EFFECTIVE QUESTION

1. Funnel questions
This strategy involves asking a series of questions, starting from the general to more specific
questions. Funnel questions are effective when trying to get details about a situation. For
example, you could ask a customer the following questions when evaluating the quality of your
customer care:
‘Have you ever called our technical support line?’
‘Who did you talk to?’
‘What was the attitude of the agent?’
‘Was your problem solved?’
2. Open and closed questions
Closed questions usually elicit short or single word answers. ‘What time is it?’ and ‘How old are
you?’ are some examples of closed questions. Such questions are effective when making a
decision or concluding a discussion. They are also useful when beginning a series of funnel
questions. Open questions attract longer answers. Besides questions, you could also use
‘describe’ or ‘tell me’ statements. The following are some examples:
What happened at the party?
Tell me about your family
Why are you disappointed?
Describe your experience with the client
Open questions are ideal when trying to get respondents to share their feelings, opinions or
knowledge.
3. Probing questions
Probing questions are ideal when trying to get information out of evasive people. They are also
useful when seeking full understanding about an issue. Here are some examples of probing
questions:
‘What proof do you have that Susan stole the money?’
‘What exactly do you mean by value-added?’
‘Who exactly was supposed to oversee this project?’
4. Leading questions
Such questions are meant to influence the thinking of the respondent to your advantage. For
example:
‘Davis is a very reliable employee, don’t you agree?’
‘The first option is better than the others, right?’
‘Would you like a product that solves all your skin problems?’
Leading questions influence people in your favor while leaving them convinced that they made
the choice themselves. They are very effective especially when closing a sale.
5. Rhetorical questions
These are really not questions at all. Rather, they are more of statements which don’t necessarily
require an answer. Rhetorical questions work well when trying to engage a listener. The
following are some examples:
‘Isn’t Mary the best boss ever?’
‘Don’t you love how the office was designed?’
‘Wouldn’t you give anything to attend that seminar?’