Chapter 7 – Developer
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With this one question you are more likely to get better information.
Types of Questions
Cook (1999) also describes different types of questions which can be used to get the
kind of information needed to facilitate effective information gathering. They are:
- Factual questions – when you want facts.
- Explanatory questions – when you want to understand. They usually start with
'why' or 'what'. You need to be careful with your intonations in using these however,
because they can be easily misconstrued as interrogation or accusation. - Justifying questions – when you want to understand the reasoning behind a
person's decision or logic. The word 'why' can also be used to gain this knowledge.
Justifying questions, however, rarely need to be used because they suggest that you
want a reason for a person’s perspective, which is inevitably different from yours. On
most occasions you will be asking an explanatory question. - Leading questions – these questions give you the answer you want to hear. For
example, "We should hire an editor/designer to improve this publication, don't you
agree?" These sorts of questions alienate people by forcing them into a corner and
should be avoided. - Hypothetical questions – are usually preceded by 'what if'. They are used when
you want someone to predict or to apply their knowledge in such a way that an
educated guess is received. Whether they are valid depends on the question and
the person who is giving the answer. At times they may be construed as
manipulative as you put people on the spot. People may become reluctant to answer
future questions. - Alternative questions are similar to leading questions in that you ask a question
and offer a series of answers. The multiple choice test is a good example of this
category. In some cases it may be appropriate but often they limit the full range of
answers to be explored. - Summary questions – ask people to summarise and often start with, "in general" or
"overall". People may find this threatening because it puts them on the spot and
does not allow them to fully explain or explore their answer. However, it can be used
to move a meeting or a discussion forward if the parties are stuck.
Skilled questioning assists in gaining ownership of solutions as well as action plans.
Skilled questioning and listening are keys to enhancing information sharing and
discussion during meetings.