Five Types of Questions

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