IN other words we can say Understanding the important types of questioning techniques can help you

communicate well. Asking the appropriate questions often strengthens communication because it
enables you to extract the information most pertinent and beneficial to you. Your communication
objectives with colleagues, managers, or trainees may inform the types of questions you pose.
If all you want is a single, concise response without debate, you might use a basic, closed question.
Occasionally, you may want to discuss a situation, assess how effectively a group absorbs new content,
or ask for comments. The questions can have a direct influence on the response you receive.

EXAMPLES

1. CLOSED QUESTION TECHNIQUE: let's say a teacher is conducting a closed question-

based training session on colors. They might ask a closed question like, "Is the color of
the sky blue?" Here, the expected answer is a simple "yes" or "no."

2. OPEN QUESTION TECHNIQUE: Open questions typically begin with words such as "what,"
"why," "how," or "tell me about." They prompt the respondent to provide personal opinions,
explanations, or descriptions rather than simple yes or no answers.
Here are a few examples of open questions:
"What are your thoughts on climate change and its impact on the environment?"
"Why do you think teamwork is important in the workplace?"
"How did you feel when you achieved your personal goals?"
"Tell me about a challenging situation you encountered and how you handled it."

EXAMPLE

"How do you think technology has influenced communication in today's society?"

In this question, the individual is prompted to share their thoughts and opinions on the impact of
technology on communication. They have the opportunity to provide a detailed response, exploring
various aspects such as the advantages, disadvantages, changes in communication patterns, or the role
of technology in connecting people. The question allows for a broad and open-ended discussion,
encouraging the person to delve into their own perspectives and experiences.

3. FACTUAL QUESTIONS TECHNIQUE:

Simple recall: Simple recall encourages the answerer to recollect memorized facts. For example, you
may ask your team,"How many locations does our organization have nationwide?".
Organization: Organizational questions ask the student or team member to structure their response
logically, for example, chronologically or from greatest to least. For instance, a question may be,"What
are the three most critical projects for our organization this year, in order of importance?".

EXAMPLE

What is the capital city of France?"

In this question, the answer is a specific fact: Paris. There is no room for personal opinion or
interpretation. The question aims to test the respondent's knowledge about the capital city of France,
and the answer can be objectively verified. Factual questions are commonly used in educational
settings, quizzes, trivia games, or when seeking specific information in various domains. They are
designed to elicit precise and accurate responses based on factual data or commonly accepted
knowledge.

4. CONVERGENT QUESTION TECHNIQUES: EXAMPLE

"What is the square root of 64?"

In this question, the convergent nature requires the individual to calculate and provide the precise
answer: 8. There is only one correct response, and it tests the person's mathematical knowledge and
ability to perform the square root calculation accurately.

Convergent questions are commonly used in assessments, exams, and situations where there is a clear
and objective answer. They aim to evaluate an individual's ability to analyze information, make decisions,
and arrive at a specific solution based on logical reasoning and available data.

5. DIVERGENT QUESTION TECHNIQUE: Unlike convergent questions that seek a single correct
answer, divergent questions have multiple valid responses, and there is often no one right
answer. The focus is on generating a wide range of ideas or perspectives.Consider the following
divergent questions:
“How might you enhance our current onboarding procedure?”
“What do you think might happen if the company raises its productivity quotas by 15%?”
“Why aren't managers encouraging professionals to use vacation days even though it seems to help the
company?”

EXAMPLE:

"What are some ways we can reduce plastic waste?"

In this question, there can be various valid answers and ideas. People can come up with suggestions such
as using reusable bags, promoting recycling programs, developing biodegradable alternatives, educating
communities, or implementing stricter regulations. The goal is to encourage individuals to think
creatively, explore different approaches, and generate a diverse range of solutions to the problem of
plastic waste.
Divergent questions are commonly used in brainstorming sessions, creative problem-solving, innovation
workshops, or when exploring alternative perspectives. They stimulate imagination, encourage
exploration of possibilities, and promote a more open and expansive thinking process.

6 EVALUATION QUESTION TECHNIQUE:

For instance, a leader can ask the following questions:
“Using what you know about international trade agreements, which company, that we've studied,
brokered the best deal and why?”
“After reviewing the company guidelines, which video showed the most appropriate way to handle the
situation?”

There are different types of evaluation questions that can be employed, such as:
1. Likert Scale Questions: These questions ask individuals to rate their level of agreement or
satisfaction on a scale, typically ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree" or from
"very dissatisfied" to "very satisfied." For example, "On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you
with our customer service?"
2. Open-Ended Questions: These questions allow individuals to provide detailed feedback,
opinions, or suggestions in their own words. They don't limit respondents to predefined options
and encourage them to express their thoughts freely. For example, "What aspects of our product
do you think could be improved?"
3. Multiple Choice Questions: These questions provide a set of predetermined options from which
individuals can choose their response. They allow for a more structured evaluation while still
offering a range of choices. For example, "Which feature of our software do you find most
valuable: A) Ease of use, B) Speed, C) Customizability, or D) Security?"

7. Inference questions technique: Inference questions ask the answerer to use inductive or
deductive reasoning to evaluate a proposition critically. Inductive reasoning is the process of
arriving at a generalization using well-known facts. For example, you may believe that since
everyone you've employed within five miles of the company has been successful, everyone you
hire within this limit might be successful too. You utilize what you know to create a more general
assertion that could be accurate given the facts.
Deductive reasoning happens when you create predictions based on beliefs about the truth of
generalizations. For example, if all managers are effective leaders and all effective leaders possess great
communication abilities, deductive reasoning states that all managers possess strong communication
skills. Here are some examples of inference questions:
“Cindy and Bill are the company's highest-paid graphic designers. They have been with the firm for a
combined total of at least five years. What might this imply about the earning potential of the company's
graphic designers?”
“It's standard practice to ask for time off at least a month in advance. If you ask less than a month before
you want to leave on your three-week vacation, what do you think might happen?”
 8. Comparison Question technique: Comparison questions are higher-order inquiries that often
ask for comparisons between two items, individuals, concepts, tales, or theories. The answerer
typically needs an in-depth knowledge of the content and the ability to recognize and explain
parallels and contrasts. The following are some comparison questions:

“What are the major similarities between owning a franchise and owning an independent business?”

“Can you compare standard costing and actual costing?”

For example
"Compare and contrast the advantages of using traditional classroom learning versus online learning."
In this question, individuals are asked to identify and explain the advantages of both traditional
classroom learning and online learning. They need to evaluate the unique benefits and drawbacks of
each approach, considering factors like interaction, flexibility, access to resources, and personal learning
preferences.
Comparison questions are commonly used in training, education, and decision-making processes. They
help individuals develop analytical skills, critical thinking abilities, and the capacity to evaluate options
based on their merits. By analyzing and contrasting different elements, individuals gain a deeper
understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each option, enabling them to make informed
choices.

9. Application Question Technique:

Sometimes a leader or teacher may ask you to apply a concept or principle to a new scenario to show a
higher-level understanding. For instance, they may ask the following questions:
“How did the video depict strong leadership skills?”
“What factors might lead the company to open a new location?”

For Instance
"Imagine you are the manager of a retail store facing declining sales. How would you develop and
implement a strategy to increase customer engagement and drive sales growth?"
In this question, individuals are asked to utilize their knowledge of marketing, customer engagement,
and strategic planning to develop a practical plan for improving sales in a specific situation. They need to
analyze the given scenario, identify appropriate strategies, and outline steps to implement their
proposed solution.
Application questions are commonly used in training, assessments, and real-world problem-solving
scenarios. They encourage individuals to connect theoretical concepts with practical situations, think
critically, and demonstrate their ability to apply their knowledge or skills effectively. By engaging in
application-based questions, individuals enhance their problem-solving capabilities, decision-making
skills, and readiness to tackle real-world challenges.

10. Problem-solving questions technique: These questions present a scenario or issue and
assign the answerer the responsibility of developing a solution. For instance, after reviewing
 corporate regulations and procedures with management trainees, some questions to ask could
include the following:
“How might you resolve inter-employee conflict?”
“What can you do if you receive a call from an upset customer?”
“How might you respond to unideal social media comment?”

For instance,
"You are tasked with reducing the company's energy consumption. Develop a plan outlining specific
steps to achieve this goal while maintaining productivity and employee comfort."

In this question, individuals need to analyze the challenge of reducing energy consumption, consider
various factors like productivity and employee comfort, and propose a comprehensive plan with
actionable steps to address the problem. They may need to explore energy-saving measures, consider
technology upgrades, employee awareness programs, and cost-benefit analysis to develop an effective
solution.

Problem-solving questions are commonly used in training programs, interviews, assessments, and real-
world scenarios. They help individuals sharpen their critical thinking, analytical skills, and decision-
making abilities. By engaging in problem-solving questions, individuals enhance their problem-solving
capabilities, learn to think creatively, and develop practical solutions to complex challenges.

11. Affective question Technique: Affective questions elicit information about how others feel
about the material. For instance, some questions to ask new hires may include the following:

“What are your thoughts about your schedule?”

“How do you feel about our new overtime policy?”

“Is it essential to you that we provide an hour-long lunch break rather than a half-hour?”

To illustrate,

"How did you feel when you successfully completed the challenging project?"

In this question, individuals are prompted to reflect on their emotions and describe their feelings upon
accomplishing a difficult task. They can express their sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, pride, or any
other emotions they experienced during that moment.

Affective questions can vary depending on the context and desired outcomes. They may explore
personal values, reactions to specific events, or opinions about subjective matters. By including affective
questions in training, facilitators can create a supportive and inclusive learning environment, encourage
participants to share their perspectives, and gain insights into the emotional impact of the training
content on individuals' experiences.

Probing Question Technique

 There are many places where using probing questions benefits effective communication, learning and
understanding, such as:

 After completing a presentation to understand the participant's key takeaways

 When training a colleague on a new procedure to understand how they'd
adapt the information to their position
 When speaking with someone and you feel they are omitting details
 During a brainstorming session to encourage critical and creative thinking and
problem-solving for new ideas
 When mentoring an employee to understand their thought process about
planning an upcoming project
 During a client meeting to assess their needs and understand their
organization's vision
 When speaking with someone, you want to ensure you fully understand their
story

Examples of Probing Questions Techniques

1. For example, you can ask this question to an employee who has
not followed proper company procedures. It helps you
understand why they disregarded policy. If you want to learn
why a coworker's filing process didn't go as planned, asking
this question can help them analyze what went wrong and
make improvements.
2. For example, you may use this question when conducting a
workshop on inclusion and diversity in the workplace. It can
allow for self-reflection and assessment of unconscious bias.
You can also use this question to help a colleague think
critically about a solution they are proposing.
3. This is also a helpful question for someone who seems focused
on one perspective. Ask this question to support someone
making a significant decision, like a change of career. Or you
can use it when brainstorming with coworkers about a specific
project to complete an informal risk analysis.
4. As the person asking, it gives you insight into their reasoning
and thought process. You can ask this probing question to
reverse-engineer a process or when evaluating subconscious
patterns.

TRAINING METHODS

For example, if you get a job as an administrator in an office,

your onboarding may include training that uses the on-the-job
method, in addition to learning how to use specific software by
completing e-learning tutorials. These training methods can be
practical, which involves allowing trainees to learn by doing a
specific task, or theoretical, which involves providing the
information necessary to perform particular tasks.

1. DISCUSSION: For example, leadership training may involve

a short lecture, followed by a discussion between different
trainees and the trainer to support, expand and elaborate on
the information provided. This method encourages
 engagement in training, with trainees actively taking part in
their learning.
2. LECTURES: For example, as a doctor, you may attend
lectures on new research into treatments for specific health
conditions. During a lecture, the attendees take notes, listen
and observe to gather factual information, which provides
them with a significant amount of insight in a short amount
of time.
3. REMOTE LEARNING: For Example, trainees typically ask
questions and contribute, but there's less emphasis on
taking part than in face-to-face discussion training sessions.
While trainees can choose to take part in the discussions,
they have the option of listening and making notes instead
of actively participating.
4. Scenario:  For example, a trainee may discuss a detailed
scenario about a critical decision in the workplace, while also
asking a manager to talk through how they'd respond to that
scenario and why that's the correct response.
5. LEARING GAME: For instance, the trainer sets various
milestones and provides feedback throughout the process to
help trainees understand the effect of their decisions.
Learning games are valuable for teaching trainees how to
learn specific tasks that require them to complete multiple
steps.
6. Equipment Simulations: For example, airline pilots often
complete their initial training in aircraft simulators.
Equipment simulations provide a risk-free and less stressful
environment to understand how to use complex or highly
 technical machinery, which can often be a strict requirement
for some roles.
7. ROLE PLAY ACTIVITIES:  For example, many call centres use this
training method to help trainees effectively manage difficult
phone calls and challenging customers, which allows them
to learn valuable skills in a stress-free environment.
8. MENTORING: YOU KNOW, This training method is typical in work
environments where a junior employee is keen to progress,
so they seek guidance from a senior mentor to help them
learn how to achieve specific goals and gain experience to
be eligible for a promotion. In some environments,
mentoring can help with training an employee to take on a
senior team member's role when they leave or retire.