Asking the right questions can be the magic key to any kind of personal or professional development. A simple "why?" opens the door to a rich dialogue. A "how?" removes doubt or misunderstanding and gives space to creativity. Unfortunately, many people don’t ask questions at all, out of fear of asking the wrong question. Especially low skilled adult learners, who often want to learn, but are afraid they might not be good, or qualified enough. However, it's impossible to move forward without asking questions.

The art of asking the right questions

Questioning does not mean simply asking questions. The important thing is to ask the right questions at the right time. For this, active listening and paraphrasing are two precious allies. Being attentive to non-verbal communication and knowing how to adapt is helpful as well.

Much of a trainer’s time is spent asking questions. Yet not all of them consider questioning as a skill that can be honed — or consider (and adapt) how their own answers to questions could make conversations more productive. That’s a missed opportunity. While asking questions may seem a simple task, it is perhaps the most powerful tool you possess as an adult educator. If you ask the right question of the right learner at the right moment, you may inspire them to new heights of vision and insight. A good question can excite, disturb, or comfort. But even apart from such serendipitous moments, question-asking serves many functions that make it the stock in trade of the skillful trainer.

Good questions can also:

• Motivate adult learners learning and fuel curiosity

• Foster intellectual development and stimulate critical thinking

• Assess learners’ understanding

• Guide discussion and shape a positive learning environment

• Yield an unexpected bounty of understanding and critical awareness

What are the different types of questions?

There are 5 main types of questions, each with a particular interest:

• Open-ended questions. They are very effective in identifying the needs and expectations of the learner in order to better understand your point. It can be useful to start the lesson with these types of questions to create a relaxed atmosphere. You can use the WWWWHW method (Who, What, Where, When, How/How many, Why) to explain the main points of the lesson.

• Closed questions. They give you the opportunity to obtain precise answers, to validate and understand a stance.

• Partial questions. They contain part of the answer or direct the answer of your interlocutor. You can use them to bring the discussion back on track, for example.

• Relay questions. These are used to clarify what the other person has just said. They can also be used to express yourself further on the subject in question. They open the way for you to further explain the information and pass it along.

• Mirror questions. These are useful for re-launching the dialogue when it gets bogged down or when a heavy silence sets in. They consist of the learners repeating what they just heard in order to get or clarify the information that was given to them.

General Strategies for Asking Questions

• When planning questions, keep in mind your course goals. For example, do you want learners to master core concepts? To develop their critical thinking skills? The questions you ask should help them practice these skills, as well as communicate the facts, ideas, and ways of thinking that are important to their learning in your course.

• Aim for direct, specific questions. During course discussions, rather than beginning with a single question that is multilayered and complex, use a sequence of questions to build depth and complexity. Essay questions on exams or paper assignments (or equivalents), on the other hand, often provide an appropriate opportunity to ask multi-layered questions. If your course goals include preparing learners to answer multi-layered questions, use questions during course time to walk learners through the process.

• Ask questions throughout your course and ask only one question at a time. When you ask more than one question, learners often do not respond because they are unsure which question you want them to answer. Asking questions throughout the lecture will not only make it more interactive but will also give the learners a chance to periodically sort their thoughts. Do not wait until the last two minutes of the lesson to ask for questions. Learners are unlikely to ask questions when they know that only a few minutes remain till the end of the learning module.

• Ask open-ended questions. Open-ended questions work best for engaging learners in discussion, as they offer the opportunity for debate. Avoid asking leading questions, those that prompt or suggest the answer, and yes/no questions. If a yes/no question is warranted, be ready with a follow-up question to encourage them to critically evaluate the material and engage in discussion.

• Avoid asking rhetorical questions. A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question. They are typically asked in order to make a point rather than to elicit an answer. Such questions are not really questions but are designed to force someone into a specific response.

• Don’t set traps. Don’t put the listener on the spot. There is an old joke where a constituent asked his senator if he had quit beating his wife. The question was designed to force a denial of one type or another, not to provide meaningful information. Articulate your questions without framing them in a way that you desire. In other words, don’t put a box around them, but rather let the learner answer, without putting certain unspoken restrictions on them.

• Refine and reflect on questions after lecture. Take brief notes on which questions were the most effective at achieving the goals you had set and which questions led to answers that you did not expect. Keep these notes with your lecture notes or lesson plans and use them to refine your questions for the next time you will teach or meet with learners.

• Silence is golden. Be a willing listener. Even when the other person is not talking, communication is still active. Take a breather between questions to give you and the other person time to decompress. This makes your communications less like an interrogation, even if it is a fact-finding mission.

You don’t need to remember all of these, nor do you need to apply them at the same time. They are meant just as a guide for you to ask more effective questions in the future.

How to ask questions in practice

• Ask the learners to clarify their comments or answers. You might do this even when the comment is clear to you. This can be helpful for other people in the lecture. “Are you saying that…?” “Could you give me an example?”

• Ask questions that probe their assumptions. They may be unaware of their assumptions until asked to articulate them. “What are you assuming here?” “What could we assume instead?” “Is this always the case?” “Why do you think the assumption holds here?”

• Ask questions that probe reasons, evidence, and causes. Lead them to support their arguments. “What are your reasons for saying that?” “What other information do we need to know?” “Is there good evidence for believing that?” “What do you think the cause is?”

• Ask questions that probe implications and consequences. “When you say___, are you implying that____?” “If you do that, what will happen?” “How is that connected to the question?” “How does that bear on ____?” “How does that follow?”

• Ask questions that help them recognize and clarify their own thought processes. “Could you explain further where you’re having difficulties?” “Could you express that point in another way?” “Could you be more specific?” “Have you thought of…?” “What factors make this a difficult problem?” “What would this look like from the point of view of ___?”

• Ask questions that require them to defend their positions. Play “devil’s advocate,” even with learners you agree with or who articulate their points most cogently. All learners can benefit from this intellectual exercise.

• Ask a question with multiple possible answers. Write all options on the board without commenting on the list being produced. Then have the group discuss the options, explaining why some answers are better than others.

Summary

Questions are an important communication tool that have the ability to meaningfully further any dialog and remove doubt or misunderstandings. By using active listening and paraphrasing, you have the best chance to ask the right questions at the right time. Asking good and constructive questions is a skill that can be improved by considering a few key points, such as keeping your goal in mind when planning questions, asking direct and specific questions, asking open-ended questions, avoiding rhetorical questions and knowing when to stay silent. There are different kinds of questions, so consider which type would be best suited for your purpose.