From an early age, we are encouraged to give answers but rarely taught how to phrase and ask questions – yet this is just as important. Types of question include:
- Closed questions, requiring a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or other brief answer. These are good for finding out specific information but can shut down a conversation or make the other person feel they are being interrogated.
- Open questions, such as ‘What do you think?’ invite longer answers leading to an exploration of thoughts, emotions and the expression of complex ideas.
- Follow-up questions encourage someone to continue talking: ‘Could you explain that?’.
- Take-a-guess questions, such as ‘What do you think will happen?’, ask the person to speculate – but be careful as their answer may be unreliable!
- Hypothetical questions can aid creativity: ‘If you couldn’t ask a colleague how to approach that task what would you do?’
- Either/or questions can encourage decision-making or open up a discussion of alternatives.
- Reflective questions are useful for checking you’ve understood what has been said or summing up: ‘Tell me if I have got this right…’
- Find-the-priority questions are useful for establishing the other person’s goals: ‘Which area would you like to deal with first?’
Before asking a question, think: why are you asking it? Are you searching for meaningful information, or simply trying to break the ice? By using a good question, you can empower the apprentice and enable them to really think about the issue, resolve it themselves and take responsibility for it.
A powerful question can provoke a new insight, move the person to action or help them commit to something. Your goal is to provoke self-awareness, so dig deeper when the mentee gives a general answer. Your questions should be designed to get them to think in a new direction. A poor question, on the other hand, might lead nowhere.
Take this exchange, for example: ‘Did you feel that went well?’ ‘Yes.’ Replace that closed question with an open one (‘What do you think went well?’) and the conversation immediately opens up. Try not to influence the mentee by prompting or by phrasing your question in a particular way – and remember that listening to the answers is as important as choosing the right questions.