Key Points

Now that we have in mind the type of questions we can use we should also keep these key points in mind: 1. 2. 3. 4. Too many questions can shut down the interaction Too little may make the person uncomfortable Ask only one question at a time, too many will cloud the answer you get Use a narrowing approach to questions to gain the most information

i.e. Neutral Questions -----> Open Ended -----> Closed Ended -----> (last resort) Highly Directed Asking "why" questions will automatically put up a persons defenses. This can be bad, unless you are trying to elicit their coping techniques then this is very useful. The steps to becoming a great elicitor may seem simplistic, but initiating these on the fly is not so easy, especially without notes and to make it seem natural. 1. To become a successful elicitor its crucial to understand how to communicate with people. 2. You must learn to be adaptive, this means your communication must be made to fit the environment and situation. 3. It is crucial to build a bond or relationship with the potential "target". 4. Your communications should also match your pretext, otherwise you might seem out of place to the people your communicating with. If your pretext is a member of the IT staff then you need to know, understand, and be able to effectively communicate enough technical information to appear convincing. 5. Really it all boils down to this: You must know how to ask intelligent questions that will force a response. Questions that can be answered with a simple "Yes" or "No" are not good questions at all. Consider the questions "Hot out today isn't it?" and "What do you think of today's weather?". There is a world of difference between them. One almost forces the target to just nod and say "Yup" or "Not too bad"... whereas the other might elicit a response like, "I think it is too hot today. It makes my allergies act up". The second response provides much more valuable information about this person.

Types of Questions
First we need to outline the types of questions we must use to be a great elicitor.
Open Ended

When we ask good open-ended questions we will learn about a person's perspectives, values, and goals as well as interesting little tidbits about them that can be used later on. In addition, this builds(creates?) a feeling of closeness and rapport with the target.

Close Ended

Close ended questions give us control of the conversation and allow us to lead where it may or may not go.
Neutral

This type of question does not tell the person how we want them to answer, there is no leading or directing, it is just.... neutral and can go either way. "How do you like the weather today?" is an example of a neutral question.
Leading

These type of questions really force or try to lead the person down the path to the answer you want. "This weather is pretty hot isn't it?" Beware though, these questions should only be used after you have penetrated resistance, otherwise you can turn the person off and loose all control.
Assumptive

This is a powerful tool because we can put the person at ease by assuming certain things about them, their actions or thoughts. "Whats the most paper you've ever stolen from the company at once?" This question assumes they have stolen paper or other things and may put them at ease that they don't have to admit it. Whatever the answer, it is key to act as if you expected it or you lose the power in the elicitation.

How to Ask Open Ended Questions

Asking questions is a basic way to gather information. But like everything else, there's a skill to it. Asking Open-ended questions is a friendly way to engage people in a conversation. An open-ended question is one that compels a person to volunteer more information. A closed-ended question, on the other hand, is one that can be answered with a simple yes or no response. Knowing the difference between the two will help you tremendously.

Ask questions that encourage people to talk. Let's say you went to a party on Saturday night but had to leave early. If you want to know what happened after you went home, these open-ended questions might help:
o o o

"What happened after I left?" "What happened with Jim and Susan?" "How did everyone like the champagne?"

Avoid asking questions that require one-word replies. Not only will closed-ended questions bring a conversation to a screeching halt, they usually provide inadequate answers as well. Here are some examples of closed-ended questions relevant to the situation described above:
o o o

"Did you speak to Bob?" "Did Susan leave with Jim?" "Did everyone finish all the champagne?"

Go narrow first then broad and open. If you're struggling to get the person to open up with broad open-ended questions, try narrowing the questions first and then make them broader after getting them into the conversation. Example of this would be when talking to your kids. You might ask a question like, "What happened at school today?" "Nothing" is the response. Follow-up with something like, "What writing assignments are you working on?" More than likely, this spark a conversation.

Follow-up with "Why?" or "How?" Another technique that can help you get specific information and a lengthier answer is to ask a closed-ended question followed up with "Why?" or "How?" For example, if I want to know whether I might find a class useful, I can ask someone who took it. Me: "Did you like that Sociology class?" Him: "Nope." Me: "Why not?" Him: "Oh, well, it was a lot of reading and theory without much practical application, for one thing." Make sure to Listen. Asking the right questions is pointless if you don't listen. Sometimes we are guilty of formulating the next question without paying attention to the answer to the first. You miss great opportunities for follow-up questions if you do this. Make an effort to listen to the answer you asked for.

Closed-ended question
A closed-ended question is a question format that limits respondents with a list of answer choices from which they must choose to answer the question. Commonly these type of questions are in the form of multiple choices, either with one answer or with check-all-thatapply, but also can be in scale format, where respondent should decide to rate the situation in along the scale continuum, similar to Likert questions.

Ordinal Scale questions

Respondents are asked to decide where they fit along a scale continuum. These questions contain an ordered set of answers. A common ordinal scale ask about levels of satisfaction.

Other examples
A closed-ended question contrasts with an open-ended question, which cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no", or with a specific piece of information, and which gives the person answering the question scope to give the information that seems to them to be appropriate. Open-ended questions are sometimes phrased as a statement which requires a response. Examples of open-ended questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Tell me about your relationship with your supervisor. How do you see your future? Tell me about the children in this photograph. What is the purpose of government? Why did you choose that answer?

At the same time, there are close-ended questions which are sometimes impossible to answer correctly with a yes or no without confusion, for example: "Have you stopped taking heroin?" (if you never took it) A loaded question or complex question fallacy is a question which contains a controversial or unjustified assumption. The question attempts to limit direct replies to be those that serve the questioner's agenda. The traditional example is the question "Have you stopped beating your wife?" Whether the respondent answers yes or no, they will admit to having a wife, and having beaten her at some time in the past. Thus, these facts are presupposed by the question, and in this case an entrapment, because it narrows the respondent to a single answer, and the fallacy of many questions has been committed.