Chapter 3 Questions and Their Uses Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill/Irwin
3-2 Chapter Summary Open and Closed Questions Primary and Probing Questions Neutral and Leading Questions Common Question Pitfalls Summary
3-3 Open and Closed Questions Open Questions Open questions are broad, often specifying only a topic, and allow the respondent considerable freedom in determining the amount and kind of information to offer.
3-4 Open and Closed Questions Open Questions ▫Highly Open Questions ▫Moderately Open Questions ▫Open Questions Have Advantages ▫Open Questions Have Disadvantages
3-5 Open and Closed Questions Closed Questions ▫Closed questions are narrow in focus and restrict the interviewee’s freedom to determine the amount and kind of information to offer.
3-6 Open and Closed Questions Closed Questions ▫Moderately Closed Questions ▫Highly Closed Questions ▫Bipolar Questions ▫Closed Questions Have Advantages ▫Closed Questions Have Disadvantages
3-7 Primary and Probing Questions Primary questions introduce topics or new areas within a topic and can stand alone even when taken out of context. Probing questions attempt to discover additional information following a primary or secondary question.
3-8 Primary and Probing Questions Types of Probing Questions ▫Silent Probes ▫Nudging Probes ▫Clearinghouse Probes ▫Informational Probes ▫Restatement Probes ▫Reflective Probes ▫Mirror Probes
3-9 Primary and Probing Questions Skillful Interviewing with Probing Questions ▫Skillful probing leads to insightful answers. ▫Be patient and be persistent.
3-10 Neutral and Leading Questions Neutral questions encourage honest answers. Leading questions direct interviewees to specific answers. Interviewer bias leads to dictated responses. Loaded questions dictate answers through language or entrapment.
3-11 Neutral and Leading Questions
3-12 Common Question Pitfalls The Bipolar Trap The Tell Me Everything The Open-to-Closed Switch The Double-Barreled Inquisition The Leading Push The Guessing Game The Yes (No) Response The Curious Probe The Quiz Show Complexity vs. Simplicity The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
3-13 Summary Questions are the tools of the trade for both interviewers and interviewees. Knowing question types, unique uses, and advantages and disadvantages, allows one to develop considerable interviewing skill.