the event,
with no other detail.
Use open-ended questions when you want to initiate a conversation, find out more
information about a situation, or explore the interviewee’s opinions more deeply.
Use closed-ended questions to find out or confirm very specific details (e.g. the
location example above), or to validate your understanding of a situation (e.g.
“based on our conversation, my understanding is that we want to move forward with
the proposal. Is that right?”).
QWASM: Question word, Auxiliary verb, Subject, Main verb.
Where are you from?
What is the band playing?
Auxiliary verbs
In the position of Auxiliary, we can use be, do, have or any modal verb: can,
could, will, would, should, etc.
Have is only an auxiliary verb in the form have got and in the present perfect.
• Have you got any brothers or sisters?
• What have you cooked for lunch?
For other uses of have, we need an auxiliary verb (do, did) for questions.
• What time did you have dinner yesterday? (NOT had you dinner)
• Do you have to do it now? (NOT Have you to do it)
Have got only has a present form. It does not have a past form.
• Did you have many toys when you were a child? (NOT Had you got many
toys when you were a child?)
#2 Funnel questioning
Funnel questioning involves an intentional sequence of inquiry that typically
consists of a long line of closed-ended questions, which, when answered, can allow
for more open-ended questions later on. For instance, if you wanted to learn about
a car accident your client was involved in, you might choose to use a line of
questioning similar to the one below:
Q: About how many other people were in the car with you?
A: Just two of us.
Q: Who was in the car with you?
A: My brother, John.
Q: Where were you driving to?
A: Our mom’s house, in Walnut Creek.
Q: What time of day was it?
A: Mid-morning, about 11 a.m.
Q: Tell me what happened when your car was hit?
A: [Open-ended answer.]
The funnel questioning technique is useful in gathering very specific information
about the past (using closed-ended questions), which allows for a clear
establishment of facts about a situation, or scene-setting. Once the facts have
become clear, the interviewer can then begin to ask effective open-ended question
that enable more exploration of opinions or issues.
Activity:
how + adjective
We can use how +
adjective (any adjective)
as a question word.
• How tall are you?
• How fast is your
car?
which vs what
We can use which +
noun, and we can also
use what + noun. We use
which when there are a
small number of possible
answers. Look at the
difference:
• Which car do you
like, the red or the
blue? (there is a
small number of
possible answers)
• ‘What car have you
got?’ ‘A
Mercedes.’ (many
possible answers)
#3 Asking probing/ clarifying questions
Probing is a technique that involves asking for more information about a previous
statement. For example, if you needed something from a direct report who told you
the information wasn’t accessible, you could ask, “what, exactly, makes the
information difficult to access?”
Probing questions are useful if you need more information to clarify a situation, or if
you need to sort out an issue by uncovering layers of details, opinions, or feelings.
Probing Questions are intended to help the presenter think more deeply about the
issue at hand.
Examples of Probing Questions:
Why do you think this is the case?
What do you think would happen if...?
What sort of impact do you think...?
How did you decide...?
How did you determine...?
How did you conclude...?
What is the connection between... and...?
What if the opposite were true? Then what?
Clarifying Questions are simple questions of fact. They clarify the dilemma and
provide the nuts and bolts so that the participants can ask good probing questions
and provide useful feedback.
Examples of Clarifying Questions:
Is this what you said...?
Did I hear you say...?
Did I understand you when you said...?
What criteria did you use to...?
What’s another way you might...?
Did I hear you correctly when you said...?
Did I paraphrase what you said correctly?
#4 Asking leading questions
Leading questions are typically closed-ended lines of inquiry that result in the
interviewer upholding the interviewee’s opinion. For instance, “when’s the soonest
you can get me the report today?” already assumes the report can be ready today,
leaving it more difficult for the interviewee to suggest an alternative timeline.
Leading questions can be useful to persuade one or more interviewees to a specific
point of view or course of action.
Of course, leading questions are not allowed during direct examination, but are
permitted during depositions. Outside of trial and deposition contexts, using this
technique to influence business decisions may not be ethical, and can harm
relationships in the long run.
Contrast,
“You came out of your office and shouted at Mrs Green”
(a leading question)
“What did you do when you came out of your office?”
(non-leading question)
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp
What Is Leading A Witness? And Why Does Amber Heard's Lawyer Keep Doing It?
#5 Asking rhetorical questions
The purpose of rhetorical questions is not to elicit answers, but rather, to express
key ideas or opinions in an engaging way.
For instance, if you were addressing a jury, saying “isn’t it true that the key witness
in this case stated that he was only 70% certain of what he saw?” may be more
effective than the statement “recall that the key witness in this case stated that he
was only 70% certain of what he saw.”
Rhetorical questions are useful for persuading a listener by drawing them in, rather
than simply telling or stating an opinion as fact, with no opportunity for engagement.
Donald Trump- A Very Stable Genius,
[Link]
time_continue=1&v=KvzJlqxznTM&feature=emb_logo