- What are they used for?
- How to ask open questions?
- Examples of open questions
- With what"
- With "which or which"
- With "why"
- With "why"
- With "how"
- References
The open questions are those that are answered with explanations or lengthy descriptions; that is, they cannot be answered with monosyllables. An example is "How did you meet before you got married?"; you can see that it takes a long answer to answer. Other examples: Why do cats meow? How do you make a cake? What is sublimation?
Open questions can only be answered in a deeper way, contrary to closed questions that can be answered with a single word, such as yes or no. For this reason, they are useful for obtaining more information about a person, situation or place from the interlocutor or person with whom you are speaking.
Thanks to its purpose, open questions are commonly used during job interviews, in more trusted conversations between friends, in social gatherings or when you have the opportunity to meet a new person.
Open questions are structured to deliberately receive a longer response that provides a greater amount of information. In particular, an open question can yield different answers and opinions, without necessarily one of them being true.
Among the characteristics of open questions is that they require the questioned person to meditate on the answer they want to give.
They can throw opinions and feelings on the part of the interlocutors. The person asking the questions is in control of the conversation.
What are they used for?
This question formula can be used for the following purposes:
- To develop a conversation and incite a person to social openness.
- To learn more about a person, their wishes, needs, problems, among others.
- To help people get to know each other and their problems.
- To denote concern about the state of a person.
A conversation between two people usually has the presence of open questions, which help with its course and the provision of information from all parties.
How to ask open questions?
1- Open questions are preceded by an interrogative pronoun or adjective, which can be: “how”, “why”, “what”, “which”, “for what”.
2- We will think about the topic we want to ask about. For example the childhood of the interlocutor.
3- We formulate the question that cannot be answered with a monosyllable. Example: What has been the best day of your childhood and why? It is an open question because it requires a long answer to answer it; it cannot be answered with a yes or no.
Examples of open questions
With what"
What do you think of JRR Tolkien's writing?
What do you think of the sociological trends of the 20th century?
What do you want to know?
What contributions did the Renaissance leave us?
What is empirical knowledge?
What would you do if you were the doctor?
What do you care about?
What did the professor say?
What symptoms do you have?
What are amphibians?
What vegan recipes do you know?
What's going on?
What options we have?
What Foods Are Sources of Potassium?
What is zoophagy?
What is a biological species?
What artistic movements developed in the 20th century?
What areas of knowledge are considered social sciences?
What is the difference between a ventricle and an atrium?
How is a raven like a writing desk?
What did your father tell you?
What did he do to make you stop talking to him?
What did he do to make you forgive them?
What do you like most about rock?
What do you like about Bob Marley?
What do I buy for dinner?
What makes you happy?
What makes you sad?
What are you going to do to help your family?
What did you feel when she left?
What quality did you like the most about that candidate?
What are you going to buy in the supermarket?
What are you going to do when you finish college?
What type of decoration are you going to use at your wedding?
What did you do at school today?
What did you do today?
What does that tattoo mean?
What happens to this world?
What does it feel like to be in love?
What did you feel that day?
What countries did you visit?
what did you like the most?
What kinds of things make you laugh?
What makes cells divide?
What can I do in Buenos Aires at night?
How was the dinner?
What is the most important thing in life?
What happened before the war broke out?
What ingredients do I need for that recipe?
What animals do you like the most? Why?
What does it feel like to be pregnant?
What do you think will happen to the peace process in Colombia?
What places are you planning to visit this summer?
What do you like the most about that show?
What are you going to do when you get to the office?
With "which or which"
What is your opinion about the political changes that are taking place in the world?
What is the correct way to solve this problem?
What is the difference between a comic and a manga?
What is the plot of Doctor Who?
What are the seven wonders of the world?
What is the difference between vegans and vegetarians?
What are the contributions of Mesoamerican societies?
What are the branches of geography?
What were the teacher's instructions?
What are the characteristics of impressionism?
What are your plans for this vacation?
What were the most important wars in France?
What are your plans for next year?
What is the most beautiful memory of your childhood?
What will be your contribution to the company?
What's your favorite fruit? Why?
What is the fastest way to get to the beach?
What were the main effects of the Cold War?
What are the rules of soccer?
What is your opinion about the department?
What are the best places to eat in Barcelona?
What is the future of technology?
With "why"
Why do you study music?
Why is it said that "whoever finds a friend finds a treasure"?
Why do you believe their words?
Why have you bothered?
Why do you have a goat as a pet?
Why are we in this place?
Why is Dante Alighieri considered the father of the Italian language?
Why should the death penalty be passed?
Why did the warriors return?
Why does each bird have a different song?
Why does your face look so haggard?
Why don't you want to go on vacation?
Why is this site so changeable?
Why is the world polluted?
Why do fireflies glow?
Why did Barack Obama, former president of the United States, win the Nobel Prize?
Why are you screaming?
Why did you buy a Mazda and not a Volvo?
Why can't I go to that place?
Why don't you want to take me?
Why did you stay awake?
Why did you get divorced?
Why don't you want to have children?
Why are dogs scared to you?
Why did you say that?
Why are they protesting?
Why did you quit your job?
Why did they start the war?
Why are you going on vacation on that date?
Why do you smile when we talk?
Why did you tell him I liked coffee?
Why do you go to the gym three times a week?
Why don't you like vegetables?
Why didn't you like the coffee?
Why did you leave so early?
Why are you scared?
Why is inflation so high in Argentina?
Why did you learn to play the saxophone?
Why did you sell your car?
Why did you say yes?
With "why"
What are you reading these books for?
Why do we study the movements of the celestial bodies?
With "how"
How is she?
How is your tone of voice?
How did you know it was the right decision?
How are you?
How did life arise on planet Earth?
How did you know that the bomb was going to explode at that precise moment?
What were the names of the animals that can live both in water and on land?
How does a caterpillar turn into a butterfly?
How did you do it?
How did you get back?
How long can we stay at the hotel?
How will you solve this problem?
How did the fight between you start?
How did they meet?
How did you meet your best friend?
How did you manage to raise your children alone?
How does cellular technology work?
How can you help the company grow?
What is it like to live in Morocco?
What was it like getting to Canada?
How can I get to her?
How can I go to the beach?
How was the dinner?
How did you decide that you wanted to buy a house?
How does drug trafficking affect a country?
How did the war affect the countries of Europe?
How do I get to the city center?
How can I lose weight?
How do you manage to stay focused all day?
How did you make that cake?
How are your children?
How did you prepare those empanadas?
How did you lose the keys?
How are you going to get home?
how do you like the egg?
How does global warming affect the climate?
How do you think my wedding should be?
How did you decide that you wanted to go around the world?
References
- Barcalow, E. (2000). Open Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy. Oxford University Press.
- Cates, B. (2015, January 15). HubSpot. Retrieved from The Art of Asking Open-Ended Questions: blog.hubspot.com
- FARRELL, S. (May 22, 2016). Nielsen Norman Group. Obtained from Open-Ended vs. Closed-Ended Questions in User Research: nngroup.com.
- (2017). LoveToKnow. Retrieved from Examples of Open-Ended and Closed-Ended Questions: examples.yourdictionary.com.
- MacKay, I., & Weinstein, K. (2002). Asking Questions. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.
- Team, MT (2017). Mind Tools. Obtained from Questioning Techniques: mindtools.com.