3.2 Asking Good Questions

Basics

People who work with technology know that "Garbage In = Garbage Out".  Did you know it is the same with conversations? Your questioning techniques can greatly impact the success of a conversation giving you good information to work with.  Those who are practiced at asking good questions throughout a conversation are more efficient at their job as they spend less time in general troubleshooting.

You should know the following terms:

  • Leading Question/Loaded Question
  • Open-Ended Question
  • Probing Question
  • Question Stems

Asking Better Questions

Many IT conversations are formal and focused on solving issues.  Here are a few tips for ensuring the conversation is productive and more efficient use of everyone's time. 

  • What do you want to know? Ensure you are deliberate with your questions so you direct the conversation to address what you are trying to learn or know.  If you are not sure what to ask, wait until you have a couple questions prepared in advance.  
  • Use leading questions with caution. Leading questions can be useful for keeping the conversation focused or even pulling out additional detail the other person may not think about.  However they should be used sparingly so details are not inadvertently missed.
  • Ask one question at a time. It is easy to string several questions together.  Make sure you are only asking a single question at a time so it is clear to both of you which question is being answered.
  • Ask obvious questions. Sometimes actions or details are obvious to you, but may not be to others.  For instance, asking if a person has tried turning off their device and powering it back up. Asking them eliminates overlooking a simple solution to a problem. Be sure to ask such questions in a respectful way!
  • Use Wait Time. Using wait time allows the other person to process what has been said, allowing them space to add additional detail. Wait at least 5 seconds when you ask someone a question before saying anything else. If they give you an answer, wait another 3-5 seconds before you answer. 

Types of Questions 

Knowing different questioning techniques can help you improve your communication by helping you be more efficient in the responses you get. Below are some common techniques:

  • Open-ended questions. These are questions to get the other person to talk and open up. They cannot be answered with a mere yes or no. When you don't have the background info yet, you'll want to use open questions to get a complete picture of the issue at hand.

  • Closed questions. These can be replied to with a focused answer, like “yes” or “no”. They’re useful to confirm or clarify something. You can throw them in while the customer is telling a story if you need to verify your understanding.

  • Leading/loaded questions. These subtly guide the customers to a certain direction. When a customer is complaining about some missing features, for example, you could guide their mindset towards something more positive by asking about a feature that you know is liked.

  • Probing questions. These are questions to gain more detail about a situation, and they're essential for troubleshooting. When a customer comes with a problem, your mind automatically comes up with possible causes and explanations. Probing questions basically gather additional detail to help confirm or eliminate possible causes of the issue. 

  • Clarifying questions. These questions ensure both people have the same understanding about a situation, or are using the same meaning for a term or phrase.  They ensure everyone has the same recollection of a conversation.

One of the great benefits of being a technician is that these questioning techniques work in your private life as well. You can practice them not only behind your desk but throughout the day, with whomever you meet.

Here are additional resources you may find useful:

Complete the following task or self-assessment:

  • Pick one item you want to work on from the "Asking Better Questions" tips. For at least 1 conversation each day this week, think about how or ways you are going to use that tip.  Practice during those conversations.  After the conversation, reflect on:
    • How did you prepare to use the tip?
    • Did using that tip get easier as your practiced? 
    • What might you do differently next time?
  • Pick one question type from the list provided.  Think about several work-related conversations (ie. help ticket conversations) you have had recently. Write down at least 5 questions of that question type you might have used during the conversation to help make the conversation more productive.