1. Why a Question is Not Always a Question

2. Ask NO questions
and we get no information.
Ask an improper question
and we get MEANINGLESS
information.

3. Which is worse?

4. Lawyer: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a
pulse?
Witness: No.
Lawyer: Did you check for blood pressure?
Lawyer: Did you check for breathing?
Lawyer: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive  when you began
the autopsy?
Lawyer: How can you be so sure, Doctor?

5. Witness: It is possible that he could have been alive and
Witness: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Lawyer: But could the patient have still been alive
nevertheless?
Witness: It is possible that he could have been alive and
practicing law somewhere

6. This is a very dangerous situation.
Ask a question that is
a bad question
and we get answers that look correct,
but which are meaningless information.
This is a very dangerous situation.

7. Five Bad Questions (from the Internet)
There are five things that women should never,
ever ask a guy, according to an article in an issue of
Sassy magazine.

8. The five questions are:
1 - "What are you thinking?" 2 - "Do you love me?" 3 - "Do I look fat?" 4 - "Do you think she is prettier than me?" 5 - "What would you do if I died?"

9. Leading Questions: One of the worst mistakes is to ask a:
A “leading” question is one that leads to
a certain answer….

10. Leading questions are a regular part of political
media who are attempting to create public opinion.
Leading question in public affairs are sometimes called:
“Have you stop beating your wife?” questions.

11. Leading Questions: Presupposition
“What is your opinion of the disastrous national debt?”
Or:
“What is your opinion of the national debt?”
“Do you believe this popular product is better than the
competition?”
Or:
Do you believe this product is better than the

12. Leading Questions: Presupposition
“Given Hillary’s failing health, do you believe she could
finish her presidency… if elected?
“Since anthropomorphic global warming being true is axiomatic, how do you justify your reluctance to support CO2 legislation?

13. Leading Questions: Presupposition One-sided
“Should more government money be spent on
schools?”
Compared to what?

14. Leading Questions: Presupposition One-sided Social desirable
“Right think”
“Right think in… right think out!”

15. Leading Questions:
Presupposition
One-sided
Social desirable
Ambiguous

16. Leading Questions: Presupposition One-sided Social desirable Ambiguous
Double bind
“Are you now willing to pay a higher price?” Yes or No.

17. Leading Questions:
What to avoid:

18. Leading Questions: What to avoid: Ambiguity
Be precise and use precise words:
Avoid words such as:
“like” “you” “all” “good” “bad” “where”

19. Leading Questions:
What to avoid:
Ambiguity
Leading questions

20. Leading Questions: What to avoid: Ambiguity Leading questions
Implied assumptions

21. Leading Questions: What to avoid: Ambiguity Leading questions
Implicit assumptions
Implicit alternatives
a. Alternatives not expressed:

22. Leading Questions: What to avoid: Ambiguity Leading questions
Implicit assumptions
Implicit alternatives
a. Alternatives not expressed:
b. Better: Alternative suggested by IF or THEN
“Would you buy a fuel cell so you could be
independent of a utility company?”

23. Leading Questions: What to avoid: Ambiguity Leading questions
Implicit assumptions
Implicit alternatives
a. Alternatives not expressed:
b. Better: Alternative suggested by IF or Then
“Would you buy a fuel cell so you could be
independent of a utility company if it cost 10%
more than you current payments?”

24. Leading Questions: What to avoid: Ambiguity Leading questions
Implicit assumptions
Implicit alternatives
Generalizations and estimates
“When did you visit our store last?
If a question becomes too generalized it may
lose its meaning…
and/or people will just guess.

25. Leading Questions: What to avoid: Ambiguity Leading questions
Implicit assumptions
Implicit alternatives
Generalizations and estimates
Double-Barreled questions
Questions connected with “and,” and “or”…
Which question is being answered?

26. Leading Questions: What to avoid: Double-Barreled questions
Questions connected with “and,” and “or”
Which question is being answered??
“Should our store give out more prizes, and have more
contests?”

27. Questionnaire Design Instruction
A very practical review of questionnaire design by Pew Research.

28. Anchors:
Are not these folks!

29. Anchors: Question……… Agree: 1 2 3 4 5 :Disagree
Strongly Agree:……………Strongly Disagree

30. A Staple Scale has only ONE anchor……
Why?

31. Neutral allowed….
Smoking should be banned in cars?
Agree: : Disagree
But… what does a “3” mean?
Neutral
No opinion
Don’t know!?

32. A forced choice questions does not have the possibility
Smoking should be banned in cars?
Agree: : Disagree
A forced choice questions does not have the possibility
of a neutral response.

33. Solution:
Add a “Don’t know”
Or a
“No Opinion”

36. Question: To save money, UNI has installed
air blowers in the new restrooms.
What percent of the time do you wash
your hands before leaving the restroom?
Question: To save wood products
and paper, UNI has installed
air blowers in the new restrooms.
What percent of the time do you wash
your hands before leaving the restroom?