Questioning is an important communication skill and well worth developing. Asking questions is the key to understanding the world around us - being curious and inquisitive is to be encouraged. Famously, Albert Einstein stated that, ‘The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.’
However, asking the right type of question is imperative. If you still do not understand a situation after asking a question, it may be because you asked the wrong question. Take look at these different types of questions:
Open questions:
For this type of questioning, you will use the
What, Where, Why and Who’s
These questions invite longer and more thoughtful answers. For example:
Where have you been?
Closed questions:
Require a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. Such questions are used to get direct information. For example:
Did you find that lecture helpful?
Leading questions:
These are more manipulative questions, often used to lead people to give the answers you want to hear. For example:
How helpful did you find this lecture?
Rhetorical questions:
This type of question is used to persuade or encourage. For example,
What time do you call this?
At university there are certain scenarios in which you should be asking questions:
If you want to explore this further, look at our guide on Coaching.
