The French writer, soldier and politician Pierre-Marc-Gaston de Lévis said:

 “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” 

And to that, I would say, “What do you think?” (open question, trying to be clever). You might ask, “Surely, he would have said it in French?” (closed and leading question), but we would then be running away with ourselves, so let’s pause and find some common ground again. 

I might venture to comment that I became fascinated by questions while being trained as a bomb disposal officer. That might lead you onto a whole bunch of other questions (and derail this particular thread), so noting that I at least have some professional experience in the application of effective questions, you might concede to explore questions a bit more.

We would likely agree that asking good questions is vital for critical thinking, and also a fundamental communication skill, and therefore key to effectiveness in many areas of life. Thus, we can continue happily together (être heureux ensemble), to find out more about questions and their composition.

Even a little research will reveal that becoming effective at questioning requires some understanding of question structure, some skill in question construction and then practice. Therefore, we can stride out together, confident to explore each of those aspects in turn. 

So, what is an effective question? (and was that one right there?)

Logically, we need to define what an effective question is to identify the types of questions we want to use. A good question does not just elicit information, as leadership guru John C Maxwell states, 

“While bad questions have a negative impact, good questions do several positive things: They clarify objectives; they speed up the process of completion; and they stimulate good thinking.”

I would add that effective questions also develop mutual understanding and challenge assumptions. But an effective question could be structured in many different ways so now let’s look at question typology. 

What are the main types of questions? (and was that rhetorical?)

There are many types of questions, for example; open and closed, rhetorical, leading, loaded, repeat or negative questions. These in turn have been classified in various ways, according to use, be that research, philosophy, education, etc. Let’s look at some of the most common types with some examples to illustrate. 

Open and Closed Questions

The classification of questions as being either open or closed is perhaps the best-known, and easiest-to-understand, typology of questions. 

Closed questions

A closed question is generally one that can be answered with a single word such as ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Generally, these questions do not encourage people to think deeply or to express themselves fully. They are useful for clarification though. If you want a definitive response from someone on a specific issue, then a closed question is helpful. 

For example, you might be interested in someone’s preferences. Picture yourself on a first date with someone. You choose to take them to a horror movie (that’s horreur not heureux, and don’t worry, we will also be looking at decision-making later) and you notice their wide eyes, pale face and tight-lipped expression (again, more to come later regarding non-verbal communication and empathy too!)

You are not sure exactly what they are thinking so you could ask them a simple closed question such as “Do you like this?” They can then answer with a yes or no. 

It is worth noting that this question could be closed down even further because at the moment you might also get another response, such as “Yes; don’t worry this is my happy face” or more likely, “Not really”, “Of course not you idiot” or “Take me home right now!” 

To limit the question further you could say, “Do you like this, yes or no?” to indicate the type of response you are looking for. Although, on a first date, that could be a little bit too direct so let’s move swiftly onto open questions. 

Open questions

Logically, open questions are the opposite of closed questions. They allow the respondent to come up with longer and more expansive answers. Because the answer can be expansive it allows people to be more divergent in their thinking and choose their own language to unpack an idea. Open questions can be constructed in various ways but generally use an interrogative word such as what, who or why.

Using the example above, relating to preferences, you could follow up the closed question with an open question to deepen understanding such as “Why do you/don’t you like this horror movie?” Sometimes people don’t like being asked why questions (they can feel like they are being interrogated) and so the question can be softened by rephrasing it to something like this, “What makes you like/not like this?” 

The open question allows the respondents to express themselves more fully. For instance, in our example (if you are devilishly lucky), they might say, “I love to feel a little scared, but I would enjoy it even more if I could hold your hand.” Probability would suggest that the more likely answer would be something like, “Well, watching someone get stabbed       is not exactly my idea of a romantic evening!”

Of course, before you even went on a first date, a good open question to ask might have been, “What sorts of things do you like to do?” But we are past that now, so how about we press on to rhetorical questions? (see what I did there?)

Rhetorical questions

Rhetorical questions are questions that the speaker doesn’t expect an answer to. Posing such a question is a rhetorical device used to make a point. The question is usually structured around an obvious answer to create emphasis. 

So, keeping our little first date scenario going, your date might ask, “Did you really think a horror movie was a good idea?” (as they walk out of the cinema). As they walk out, you might ask yourself, “Why does this always happen?” The person next to you might chip in with their own rhetorical question such as, “Do you think I want to hear your inane thoughts when I am trying to watch this film?”

As we can see, rhetorical questions are best used sparingly. Is that not so?

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Leading questions

A leading question is constructed to prompt the respondent to a particular answer and framed to elicit a desired response. They are often used by a questioner to confirm a specific point. 

You are likely now thinking of courtroom dramas and the sorts of questions posed by flash prosecution lawyers. For example, after the ill-fated movie trip, as you are hauled into court by your first date, for the infliction of mental trauma, the barrister might ask, “Isn’t it true that you knew this film included images of bloody violence?” The clever among you will also notice this is a closed question as the two often go together.

The attorney might then go on to ask the defendant other leading questions such as, “And you felt distraught, extremely anxious (and bitterly let down) after this experience?”

And I am sure we can picture the rest. So, you would like to move on to the next section now, yes? Excellent.

Loaded questions

Loaded questions have some relation to leading questions, as they seek to get a specific response, and also to rhetorical questions, as they are used for emphasis in dialogue. They are often used to put people on the defensive and usually carry an underlying negative assumption that may or may not be true.

Returning to the courtroom and the post-mortem of the questionable first date, the cross-examiner might ask you, “Have you stopped harassing your romantic interests?”

As you can see, the question is constructed to be a closed question but loaded in a negative way, where both a yes and a no answer would be damaging to the respondent. They are a trap, so they are usually best avoided, both as a questioner and as a respondent.

Therefore, I wonder when did you cease to ask people loaded questions?

Compound questions

Compound questions (or double-barrelled questions) are questions that contain multiple parts, in other words, they contain multiple questions. This often makes them befuddling or misleading.

Returning to our example, after quitting the courtroom an unhelpful friend might inquire,  “Was it that you did not really like your date and were trying to self-sabotage?” You might reply with another compound question, such as, “Why do you always think negatively about me and what is your problem?”

As you can see, compound questions often just confuse an issue further so they are generally worth avoiding (unless you are trying to wrongfoot someone).

So would you like to go on or shall I just continue.

Which questions should we use?

Open questions are generally best in unlocking people’s thinking so, both in social or work contexts (particularly as an executive coach), the greatest percentage of my questions are open ones. But it is good to know other questions so you can you them in the right context. It is also helpful to avoid the sorts of questions being asked of you so you can properly answer good questions, clarify confusing ones, and avoid damaging ones.

There is an art as well as a science to asking questions. A poorly chosen open question is potentially worse than a pertinent closed question. An incisive question should be like a catalyst or a key. It should help to provoke thought, challenge assumptions and create new paradigms. Deliberate practice will develop your ability to ask effective questions, and it is here that a good framework can help you. The first framework I was taught was the 5Ws and I have built in this to develop The Right Questions approach.