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OVERVIEW So far in this course you’ve learned how important listening and getting your message across clearly are to successful communication. But there is some- thing else you need to be able to do if you want to communicate effectively: Ask questions. The questions you ask and how you ask them affect your com- munication in many ways.

In chapters 2 and 3 you learned about questions that help you to clarify what someone says or to make sure someone has understood you. In this chapter, you’ll learn more about clarifying questions. You’ll also learn about using questions to elicit information, help people think things through, and encourage participation in meetings.

4 The Art of

Asking Questions

Learning Objectives

When you complete this chapter, you should be able to:

• Describe situations in which managers need to ask good questions.

• Describe and explain the uses of four types of questions: open-ended, closed-ended, clarify- ing, and probing.

• List key strategies for asking useful questions. • Ask appropriate, relevant questions during an

interview. • Ask questions to encourage participation in a

meeting. • Ask questions to elicit information in difficult

situations.

focusfocus

WHY ASK QUESTIONS? Much of the time you spend communicating is actually spent asking ques- tions. If a client wants a cost estimate for a project, you need to ask the pur- pose of project, the client’s objectives, the timetable, and so on. If your team members want help with a problem, you need to ask questions to identify the problem and its causes before you can help them find a solution.

Think about some of the questions you have asked during the past few days. What were your reasons for asking those questions?

Question: ________________________________________________________ Reason for asking: ________________________________________________ Question: ________________________________________________________ Reason for asking: ________________________________________________ Question: ________________________________________________________ Reason for asking: ________________________________________________

You might have come up with some of the common reasons for asking questions shown in Exhibit 4–1.

Asking Questions to Get Information If a colleague came to you and said, “Can you give me some feedback on my report?” how would you know what kind of feedback she wanted: whether the report presented the details clearly, whether the ideas in the report were sound, whether the format was effective, or does she simply want you to proofread the report for typographical errors? Unless she tells you exactly what she needs, you would have to ask questions. You would also ask ques- tions to learn the right way to carry out a procedure, elicit details about job applicant’s experience, or uncover the reasons for an accident.

Asking Questions to Clarify Understanding In chapters 2 and 3, you learned that questions are crucial for making sure that you understand someone accurately or that they understand you. Thus, when your

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xhibit 4–1 Why Ask Questions?

Some reasons for asking questions are to:

• Get information. • Clarify understanding. • Help people think things through. • Encourage participation in a meeting or team effort. • Create or maintain a relationship.

manager says, “I sure hope this project is finished within a reasonable amount of time,” you might ask, “Are you concerned that it’s taking too long?” If you were teaching someone to do a new task and the person said, “There sure are a lot of steps to this process!,” you might ask, “Does this procedure seem too complicated to you? Would it help if I broke it down into small units?”

Asking Questions to Help People Think Things Through Has someone ever come to you for advice about how to do something, such as write a proposal? Instead of telling the person how to write the proposal, you could use questions to help the person decide what he or she wants to say and figure out the best way to say it. You might ask, “Who’s going to read this proposal? Exactly what do you want your readers to do? Why should they do what you want?” You can use the same technique to help people think about problems and come up with a solution. The questions might be, “Can you describe the situation that needs to be changed? Why does it need to be changed? Who’s involved?” and so on.

Asking Questions to Encourage Participation in a Meeting or Team Effort People participate more actively when they are involved, and one way of in- volving people is to ask questions. Questions encourage people to participate in discussions, think about issues, and come up with ideas. For example, to kick off a discussion, you might ask your group, “What ideas do you have for marketing our new product?”

Asking Questions to Create or Maintain a Relationship In addition to the more pointed functions discussed above, questions can serve the purpose of building or maintaining a relationship. For example, asking, “How was your vacation,” shows that you are interested in the other person. The an- swer is not as important as the back and forth of the conversation itself.

Think About It . . .

Think of two or three situations in which you need information, would like to help someone think something through, would like to encourage participation and involvement, or would like to build or maintain a relationship. Briefly describe the situations and list some questions you might ask.

Situation: ____________________________________________________________________ Questions to ask:

______________________________________________________________________

Think About It . . . continued on next page

THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS 53

Think About It . . . continued from previous page

______________________________________________________________________

Situation: ____________________________________________________________________ Questions to ask:

______________________________________________________________________

Situation: ____________________________________________________________________ Questions to ask:

______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

TYPES OF QUESTIONS In a given situation, some kinds of questions are more useful than others. In the dialogue below, Elena is trying to find out why Paul has not finished a project that is overdue. Do you think Elena is asking useful questions?

ELENA: Paul, is there a reason that you did not finish the project on time? PAUL: I guess so. ELENA: Was it because you were busy with other things? PAUL: Uh huh. ELENA: Do you know that other people are waiting for you to finish your part

of the project? PAUL: Yes. ELENA: If I help you clear your schedule, can you finish the work by next

Wednesday? PAUL: Maybe.

What did you think about the kinds of questions Elena asked? They were not very helpful, were they? Paul’s curt responses gave Elena very little in- formation, and he made only a vague commitment to complete the work.

The problem was that Elena asked “closed-ended”—questions-questions that Paul could answer with a “yes,” “no,” “maybe,” or other one-word or

54 COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR MANAGERS

two-word statements. If she had asked “open-ended” questions—those that could not be answered so simply—the dialogue would have been different:

ELENA: Paul, I see that you did not finish the project on time. Please tell me why.

PAUL: I guess I was too busy with other things. ELENA: I’m sure that you know other people are waiting for you to finish your

part of the project. What would it take for you to be able to finish it by next Wednesday?

PAUL: I’m not sure. I have so many other things to do. ELENA: If I help you clear your schedule, will you be able to finish by next

Wednesday? PAUL: Yes, I will.

This time, Elena’s open-ended questions elicited more information and, more importantly, involved Paul in the conversation. Notice that all but the last of Elena’s questions could not be answered with a simple yes, no, or maybe. At the end of the conversation, she used a single closed-ended ques- tion to get a commitment from Paul that he would, in fact, finish the pro- ject by Wednesday.

To ask useful questions, it helps to recognize ways in which you can use the types of questions shown in Exhibits 4–2 and 4–3: closed-ended, open- ended, clarifying, and probing.

“Closed-ended” Versus “Open-ended” Questions In general, open-ended questions are more useful than closed-ended ques- tions. It’s too easy to respond to closed-ended questions without giving the matter much thought or providing any information.

THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS 55

xhibit 4–2 Open-Ended versus Closed-Ended Questions

Ask Open-Ended Examples Ask Closed-Ended Examples Questions Questions

• To involve the How do you plan • To get quick Are you willing other person to finish this answers to work next Saturday?

job on time? • To invite a • To obtain Would you like this

lengthy or Why did you leave information desk or that one? thoughtful response your last job? efficiently

Did you find the • To solicit opinions What ideas do you • To get workshop useful?

have for solving commitment this problem?

Ask closed-ended questions only when you want a short, succinct answer: “How many people will attend the meeting?” “Are you going to hire a new sales representative?” or “Can you send me the report by Friday?” Otherwise, ask open-ended questions that encourage the other person to pro- vide details, develop a topic, or give an explanation.

Which of the following are open-ended questions?

a. “Why did they say they had changed the design?” b. “What do you think about the new brochure?” c. “What ideas do you have about where should we hold the

conference?” d. “Can you stop by my office at 10:00 tomorrow morning?” e. “What’s the name of the person in charge of Information Services?” f. “What interests you about our company?” g. “Will the newsletter be out by Wednesday?”

Questions a, b, c, and f are open-ended questions that cannot be an- swered with a simple “yes,” “no,” or other one- or two-word statement. They encourage a more complete response.

Clarifying Questions Many of the questions you ask during the course of a day are the kinds of clarifying questions you learned in chapters 2 and 3: “Do you mean that you

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xhibit 4–3 Clarifying and Probing Questions

Ask Clarifying Examples Ask Probing Examples Questions Questions

• To get more precise Do you mean that • To learn more Can you tell me information you would like to details more about . . .?

try the new position? • To check out your • To encourage In what ways did

assumptions and Are you saying that speaker you use . . .? verify your under- you find working with to express ideas standing Tony difficult? and feelings Why do you think . . .?

What concerns you What happened next? about the move, the disruption or working Tell me why you at the new facility? plan to. . . .

When will . . .?

How do you expect to . . .?

won’t be in the office at all on Friday? Or will you be out only in the morn- ing?” “Did you say that the sales figures will be better this quarter, or that we sold more products?” “Are you worried about meeting the deadline?”

Some clarifying questions simply repeat the original question in another way, as in this dialogue:

LAURA: I am so angry about the change in work schedule. JASON: Are you upset because your hours are going to change? LAURA: I’ll never be able to get my son to school and get here on time. JASON: So you think that you’ll need to start too early? LAURA: I can’t possibly get here before 8:00. JASON: It sounds as if 7:30 won’t work for you. Is that right? LAURA: That’s right.

Jason is trying to understand exactly what Laura doesn’t like about the new schedule. To do that, he can rephrase the same question, “What upsets you about the schedule?” until Laura gives him a clear answer.

Probing Questions Think about the way in which you search the Internet. You begin with a general question: “A place to stay in southern France?” A list of web sites appears. You choose one that looks promising. It gives you general informa- tion, including an agency that handles rentals in Provence. You click on the name of the agency. When the web site appears, you click again, this time on the menu item, “Charming country hotels.” As you move from web site to web site, each click of the mouse is like a probing question. Your ques- tions become more and more specific until you have enough information— in this case, the perfect charming country hotel in a village near Avignon.

In this dialogue, notice how Andy uses probing questions to get more specific information from Anita.

ANDY: What did you think of the new product brochures I sent around for review?

ANITA: I liked one of them a lot. The other one wasn’t so great. ANDY: Can you tell me what you liked and didn’t like about each of them? ANITA: The blue and green one, with the bird? It seemed kind of weak.

Too soft. ANDY: And the one with the logo? ANITA: That was better. ANDY: Better in what ways?

Andy can continue to ask probing questions until he gets the information he needs about Anita’s responses to the brochures. To do that, he must listen carefully because each probing question builds on the preceding response.

Ask probing questions when you want to know more about something a person says. Depending on the answer, you might ask another probing ques- tion or a clarifying question and then a probing question, and so on, until

THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS 57

you have the information you need. Most probing questions are open-ended questions although you might begin asking closed-ended questions as you get closer to the end of the series.

Think About It . . .

Watch or listen to a television or radio interviewer such as Larry King, Ray Suarez, Barbara Wal- ters, or Terry Gross. Notice the types of questions the interviewer asks and how the person uses different types of questions to elicit more and more specific information. On the lines below, write several questions you thought were especially useful.

Interviewer: __________________________________________________________________

Questions: __________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Try It Yourself

Work with a partner to practice using open-ended, closed-ended, clarifying, and probing ques- tions. Choose a topic. Then find out as much as you can about your partner’s ideas, feelings, and experiences with that topic by asking different kinds of questions. Reverse roles and repeat the activity, and then discuss the results.

KEY STRATEGIES FOR ASKING USEFUL QUESTIONS Even though questions are a large part of the communications we engage in every day, not all the questions we ask need to be asked. Some questions are not appropriate, and some are not relevant to the topic you’re discussing.

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58 COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR MANAGERS

Also, if you don’t listen closely and remember your objective, you can easily miss important responses.

In the dialogue below, what do you think about the way Francine asks Benito about his job performance?

FRANCINE: So, Benito, how do you think you did this quarter? BENITO: Okay, I guess. Yeah, pretty well. In fact, I . . . FRANCINE: That’s great. Are you enjoying yourself here? BENITO: Sure. Everyone’s pretty nice. I’ve made some good friends. In fact,

Brett and I are talking about getting an apartment together. . . . FRANCINE: That would be nice. Rents are so expensive, aren’t they? So is there

anything about the job you want to talk about? BENITO: Don’t think so. FRANCINE: Well, I think you’re doing well, too. By the way, what do you think

about this thing with the election? Isn’t it amazing?

Francine didn’t do a very good job of asking questions. Her questions were so general that Benito gave her no useful information. In fact, she interrupted him just as he seemed about to say something specific. She asked closed-ended instead of open-ended questions. Worse, the question about the election was not relevant, and it was not an appropriate question for a manager to ask of an employee, especially in a job performance interview. Francine would have done a better job if she had followed the guidelines in Exhibit 4–4.

Know Why You’re Asking the Question It’s always important to know the purpose of the questions you ask. Are you simply asking questions to build or maintain a relationship? Is there specific information you need? Why do you need it? What might happen if you do not get it? Are you trying to help people clarify their thinking or get them to participate in a discussion? Why does it matter whether those people are able to resolve their problem or express their ideas?

THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS 59

xhibit 4–4 Key Strategies for Asking Useful Questions

Some key strategies for asking questions are:

• Know why you’re asking the question. • Ask the right type of question. • Be sure the question is relevant, necessary, and appropriate. • State the question clearly. • Give people time to respond. • Listen attentively to responses.

60 COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR MANAGERS

Francine’s purpose should have been to elicit information that could help her determine how well Benito thought he was doing his job and identify any problems that might be interfering with his performance. Focusing on that purpose would have helped her formulate more useful questions.

Think About It . . .

Think of a situation in which asking questions can help you achieve a specific objective. What is that objective? Why does it matter? What might happen if you are unable to achieve it?

Situation: ____________________________________________________________________

Your objective: ________________________________________________________________

Why it matters: ________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Ask the Right Type of Question As you learned earlier in this chapter, there are different types of questions. The types of questions you ask depend on such factors as the situation and your purpose. Which type of questions would be most effective in each of the situations in Exercise 4–1?

Exercise 4–1

Instructions: For each of the situations below, circle the type or types of questions that would be most effective.

Situation 1 Sandy needs to ask Marvin, who works in Accounting, whether a vendor has been paid. Marvin is very friendly and likes to talk. In fact, when Marvin is asked almost any question, he is likely to answer with a great deal of unnecessary information. What type or types of questions should Sandy ask?

a. closed-ended b. open-ended c. clarifying d. probing

Situation 2 Bruno is interviewing Delilah, who has applied for a position in his department. When Bruno asks why she has applied for the position, Delilah says, “It sounded interesting.” What type or types of questions should Bruno ask?

a. closed-ended b. open-ended c. clarifying d. probing

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Answers to Exercise 4–1

Situation 1 Sandy should use closed-ended questions, which are more likely to focus Marvin on the infor- mation she needs without encouraging him to add unnecessary information. For instance, she might say, “Did Vendor X receive a check?” instead of, “What can you tell me about the payment situation for Vendor X?” If she needs additional information, she can continue to ask closed- ended questions: “Did you receive the invoice Vendor X sent on such and such a date?” “Can I tell Vendor X that she will receive her check by the end of the month?”

Situation 2 Bruno should ask open-ended, probing questions. He could begin with a broad question such as, “What sounded interesting about the position?” and then continue to probe for more infor- mation by asking for more specifics.

Be Sure the Question Is Relevant, Necessary, and Appropriate Francine’s question about whether Benito was enjoying himself at the com- pany threw the conversation off track and brought in information that was not relevant to Benito’s job performance. While you might use that kind of question to establish rapport at the beginning of a meeting or interview, it is not helpful during the interview itself. Inappropriate questions, such as Francine’s question about the election, can also throw a conversation off track. They can also offend people or make them uncomfortable.

Before asking a question, think about whether it serves a purpose and is relevant to the topic at hand. Consider what would happen if you didn’t ask that question. Sometimes it’s helpful to wait for 10 seconds before asking a question so you can consider how to phrase it or whether to ask it at all.

Be especially careful to avoid questions that might be offensive or cause discomfort. The problem might be the content, such as Francine’s question about the election. In the workplace, it is usually best not to inquire about a person’s politics, religion, sexual preference, or personal life.

Sometimes the problem is not so much the content as it is the way a question is asked. Think about how you would feel if you were asked ques- tions like the ones shown below:

“Why did you dye your hair that color?” “Don’t you think you’re being too sensitive?” “Do you really believe that anyone will take that idea seriously?” “When are you going to learn to do that right?” All of these questions challenge people to defend themselves. Instead of

eliciting a useful response, these kinds of questions are likely to elicit bad feelings, hostility, and anger.

THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS 61

Think About It . . .

Has anyone ever asked you a question that made you uncomfortable? Was it the content of the question or the way the question was phrased?

State the Question Clearly If you don’t get a helpful answer to your question, perhaps you haven’t asked the question clearly. Suppose someone asks, “What do you think about the meeting next week?” Does the person want to know whether you think the meeting should be held, whether it’s worth attending, whether the right peo- ple have been invited, or whether it’s being held in the right place?

People often assume that the other person understands what they mean, and they do not realize that the question is unclear. But people also ask un- clear questions because they haven’t figured out what they want to know, as in this example:

TRACY: Jean-Paul, I heard that some people have been having trouble with the new invoice processing procedures, and I agree that they are sort of con- fusing, although I’m not sure what I can do about it, but maybe you could fill me in?

If you were Jean-Paul, could you tell from Tracy’s rambling question what she really wants to know? Probably not. Tracy might not know herself. If she did, she could ask the question more clearly:

TRACY: Jean-Paul, I heard that some of the staff have been having trouble with the new invoice processing procedures. I agree that the procedures are a little confusing, and I’d like to help if I can. Can you tell me who is having trouble, and what it is about the procedures that they don’t un- derstand?

Give People Time to Respond What do you think is going on in the following situation? How do you think Julia feels?

SUZANNE: I’d like your opinion about Mario’s suggestion that we delay the prod- uct launch.

JULIA: Hm. He made some good points, that’s for sure. . . . SUZANNE: So you agree we should delay the launch? JULIA: That’s not what I said; it’s just that his point about the test cycle.... SUZANNE: Oh, you mean we need to run more tests?

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Suzanne is jumping in with assumptions about what Julia is about to say, so Julia probably feels frustrated because she has no time to respond. If you are really interested in the answers to your questions, give people the time they need to respond, and avoid assuming that you already know their answers.

Listen Attentively to Responses Suzanne was not really listening to Julia’s responses, so she was not getting the information she needed. An important part of asking questions is listen- ing carefully to the way people respond. That’s how you’ll know the person has understood what you asked and whether you need to ask additional clar- ifying or probing questions.

“Listen” to more than the other person’s words. As you learned in Chap- ter 2, real listening means paying attention to nonverbal cues such as tone of voice and facial expressions because those cues often give you more infor- mation than people’s words. Dissonance between what people say and their nonverbal expressions can indicate that the words might not be an accurate indication of what they really think or feel.

What do you think might be going on in this example? Bill asks Jeffery, “Would you mind working overtime tomorrow?” Jef-

fery replies, “Uh, sure, no problem.” But his tone is clipped and abrupt, he frowns, and he looks down at the floor as he speaks.

The nonverbal cues conflict with Jeffery’s words, implying that he cer- tainly would mind working overtime. If Bill “listens” carefully, he can check out his perception by asking a clarifying question and giving Jeffery a chance to back out: “Are you sure that it’s all right for you to work overtime to- morrow? If not, I’ll be glad to ask someone else.”

Think About It . . .

Look for opportunities to notice the ways in which people ask questions. What do they do that works? What might they do differently so their questions are more useful?

HOW TO ASK QUESTIONS DURING AN INTERVIEW Two common situations in which managers need to ask questions is when in- terviewing job applicants and conducting performance appraisal interviews. To improve the usefulness of the interviews you conduct, take the steps shown in Exhibit 4–5.

Know Your Objective Before beginning any interview, decide what you hope to accomplish. Why are you interviewing the person? What can you learn from a face-to-face

THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS 63

interview that you could not learn through other means? What kind of in- formation do you need? How are you going to use the information?

Be Prepared The more you know going into an interview, the more you can learn. For hiring interviews, read the applicant’s application and résumé, and review the job description. For performance evaluation interviews, review the employee’s previous evaluations and other relevant documents. For informational inter- views, read any relevant material that might be available.

Develop a list of questions to ask. You might not ask them all, but cre- ating the list helps you focus on the information you need. The list can also be a useful reference during the interview, reminding you of important ques- tions you might otherwise forget to ask. Consider providing the interviewee with some questions ahead of time so he or she can prepare by thinking about the answers or gathering necessary documents.

Choose the Right Time and Place A private, comfortable setting and a convenient time go a long way toward determining the success of any interview. Few people are comfortable being interviewed in public, especially if the interview is of a personal nature, such as a hiring or job performance interview, or the topic is sensitive or confidential.

Look for a private place where you will not be disturbed, and set the place up so that both you and the interviewee will be comfortable. If possi- ble, arrange seating at the corner of a table or in comfortable chairs placed at an angle to one another. Minimize distractions by arranging for your calls to go into voicemail or be answered by someone else—and turn off cell phones. Schedule the interview for a time when neither you nor the person you are interviewing will feel rushed.

Establish Rapport Unless you know the person you are interviewing well, take a few minutes to establish rapport before launching into your questions. Introduce yourself.

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xhibit 4–5 Conducting Useful Interviews

To conduct useful interviews:

• Know your objective. • Be prepared. • Choose the right time and place. • Establish rapport. • Ask the right questions and listen carefully.

Set the stage by explaining the interview process and what you want to ac- complish. Give the person a chance to ask about the process before you be- gin. Exhibit 4–6 shows things you might say to start off an interview.

Ask the Right Questions and Listen Carefully To conduct an interview, you will use everything you have learned in this chapter about asking questions. The success of the interview will depend to a large extent on whether you ask the right type of questions and whether you listen carefully to responses.

Notice how the questions Sylvia asks throw this interview off track:

SYLVIA: Karl, can you tell me why you’re interested in working for our company?

KARL: My friend told me that it’s a great company to work for. SYLVIA: Well, we always like to hear that! What department does your friend

work in? KARL: She’s in Purchasing. SYLVIA: We have a lot of good people in Purchasing. Has she been here long? KARL: I don’t know. We only met a couple of weeks ago.

Except for the first one, Sylvia’s questions are unlikely to help her learn whether Karl is qualified for the position with her company. To keep the in- terview on track, what question might she have asked after Karl mentioned his friend?

Sylvia might have asked, “What was it she said about the company that interested you?” The answer to that question would have provided useful in- formation about Karl’s reasons for wanting to work for the company.

THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS 65

xhibit 4–6 How to Begin An Interview

Some sample phrases to use to begin an interview:

• “Hi, Joan, I’m Kathleen, manager of the Research Department. I’m glad to see you here today.”

• “Here’s what I’d like to accomplish in the interview today.” • “Before we begin, I’d like to give a quick summary of what kinds of questions I’ll

be asking.” • “I’m going to use the information from today’s interview to . . .” • “Can I answer any questions before we get started?”

Think About It . . .

Imagine that you are about to interview someone for a specific position in your department. What are some of the questions you would ask?

Position: ____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Try It Yourself

Working with a partner, use what you learned in this section to plan and conduct a mock job in- terview. Reverse roles and repeat the activity. Then discuss the results.

USING QUESTIONS TO ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN MEETINGS Jeremy facilitates a staff meeting every other Wednesday morning. The pur- pose of the meeting is to bring everyone up to date on the department’s pro- jects and give people a chance to share ideas and perspectives. After the team leaders give brief reports, Jeremy says, “So—does anyone have any questions? Anything you want to talk about?” Most of the time people simply shake their heads, so Jeremy declares the meeting over and everyone leaves.

Lately, Jeremy has been hearing that people think the meetings are a waste of time. “We don’t talk about anything,” one staffer complained. “Can’t the team leaders send out their reports on e-mail?” But Jeremy thinks it’s im- portant for people to get together regularly and talk about what’s going on in the department. He knows the meetings would be more useful if every- one participated—but they don’t.

Jeremy discusses the situation with a colleague who suggests that he ask questions to encourage participation. “I do ask questions,” Jeremy says. What he doesn’t realize is that the questions he asks are far too general and vague to encourage participation. People probably don’t realize that he really wants answers when he says, “Any questions? Anything you want to talk about?”

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66 COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR MANAGERS

You already know that questions are key to eliciting information during an interview. Questions are also an effective way to increase response and participation in groups. When you “tell” people something, they might hear what you say without realizing that you want a response. Even general ques- tions like Jeremy’s might not elicit much participation. But when you make it clear that you are interested in people’s ideas, information, or feedback, they will be more likely to respond.

Exhibit 4–7 shows some strategies for using questions to encourage par- ticipation in meetings.

Create a Safe Environment To feel comfortable sharing ideas and asking questions, people need to know that it’s okay to say whatever is on their mind and even to ask “dumb” ques- tions. Establish ground rules specifying that everyone’s idea is to be taken se- riously and every question or concern is important.

Ask Specific, Open-ended Questions Not only were Jeremy’s questions too general, they were closed-ended ques- tions, making it easy for the members of the group to answer with a shake of their heads. What if Jeremy said something like, “Now that you’ve heard the team reports, what questions do you have about these projects?” or “Now that we’re finished with the team reports, let’s talk about what’s going on in the department. For example, I’ve been hearing concerns that the meeting rooms are booked back-to-back so people are having to meet in the cafe- teria. What kinds of problems is this situation causing for you? What suggestions do you have for improving the situation?”

Give Everyone a Chance to Participate Remember elementary school? The same few kids always had their hands in the air before the teacher had finished asking the question. It’s the same way in meetings. If the same few people always answer your questions, try going around the room and giving everyone a minute or two to respond (letting

THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS 67

xhibit 4–7 Using Questions to Encourage Participation in Meetings

Some strategies for using questions in meetings include:

• Create a safe environment. • Ask specific, open-ended questions. • Give everyone a chance to participate. • Send out questions ahead of time.

people pass if they wish). That way, people will learn that you are interested in hearing from everyone.

Send Out Questions Ahead of Time If people know you will be asking certain questions, they can think about how they might respond. For example, Jeremy might have sent around an e-mail asking people to come prepared with ideas for handling the problem of the overbooked meeting rooms. That way, he had a better chance of getting a lively discussion going.

Think About It . . .

Think about a meeting you will be facilitating. List some actions you can take before the meet- ing and some questions to ask during the meeting to encourage participation and discussion.

Brief description of meeting: ____________________________________________________

To do before the meeting: ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Questions to ask during the meeting: ______________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Meeting by Telephone

When you meet with people by telephone, it takes a special effort to keep the meeting on track, in- clude everyone, and make sure that everyone knows who’s speaking. Here are some suggestions:

• Send out a meeting agenda, questions to think about, and supplementary information ahead of time.

• Use people’s names when addressing them: “Andrew, what do you think about Marie’s idea for improving the . . .?”

• Keep a list of names in front of you so you can keep track of who is participating and who is not: “Sienna, we haven’t heard your ideas yet. What suggestion would you make for . . .?”

• Ask people to identify themselves when they speak: “This is Marie. I’m intrigued by Sienna’s idea. Sienna, can you tell us more about . . .?”

• After the meeting, summarize key points and send them out to participants.

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USING QUESTIONS TO ELICIT INFORMATION IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS Pat was doing everything right, but he was still having difficulty getting Lu- cinda to answer his questions about a customer complaint that needed his follow-up.

PAT: Lucinda, please tell me what you know about the problem with Mr. Mal- donado’s account.

LUCINDA: (arms crossed, lips set in a thin line, flat tone of voice) I don’t know any- thing about it.

PAT: Aren’t you the customer service representative assigned to his account? LUCINDA: (staring at the floor) Yeah, I guess so. PAT: Are you saying that you didn’t speak to him about the lost payment? LUCINDA: (shrugs) Maybe. I talk to 20 people a day. Look, I’ve got a pile of work

on my desk. . . . PAT: I understand, but I really need to straighten this out. Why was this

account cancelled before we sent a warning notice? LUCINDA: (in an angry tone) What am I supposed to do? It’s not my fault. Can I

go now?

People resist answering questions for various reasons. They might feel uncomfortable because they think they are supposed to come up with a “right” answer. They might feel that the questions are putting them on the spot. The questions might feel threatening to them, as if they are being accused of something.

Lucinda’s tone, facial expressions, and body language were obvious cues that she did not want to answer Pat’s questions—that she would, in fact, re- sist answering them as long as possible. What do you think Pat might have done when he became aware of those cues?

One thing Pat might have done was to try to relieve some of the pres- sure on Lucinda. He might have restated his initial question with a preface: “I know this is a difficult situation for you. Mr. Maldenado has let all of us know how angry he is. I’m not blaming you for the problem—these things happen. But I need to know the details so I can help straighten the situation out. What can you tell me?”

People send a lot of signals to indicate they do not want to answer your questions. The reason might be simple: Perhaps the person is busy or doesn’t know why you are asking the questions. Or the reason might be more com- plex, as in the example of Pat and Lucinda: The questioning itself raises issues that make the person uncomfortable.

What should you do when you are having trouble getting answers to your questions? It depends on the situation and on how important getting the answers is to you, but you can try the suggestions in Exhibit 4–8.

THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS 69

Be Sure the Person Knows Why You are Asking Questions If you suspect the other person is resisting answering your questions, first make sure that they understand the reason for the questions. You might say, “I’m sorry, I might not have explained clearly why I’m asking these questions. . . . I need the information so I can give my manager a budget request for a new sales assistant.”

Be Patient Some people need extra time to put their ideas into words. They feel rushed or pressured if they’re expected to have an answer on the tip of their tongues. Allow a long pause after you finish the question. You might even say, “Take your time.” During the pause, try to relax and do nothing but wait. If the person still has trouble answering, you might offer time to think: “Why don’t you think about this for a while? I’ll stop by later this afternoon to see what ideas you’ve come up with.”

Rephrase the Question If you are not getting the answers you had expected, perhaps the person didn’t understand the question. You might say, “I’m sorry, that question might not have been clear. What I meant to say was. . . .”

Let the Person Know You Appreciate and Value Their Responses “What a good observation—I had not thought of that. Now let me ask you. . . .”; “I can really use your help with [this situation]”; “You know so much about [this situation or topic], and I would really like to know what you think about. . . .”

Remain Calm and Focus on the Issue If the person seems angry or hostile, try to defuse the situation. You might say, “I understand that you are upset. We need to set a time to talk about [this situation/your concern/this issue]. Right now, though, I need to know what it will take to finish this project by the deadline.”

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xhibit 4–8 Eliciting Information in Difficult Situations

Some ways to elicit information in difficult situations are:

• Be sure the person knows why you are asking questions. • Be patient. • Rephrase the question. • Let the person know you appreciate and value their responses. • Remain calm and focus on the issue. • Ask closed-ended questions.

Ask Closed-ended Questions If a person continues to resist answering your questions and it’s important that you have the information, open-ended questions might not work. Try asking closed-ended questions instead: “If I assign an editor to work with you, can you finish the report by the fifteenth of the month?” “Did the customer tell you that the technician showed up on the wrong date?” “Are you willing to make the presentation if Frank can’t do it?”

Think About It . . .

Think about a time in which you were having trouble getting answers to your questions. What do you think might have been going on? What might you have said or done differently to en- courage a more helpful response?

Try It Yourself

Work with a partner to practice the techniques you learned in this section. Ask your partner to resist answering your questions about a specific topic. Try the techniques to help you get the re- sponses you need. Reverse roles and repeat the activity, and then discuss the results.

pply What You Learn . . .

For the next two weeks, try out specific techniques learned in the chapter and record the results in your log. Write down the techniques you used, what worked and what didn’t, and what you might do differently in the future.

The questions you ask and the way you ask them are important to clear communication. You ask questions to get information from people, clarify understanding, help people think things through, and encourage participation in a meeting. The types of questions you ask—open-ended, closed-ended, clarifying, or probing—depend on the situation and what you want to accomplish.

To ask useful questions:

• Know why you’re asking the question, ask the right type of question, and be sure that the question is relevant, necessary, and appropriate.

• State the question clearly so the other person understands what you are asking.

✍

THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS 71

recap

• Give people enough time to respond and pay attention to the responses, including nonverbal cues that might conflict with the person’s words.

• Prepare for interviews by identifying questions that will elicit useful information, and begin by establishing rapport with the person you are interviewing.

• For meetings, send out questions ahead of time when appropriate, and use questions to encourage participation.

• When people resist answering questions, be patient and remain calm; make sure they know the reasons for your questions; and if necessary, ask closed- ended questions to get the information you need.

Review Questions

1. Open-ended questions: 1. (c) (a) can be answered with a “yes” or a “no.” (b) are the best way to get a succinct response from a talkative

person. (c) encourage people to expand on their ideas. (d) should not be used in a job interview.

2. Which is an appropriate question to ask during a hiring interview? 2. (a) (a) What interests you about working for our company? (b) Who did you vote for in the presidential election? (c) Do you plan on having children? (d) What church do you go to?

3. If you don’t get a helpful answer to your question, you can 3. (b) assume that: (a) the other person doesn’t want to answer. (b) you might not have asked the question clearly. (c) the question did not need to be asked. (d) you didn’t listen carefully enough to the response.

4. Which would be the most useful question to get a discussion 4. (d) started in a meeting? (a) Does anyone have anything they want to say? (b) Do you want to discuss this issue? (c) How many people think we need to talk about this? (d) What suggestions do you have for solving this problem?

5. Which is a recommended strategy when people resist 5. (b) answering your questions? (a) Stop asking the questions. (b) Be sure the person knows why you’re asking the questions. (c) Tell the person to give you the answer in writing. (d) Insist the person give you an answer immediately.

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