Tuesday, October 24, 2006
The Inner Secrets to Asking Questions
The art of the interviewer - commanding and controlling dialogue
“The adroit handling of conversation is a major instrument of empowerment” - says keynote professional speaker Carole Spiers, who regularly addresses blue-chip corporate business on self-development and the formula for sustainable success.
Among that toolbox of key stategies, a well-honed conversational skill could greatly amplify your powers of persuasion, control of events and building of relationships.
And nothing drives a conversation more effectively than carefully-chosen questions that stimulate without appearing to interrogate.
Professional interviewers, journalists, barristers, detectives, psychiatrists… all have found it invaluable to study questioning techniques in-depth, as part of their professional armour and ammunition.
But whatever your job or other circumstances, it will pay you to do the same - starting with this simple breakdown of the four most basic types of question, and what each of them is intended to achieve.
· Closed questions - inviting one-word answers
Precise, quiz-type questions, suitable for eliciting hard information. Often used as the ‘opening shot’ in a longer debate, establishing the subject via a short, brisk exchange, before exploring it in a more sensitive manner. Also appropriate for speeding-up dialogue or for getting a drifting conversation back on course, with a suggestion of “Now let’s get down to brass tacks”, as well as for ending an interview on a businesslike note. Closed questions should be used sparingly, as too many of them could sound like an interrogation, and set up a negative atmosphere.
· Open questions - encouraging detailed response
These are aimed at generating answers that convey meanings and attitudes in depth. They tend to start with the trigger-words ‘How? Where? When?’ etc (though you should ration your use of the more confrontational ‘Why?’.) If you can make interviewees feel flattered that you want their opinion, they are more likely to release ‘free information’, or revelations they might otherwise keep to themselves. It is possible for a question to be too open, as when a wife may ask her husband “What sort of day?”, and he finds it too broad a picture to focus on, and just mumbles an unsatisfactory “Not bad.”
· Leading questions - subtle moving of goalposts
An ingenious way of nudging the other person towards your way of thinking (and also speeding-up dialogue in the style of the Closed Question.) It discreetly suggests that your opposite number has already moved halfway towards agreeing with you, and is weighing-up a somewhat different decision from the one originally proposed. It exploits most people’s tendency to say “Yes” when asked “Do you agree?” or “Don’t you think?” - simply because it’s easier. A salesman will always ask which you prefer of two items, rather than asking whether you’re interested in either of them in the first place.
· Rhetorical questions - engaging empathy
These are questions that do not expect an answer, but are simply statements, dramatised in the form of questions. Their effect is to make the other person feel as though the question is being addressed by both of you to some imaginary third party - and that you are sitting beside each other, not opposite. So it represents the supreme anti-confrontational stance. A good salesman might use a string of these questions for greater impact: “Who could possibly resist that new deep-sprung sofa? Doesn’t it blend with cream wallpaper? Don’t you love the feel of the leather?” etc. etc.
These aspects of Self-empowerment are among many original insights into the field of Personal Development by motivational speaker Carole Spiers who will be speaking at London Ecademy on lst November 2006 –http://www.ecademy.com/module.php?mod=meeting&mid=12163
Carole Spiers – inspirational motivational speaker occupies a special niche as an expert in Personal Development. She brings together the separate cultures of individual empowerment and executive management - proving to corporate business that empowered employees improve performance and output. Carole’s keynote presentations have educated and inspired audiences all over the world. She is also a high profile broadcaster, journalist and President of the London Chapter of the Professional Speakers Association.
Our publications and sales CDs have been sold globally. To sign up for our FREE success quotations http://tinyurl.co.uk/yhgv, or for more information email info@carolespiers.com to telephone +44 (0) 29 8954 1593 www.carolespiers.com
“The adroit handling of conversation is a major instrument of empowerment” - says keynote professional speaker Carole Spiers, who regularly addresses blue-chip corporate business on self-development and the formula for sustainable success.
Among that toolbox of key stategies, a well-honed conversational skill could greatly amplify your powers of persuasion, control of events and building of relationships.
And nothing drives a conversation more effectively than carefully-chosen questions that stimulate without appearing to interrogate.
Professional interviewers, journalists, barristers, detectives, psychiatrists… all have found it invaluable to study questioning techniques in-depth, as part of their professional armour and ammunition.
But whatever your job or other circumstances, it will pay you to do the same - starting with this simple breakdown of the four most basic types of question, and what each of them is intended to achieve.
· Closed questions - inviting one-word answers
Precise, quiz-type questions, suitable for eliciting hard information. Often used as the ‘opening shot’ in a longer debate, establishing the subject via a short, brisk exchange, before exploring it in a more sensitive manner. Also appropriate for speeding-up dialogue or for getting a drifting conversation back on course, with a suggestion of “Now let’s get down to brass tacks”, as well as for ending an interview on a businesslike note. Closed questions should be used sparingly, as too many of them could sound like an interrogation, and set up a negative atmosphere.
· Open questions - encouraging detailed response
These are aimed at generating answers that convey meanings and attitudes in depth. They tend to start with the trigger-words ‘How? Where? When?’ etc (though you should ration your use of the more confrontational ‘Why?’.) If you can make interviewees feel flattered that you want their opinion, they are more likely to release ‘free information’, or revelations they might otherwise keep to themselves. It is possible for a question to be too open, as when a wife may ask her husband “What sort of day?”, and he finds it too broad a picture to focus on, and just mumbles an unsatisfactory “Not bad.”
· Leading questions - subtle moving of goalposts
An ingenious way of nudging the other person towards your way of thinking (and also speeding-up dialogue in the style of the Closed Question.) It discreetly suggests that your opposite number has already moved halfway towards agreeing with you, and is weighing-up a somewhat different decision from the one originally proposed. It exploits most people’s tendency to say “Yes” when asked “Do you agree?” or “Don’t you think?” - simply because it’s easier. A salesman will always ask which you prefer of two items, rather than asking whether you’re interested in either of them in the first place.
· Rhetorical questions - engaging empathy
These are questions that do not expect an answer, but are simply statements, dramatised in the form of questions. Their effect is to make the other person feel as though the question is being addressed by both of you to some imaginary third party - and that you are sitting beside each other, not opposite. So it represents the supreme anti-confrontational stance. A good salesman might use a string of these questions for greater impact: “Who could possibly resist that new deep-sprung sofa? Doesn’t it blend with cream wallpaper? Don’t you love the feel of the leather?” etc. etc.
These aspects of Self-empowerment are among many original insights into the field of Personal Development by motivational speaker Carole Spiers who will be speaking at London Ecademy on lst November 2006 –http://www.ecademy.com/module.php?mod=meeting&mid=12163
Carole Spiers – inspirational motivational speaker occupies a special niche as an expert in Personal Development. She brings together the separate cultures of individual empowerment and executive management - proving to corporate business that empowered employees improve performance and output. Carole’s keynote presentations have educated and inspired audiences all over the world. She is also a high profile broadcaster, journalist and President of the London Chapter of the Professional Speakers Association.
Our publications and sales CDs have been sold globally. To sign up for our FREE success quotations http://tinyurl.co.uk/yhgv, or for more information email info@carolespiers.com to telephone +44 (0) 29 8954 1593 www.carolespiers.com
# posted by Carole Spiers @ 11:00 PM 
