ASKING OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS

The value of open-ended questions is tremendous. Unlike a “yes or no” question, an open-ended
question encourages conversation. Though intentionally asking open-ended questions takes some
practice, it’s the easiest way to engage learners and allow them to make information relevant and
meaningful in their own lives.

What are open-ended questions?

Open-ended questions….
• Allow for participants to reflect and make the information personally relevant.
• Enable the “asker” to find out if the learner recognizes a problem, is concerned about the issue, or
has the intent to change
• Allow for the “asker” to assess participants' confidence level in making a change
• Do not seek yes/no answers.
• Aren’t about right and wrong answers.

Use the following types of open-ended questions to generate class dialogue and to allow everyone to
get to know each other.¹

STRATEGY EXAMPLE QUESTION

Ask about behavior to be changed "Tell us what you know about…"

Ask about a typical day "Describe what you do on a typical day."

Ask about good things; then less good things "How much do these challenges affect you?"
Ask about their most favorite thing to do and “Tell us about your favorite thing to do with family.
their least favorite What does your family not like to do at all?”
Ask about lifestyle and stresses "Tell us more about what your typical day is like.
How does that impact what foods you choose?"
Ask about present and past behavior "What's the difference between your food choices
now and before you saw the doctor?"
Provide information and then ask “What do you think?”

Ask how the new information fits within "How you can fit your food choices into a healthy
participant’s current lifestyle eating plan?"

Ask about health; then behavior "I wonder when you select this food, where does it
fit into your idea of healthy eating?"
Ask about the next step "What is the next step for you?"
Ask directly about concerns "What concerns do you have about making
changes?"
Ask directly about concerns "What concerns do you have about making
changes?"

¹ Norris, J. (2003). From telling to teaching. North Myrtle Beach, SC: Learning by Dialogue.

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 ASKING OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS

How can you use open-ended questions in your own instruction?

Here are some key strategies to help you learn how to do this in your own instruction:

 Ask participants for their impression of the information, how they might or might not use it, and
what reservations they have.

 Ask participants to share their strategies for doing certain things, and have their classmates
comment on whether those strategies would work for them or not.

 Wait for a response to your questions! It’s important to wait for Try it out!
a response to your open-ended questions to give participants time
to think and formulate an answer, even if the silence feels uncomfortable. Try it out: To get
This can be tough, because even 5 seconds can feel like a lifetime when used to waiting for a
you’re standing in front of a class of people! Waiting for learners to answer response, count out
underscores the importance of them reflecting and making the information five seconds now to
personally relevant. In addition, it provides a safe environment for them to see how long it can
share their ideas – one of the main points of Facilitated Dialogue. Using feel!
silence and pauses can also indicate to learners that you are listening and
encourage their active participation.

 Don’t steal their learning! If information is just provided, learners are not encouraged to make it
personally meaningful. Using the technique of asking open-ended questions allows learners to
make personal meaning of information by thinking about what it means to them.

 Open-ended questions are not always appropriate. Sometimes the information is important
enough to just provide it, in which case you can ask direct questions about it! For example,
participants may not know the safe internal temperatures for cooking meats. Therefore, it would
make sense to just offer that information rather than having them guess. Then, you can use open-
ended questions to assess if they recognize the importance of cooking meat to safe internal
temperatures.

Try for creating an appropriate mix of presenting information and asking open-ended questions to
assess participants’ comprehension and ability to apply the information to their lives.

Incorporate these into your classes!

The Cooking Matters lesson plans include talking points and include open-ended questions written
directly into the guide!

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 ASKING OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS

Incorporate these into your classes!

The Cooking Matters lesson plans include talking points and include open-ended questions written
directly into the guide! There are also blank lines next to each lesson, where you can write in open-
ended questions or other notes when planning for class each week.

Practice!
Traditional closed-ended questions might include: “How many people ate breakfast today?” or “Do you
like to eat breakfast?” How could we start a discussion about breakfast, using open-ended questions?

Here are a few answers:

• “What did you eat for breakfast today?”
• “What are some of your favorite breakfast foods?”
• “What are some things you can do to make more time for breakfast in the morning?”

What else could be added to the list?

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