Asking Good Questions

Questions open or close doors: A good question opens a conversation. A bad question closes it.

Ask for a real answer: "Did you have a good day?" usually gets one word: "Fine." A better question is, "What was the best part of your day?" That question needs a real answer.

Questions show you care: Good questions show you care. They also help you understand the real problem, instead of guessing.

Two Kinds of Questions

• Closed questions — the answer is yes, no, or one word. Useful for facts: "Did the customer pay?"
• Open questions — the answer needs a sentence. Useful for feelings and reasons: "What worried you most about the exam?"

How to Ask Well

• Ask one question at a time. Two questions together confuse people.
• Start with "what" and "how" for open answers. "Why" can sound like a complaint.
• After asking, wait. Silence for a few seconds is not rude. It gives the person time to think.

Example

A quiet student speaks up: A college teacher sees a quiet student. Instead of saying, "Why are you so quiet?" he asks, "What subject do you enjoy most this week?" The student talks for two minutes about cricket and maths.

One question opened the door: One good question opened the door that a "why" question had kept shut.

Key Terms

• Open question (کھلا سوال) — a question that needs a full sentence as an answer
• Closed question (بند سوال) — a question answered with yes, no, or one word

Quran or Hadith

None in this topic.

Fresh diagram to be drawn: Two columns: closed question → short answer; open question → long answer. In Project Desk colours.