2. INDEX What are Questioning Skills? Why are Questions asked? Types of Questions and some Examples. Conclusion
3. What are Questioning skills? What is a question? A question is something that needs or wants to be answered. Questioning is one of the most widely used social skills. Simply put, it is the ability to generate a response from the other party by posing a question.
4. Why are Questions asked? Questions are usually asked to encourage the listener to provide information The type of question asked and the way it is asked will dictate the level of response to it. Effective questioning is a real compliment to one’s skills. It shows that you have the ability to understand the caller's real needs and are looking for a meaning that's deeper than the spoken message. Effective questioning is a powerful, learned skill. It says to the caller, "I'm interested in determining your needs."
5. Types of Questions Open-Ended Questions: Open-ended questions are questions without a fixed limit. They encourage continued conversation, and help one get more information. Plus, they often provide opportunities to gain insight into the other person's feelings. Open-ended questions draw out more information. If you want the caller to open up, use open-ended questions that start with who, what, where, why, when, and how. Some Examples: “How has your day been so far?” "What are your concerns about this new program?" “When was the last time you received a pay cheque without any deductions?”
6. Types of Questions Closed-Ended Questions: Closed-ended questions have a fixed limit. They're often answered with a yes or no, or with a simple statement of fact. Closed-ended questions are used to direct the conversation. They usually get specific information to confirm facts. Examples: “Do you have health insurance?” “What is your Social Security Number?” “What is your name?”
7. Types of Questions Probing Questions: Sometimes you ask an open-ended question to get more information and you only get part of what you need. Now it's time for a probing question. A probing question is another open-ended question, but it's a follow-up. It's narrower. It asks about one area. Examples: "What topic areas are you interested in?" This question would be better than reading off 50 topics to the caller. "Are you able to tell me more about the form you received?“ “Which cheque are you inquiring about?”
8. Types of Questions The Echo Question: The idea is to use the last part of a phrase the caller said. Slightly raise the tone of your voice at the end of the phrase to convert it to a question. Then pause and use silence -- like this: "…The cheque you received?" An echo question repeats part of the phrase that the caller used, using voice inflection to convert it to a question. Examples: “So, you have not received a cheque for..”
9. Types of Questions Leading Questions: Leading questions can be good or bad. Leading questions, if used improperly, can be manipulative because you're leading the person to give the answer you want. When they are used properly, you're helping that person. Leading questions often end with suggestive nudges toward the desired answer. Some ending phrases would be, "Don't you?", "Shouldn't you?", "Won't you?", "Haven't you?", and "Right?" Examples: “So, you haven’t received full payment, right?” “You want me to stop payment on this cheque, don’t you?” "You'll want to know about our same day delivery service, right?"
10. CONCLUSION The bottom line is to practice using a variety of questioning techniques. It will help us help our callers more effectively. After all, our aim is to provide the very best customer service, isn’t it?
