The 5 main types of question and the purpose for which they are used.
Types of Questions
Questions are a vitally important aspect of communication, and play a key role in all relationships. One way of classifying questions is as follows:
Open Questions
Introduce a subject:
“How do you feel about…?”
Closed Questions
Gather and confirm specific facts:
“Do you want me to…?”
Focusing Questions
Focus on a topic that has been raised:
“You mentioned… earlier. What is the best way to achieve this?”
Probing Questions
Explore a subject in more depth:
“Can you give me an example of…?”
Reflective Questions
Reflect on what has been said to confirm shared understanding:
“It seems you are suggesting… Is that right?”
Acknowledgements
- Image by Steven Goodwin via Stock.Xchng.