How to Ask Questions to Get the Best Results

Today's post is taken from the book Complete Handbook of Business English, by William Repp, pages 423 -425.

In this section, the author William Repp states that learning HOW to ask questions appropriately will help guarantee your success in controlling a meeting. He offers 11 useful tips:

1 Propose the Question. Before the meeting, write down the key questions that need to be answered. Alongside each, jot down the name of the person you think is best qualified to answer it.

2 Don't Bias Your Wording. Check the wording of the questions to see if you aren't hinting at the answer you want, or whether you're revealing your own prejudices or opinions. You don't want to lead someone to intentionally see things your way. For example, if you say, "Bob, you agree that the price is too much, don't you?," you will be influencing Bob to agree with you.

3 Avoid Difficult Questions. Sometimes, to save time, we ask 2 or 3 questions in one long question. This makes the question too complicated, and people will not be able to answer it easily. To avoid bogging down your meeting, don't ask complicated questions like the following:
"Should we consider pricing the key factor, or should packaging, advertising, and sales promotion costs be added to research and development costs for a total sales cost?" "How can we cut our labor costs-by decreasing tardiness, cutting employees, automating more, or should we think about new work methods?" Instead, ask just one portion of the question at a time.

4 Don't be Vague. Good questions are specific. Those that are too vague or general will be confusing and people are likely to misinterpret them and wast time trying to wonder what you are really asking. Here is an example of a question that is too broad: "What do you know about employee morale?" A better question would be: "What things break down employee morale?"

5 Avoid YES or NO Questions. Asking questions that allow a simple yes or no answer may make for a short meeting, but you won't accomplish much because you'll only skim the surface of the issue. Use how, what, why, who, when and where questions that will deliver more information.

6 Use a Conversational Style. By their nature, questions are threatening, so it's good to ask them in a normal, conversational tone. You may even want to practice asking the question aloud to see how it sounds, especially if the issue you're discussing is sensitive. A warm, friendly, supportive manner will go a long way in helping you get the results you want.

7 Pause. Don't spit out one question after another, and don't jump on one person right away for an answer. Give people enough time to think about the question. Then when they've had a reasonable amount of time, ask for the answer: "How do you think we can raise employee productivity?" (wait 3 -5 seconds) Now say, "Tom, what do you think? You're had some success in this area already."

8 Call on Someone. You'll get better results and maintain better control of your meeting if you call on someone directly, using his or her name. This has the added advantage of allowing you to give everyone a chance to talk and share ideas. You can easily direct your questions to the quieter people if necessary, and you can direct the discussion away from those who tend to dominate it.

9 Acknowledge the Answer. You'll keep the meeting going more smoothly if you acknowledge each answer. This lets each person know you appreciate the contribution and prepares the group for the next question. It also stimulates the other people to contribute more to the discussion. Here are some ways you can acknowledge the answer:
"Those are good observations, Mary. Thanks for the work you've done." "Good point, Bill. I think that's worth pursuing. Can anyone add to this?" "That's an important point we should keep in mind. Any other comments?"

10 Don't Let Someone Flounder. Who needs embarassment? Certainly not the folks at your meeting. So don't make people agonize when they obviously don't know the answer to a question, have come unprepared, or simply can't participate. Give them a face-saving break by moving on to someone else. Here are three good responses to help someone who's floundering.
"Jim, this question may have caught you off guard. We'll come back a little later." "Mary, right now may not be the best time for you to respond to this question. We'll come back later on." "John, maybe we don't have enough information for you to respond right now. Let's hear from someone else first. Jack?"

11 Don't repeat Questions. One good way to encourage people not to listen to you is to repeat every question more than once. As soon as people get the message that daydreaming is all right and that they don't have to pay close attention, they probably won't. Solution: Ask your questions just once. That way, people will learn to listen more carefully. You'll waste less time and the meeting will be less boring to everyone.

(1982, Prentice Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.)