How to Ask an Open Question

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Asking questions is a basic method of gathering information. However, like everything else, you need to have the skills to ask questions. Asking open-ended questions is a friendly way to maintain a conversation with people. Knowing the difference between open and closed questions will be very helpful to you in your work and social life.

Table of Contents

Understanding open-ended questions

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Know what an open-ended question is. Before you can start effectively asking open-ended questions, you need to know its definition. An open-ended question is a type of question where you must respond with a complete answer with your knowledge and feelings. These questions are often objective, do not lead the respondent, and the result is a lengthy answer. ^{[1] X Research Source} Examples of open-ended questions:

“What happened after I left?”
“Why did Nam leave before Russia?”
“Tell me about your day at work.”
“What do you think of this new season of the TV show?”

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Don’t ask closed questions. Closed questions are questions that you can answer with one word or a short sentence. They are often used to obtain specific information and facts. ^{[2] X Research Source} Example of a closed question:

“Who will you choose?”
“What brand of car are you using?”
“Have you talked to Thang yet?”
“Did Russia come back with Nam?”
“Did everyone finish the cake?”
Closed questions will bring the conversation to a dead end. They don’t keep people going into details, talking about themselves, or providing additional information to the questioner.

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Identify the characteristics of open-ended questions. Sometimes people think they’ve asked the open-ended question, but that’s not the case. To effectively ask open-ended questions in a conversation, you must understand their characteristics.

They cause the respondent to pause and think.
The answer will not contain information about the event but feelings, opinions or ideas about a certain topic.
When using open-ended questions, control of the conversation shifts to the respondent, which initiates an exchange between two people. If control is still solely with the questioner, you are already using a closed question. This technique will make the conversation feel more like an interview or interrogation. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
Avoid using questions that have the following characteristics: lead to answers that contain factual information; easy to answer; and answers are given quickly with little or no thought. ^{[4] X Research Source} The questions that bring up the above are closed-ended questions.

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Know how to use words in open-ended questions. To make sure you can actually ask an open-ended question, you need to understand the wording. Open-ended questions start in very specific ways.

Open-ended questions begin with the following words: why, how, what, explain, tell about, or what do you think about…
Although “tell about” is not a question form, the results are the same as when asking an open-ended question.
Closed questions also have their own style of language. If you want to avoid asking closed-ended questions, don’t use the following phrases: is that…no, is…no, isn’t…well, do you…no.

Use open-ended questions

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Use open-ended questions to get meaningful answers. One of the reasons to use open-ended questions is to get insightful, meaningful, and thoughtful answers. Asking questions this way will open up people more, because you’ve shown that you’re interested in what they have to say.

Don’t use closed questions when you want a meaningful answer. These questions can bring a conversation to a standstill. Answers containing only one word are unlikely to help you successfully build a conversation or a relationship.
Use open-ended questions when you want a detailed explanation to further develop the conversation.
Use open-ended questions to expand a conversation after you’ve used closed-ended questions to get information or get a brief answer. Take this information or short answer, and build on that, continue to build the conversation using open-ended questions. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Define limits. Open-ended questions can sometimes be too broad. Wording is very important when asking open-ended questions, especially when you are looking for a certain type of answer. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

If you’re setting up a date for a friend, you might be asking, “What do you look for in a person?” They will probably point out physical traits when you want to ask about personality. Instead, ask a specific, informative question: “What qualities do you look for in a person?”

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Ask funnel questions. For this approach, start with a narrow question, then move on to broader and more open content. This method is useful if you are in need of specific details from someone else. It also works if you’re looking to get someone else’s interest in a topic or find a way to make them feel more confident. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

If you’re trying to get the person to be more open to open-ended questions, try narrowing the question first, then expanding once they’ve gotten the hang of the conversation. ^{[8] X Research Source} A good example is when talking to children. You might ask, “How was school today?”. The answer will be: “Normal!”. Ask: “What homework have you been given?”. Thus, the story will continue.

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Continue to suggest. Use open-ended questions to open the way for other questions. You can continue to ask after you have asked an open or closed question.

Ask “why” or “how” to elicit and get a longer answer after asking a closed question.
When they have finished, ask an open-ended question that references or relates to what they just said. This will keep the story flowing in an open and engaging way.

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Connect with people. Open-ended questions are one of the best ways to connect with others through chat. Unlike closed-ended questions, open-ended questions encourage meaningful and in-depth exchanges between two people. Open-ended questions also show that the questioner is interested in hearing the respondent’s response.

Ask these questions to learn more about a person. Many times, open-ended questions encourage people to talk about themselves. By asking open-ended questions, you can continue to learn more about the person.
These questions can show concern, empathy, or concern for the other person. Open-ended questions often yield more personal and complex answers. By asking “How are you feeling” or “Why are you crying?”, you are encouraging the person to share their feelings with you. And the question “Are you okay?” only make them answer “Yes” or “No”.
Ask open-ended questions to spark a conversation with quiet, shy, or newcomers. ^{[9] X Research Sources} This can help them feel secure and encourage them to open up.
Use open-ended questions to avoid pressuring, confusing, or influencing someone’s answer. Most open-ended questions are very neutral. The wording of closed-ended questions can make people feel pressured to answer a certain way. ^{[10] X Research Source} For example, a leading question would be “Do you think that dress is beautiful?”, while an open-ended question would be “How do you think that dress?”. Parts with tails like “right?” can make a question leading, suggesting that people agree with you. Stop using them with open-ended questions.
Be careful not to ask people questions that are too personal or cause them to give out too much personal information. Estimate the respondents’ comfort level. If you ask a question that is too personal, ask another question that is less personal.

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Ask questions that can elicit multiple answers. Open-ended questions are very helpful in discussions. They encourage different answers, opinions, and solutions. They also encourage both creative thinking and acknowledging people’s ideas.

Open-ended questions also encourage subtle language skills. You can use open-ended questions with children or new language learners to help stimulate their thinking and improve language skills. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Asking open-ended questions encourages people to talk. Conversing is an art that many people have trouble working on. Talking to someone you don’t know can be intimidating, but open-ended questions can help you encourage others to open up.

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Probe. Open-ended questions can be exploratory in nature. There are two different methods of asking probing questions:

Ask for clarification. If you ask an open-ended question and get a general answer, ask one more open-ended question to clarify the point. For example, if you ask “Why do you like living here” and he says “because of the beautiful scenery”, you can ask another question to clarify such as: “What beautiful scenery?”.
Ask questions to complete the information. Once a complete and clear answer has been given to an open-ended question, you can ask a few more questions to get more information. An example of a complete information question is “What else would you like?” or “What other reasons do you have?” ^{[12] X Research Source}
Don’t use the question “What else?”. This is a closed question, and you may only get a “No” answer.

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Encourage creativity. One of the outcomes of open-ended questions is creativity. Certain open-ended questions will encourage people to expand their thinking.

Some open-ended questions require anticipation. Questions like “Who will win the election” or “What impact will this candidate have on us?” prompting people to raise potential situations.
These questions sometimes cause people to consider the outcome. By asking “What if…” or “What if…”, you are encouraging them to think about the cause and effect of a given situation. ^{[13] X Research Source}

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Try getting them to ask you open-ended questions. This will make the conversation fairer and allow you to participate in the conversation instead of just asking. To get someone to ask you questions, don’t put out all the details of a story or opinion at once. ^{[14] X Research Source}

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Listen. There’s no point in asking the right questions if you’re not listening. Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking about the next question and forgetting to pay attention to the answer. You will miss the opportunity to ask open-ended questions if you forget to listen. Try to concentrate on hearing the answer you want to get.

Warning

The people who get annoyed with answering open-ended questions are those who don’t understand what you’re going to do with their information, or they really don’t want to answer. Can you explain a little more to them. If they still refuse, maybe the answer is too personal, or they don’t want to delve into your topic.
Open-ended questions can lead to long and boring answers. If you want them to be more concise and relevant, ask questions specifically.

Steps

Understanding open-ended questions

Use open-ended questions

Warning

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