FD108 – Exercise 5

Questioning Styles

Open – these questions encourage conversation and usually begin with who, what, when, why, where and how.
For example – How do you operate that machine?

Closed – these questions only require a yes or no answer. They should be used with care as they can shut down conversation.
For example – Is there a record of this activity?

Probing – these questions are used to establish details and explore the topic of conversation. Again, use with care as the recipient of these questions could feel they are being interrogated!
For example – How does that document get stored? Who has access to it? How long is it kept for?

Clarifying – these are used to determine facts, often require only a one-word, factual response.
For example – Do you have a process for handling items in the quarantine area?

Reflective – these questions reflect back the information already obtained to check understanding.
For Example – You told me you have two client contracts ready for review, can you tell me who they are?

Leading – this type of question is sometimes used to influence the response one way or another.
For example – are you happier with this product than the last one?