The Four Directions of Questions

 Whether you’re a corporate trainer, a project manager, a business analyst, or any other kind of
leader in an organization, at some point you will need to deal with questions.
 You might need to ask questions of your training participants or your stakeholders.
 Alternatively, your training participants or your stakeholders could be asking you questions.
 With all of this questioning back and forth, it’s helpful to understand the four directions of
questions:

Direct Questions
Direct questions are those in which the Presenter asks a question to a specific participant. These are
necessary on occasion; however, they can potentially put a person “on the spot.” In a learning
environment, it might be good to avoid these questions.

Example: “Steven, what is an example of an elicitation technique?”

Overhead Questions
Overhead questions are those in which the Presenter asks a question to the participants in general;
anyone can answer. These questions can be much safer because they do not put anyone “on the spot.”

Example: “Who can name the five process groups in the Project Management Lifecycle?”

Relay Questions
Relay questions are questions that are used as a response to a direct question to the Presenter. A
participant asks the Presenter a question, and the Presenter relays the question back to the participants
in general. This is a great way to get other participants to share their thoughts on the question. This is
also helpful in increasing participation.

Example: A participant asks the Presenter, “What are some examples of risks on a process improvement
project?”

The Presenter responds, “Great question! Can someone share his or her experience with risks on a
process improvement project?”

Reverse Questions.
Reverse questions are also questions that are used as a response to a direct question to the Presenter. A
participant asks the Presenter a question, and the Presenter reverses the same question back to the
person who asked the question. These questions help to gain confirmation of the original question as well
as to see if the participant already has his or her own thoughts about the topic. Of course, this might also
put the participant “on the spot,” so these questions should be used with caution.
Example: A participant asks the Presenter, “What should I do if my stakeholders have conflicting
requirements for my project?”

The Presenter responds, “Great question! What do you currently do when you’re confronted with
conflicting requirements among your stakeholders?”

A combination of these four directions of questions can create excellent group dynamics in any type of
facilitated sessions. What are some of the ways that you believe you can use these four directions of
questions in your sessions?