Open questions cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no". Instead, they have many possible correct answers and require the respondent to think, reflect, and explain. However, writing open-ended questions requires much more effort than answering them. Whether preparing for an academic debate, preparing to interview someone, or developing a survey for market or sales research, keep in mind that questions should spark reflection, debate, and new ideas in the responders..
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Determine the Purpose of Your Questions
Step 1. Prepare open questions based on a reading for a class discussion
If you are in high school or college, or are a graduate student, you may need to think of questions based on assigned reading material to prepare for classroom discussions. The best types of questions to prepare in this case are open-ended, since the possibility of multiple possible correct answers leads to constant and productive conversations.
- Take note of possible questions as you read. As you read the source material for the class discussion, write broad, general questions about what you read. If you've identified or been assigned a purpose for reading, use that to guide questions to ask. Later, you can use these notes to write more polished open ending questions.
- If you have trouble thinking of specific questions as you read, underline or circle parts of the text that seem important, confusing, or connected to the purpose of the reading. You can return to them later as a starting point to write open questions.
Step 2. Add open questions in market research surveys to gain fresh insights
If you are a business owner or employee, you may regularly send out surveys to current and potential customers to assess their level of satisfaction with your product or service, or to see if they would be interested in trying new or similar versions. In these situations, open-ended questions can help you get feedback and ideas that you might not have gotten otherwise, and can be useful tools to improve your business.
- For example, instead of asking, "Are you satisfied with your experience?" Try something like, "What part of your experience was most satisfying for you? What was frustrating or difficult for you?" Instead of offering a "yes" or "no" answer, people will provide specific information and possibly new ideas to improve your product or service.
- However, if you are looking for simpler and more quantitative data, you may find it easier to resort to multiple options, yes or no questions, or true false questions, which are closed. For example, if you want to know which ice cream flavor has been the most popular in your store this month, it will be easier to ask a closed question about which is the most frequently purchased by the respondent and then list a list of available flavors and possible answers.
Step 3. Use open-ended interview questions to evaluate a potential candidate carefully
If you hire someone for their services or expertise, you will need to interview them first to make sure they are appropriate for the position. Asking open-ended questions will help you learn more about the person than about their abilities and achievements, giving you fundamental insight into their personality, behavior, and character. You can then assess whether the working relationship with the candidate would be productive and enjoyable, and not just whether they can complete their tasks.
Some examples of effective open-ended questions you can ask in a job interview include: "In your previous job, have you ever made a mistake that you had to talk to your employer? How have you handled the situation?" or "When you were very busy, how did you deal with stress?"
Step 4. Prepare open-ended questions for journalistic interviews to ensure thorough answers
If you're interviewing someone for a magazine, newspaper, or blog, asking open-ended questions is an ideal way to encourage them to fully explain their answers rather than simply reciting their personal talking points. This way, when you sit down to write the article, you will have substantive information about the opinions and policies of the interviewee, and not just encapsulated statements or buzzwords.
This strategy can be very useful when interviewing candidates for public office, who are often more concerned with boosting their platforms than giving thorough and honest answers. Closed questions allow interviewees like these to stop the conversation with "Yes, but …" or "No, but …", and then go back to talking about their agenda
Method 2 of 2: Write Effective Open Questions
Step 1. Begin the question with "how", "why" or "what"
As you begin to write your questions, start with words that lead to several possible answers. Open-ended questions with more specific words, such as "which" or "when" often have only one correct answer. Instead, the question should promote debate and discussion of various ideas.
This is not a hard and fast rule; you can write closed questions with any main word. For example, "What color shirt was he wearing?" it is undoubtedly a closed question
Step 2. Create questions that analyze, compare, clarify, or explore cause and effect
Using the notes you have taken as a resource, develop questions that look for reasons behind the events or the statements made, seeking to clarify confusing points or investigate key differences. Questions of this type often lead to multiple responses and productive discussions.
- Analytical or sense-driven questions could be why does a character in a literary text behave in a certain way, what is the importance of a particular concept, or what is the meaning of a setting or image. In a class discussion about a novel, you can ask, "What is the significance of the fact that Maria held back her tears by finishing her donut toward the end of chapter two?"
- Comparison questions could be about the similarities or differences between the characters' perspectives, or ask the respondent to compare and contrast two different methods or ideas. For example, in a marketing survey, you might ask "Which model of can opener, the Ergo Twist or Ergo Twist 2, was easier to use, and why?"
- Clarification questions might ask what is the meaning of a complex idea or an unclear term. For example, if you interview someone who keeps talking about "the war at Christmas," you might ask, "What exactly do you mean by that statement? Who is attacking Christmas and how?"
- Cause and effect questions can ask why a character shows an emotion in a particular situation, or what connections might exist between two different ideas. An example of a cause and effect question in a job interview might be "What aspects of your college sports experience might have influenced your approach to this job?"
Step 3. Avoid ambiguous, leading, or one-word questions
If a question is generally unclear, seems to seek a specific answer, or can be answered with a word like "yes" or "no," it will not lead to a sustained and productive discussion.
- An example of a question that is too vague might be "What about Juan's strange behavior? (Well, what about that?).
- An inductive question gives the person answering a clue, making it difficult for students with different ideas to speak. An example might be "Why is the ocean the symbol of human inconsequence and existential despair?"
- An example of a "yes" or "no" question might be "Does grandfather disapprove of granddaughter's desire to become a cowgirl?"
Step 4. Avoid questions with limited possible answers
For example, if you give people who respond to a multiple choice survey question with a limited number of responses, they may not be able to provide the answer that is most realistic to them. When creating open-ended questions, construct them in such a way that people can express themselves freely. They should not be limited to a single correct answer and even a limited set of possible answers (that would be a closed question).
- This could mean offering people a text box to write their answers by hand or on the computer instead of bubbles to fill in.
- In a conversational context, such as newspaper interviews, avoid giving the person possible answers when you ask the question. For example, instead of asking "Would you prioritize the aggressive overhaul of public transportation or the increased use of alternative fuels?" Ask a question like "What strategies would you prioritize to make the city more energy efficient? ".
Step 5. Ask an open question after a closed question
To encourage more elaborate and comprehensive responses, you can ask a follow-up open question directly after a closed survey, interview, or discussion questions. In this way, you will be able to get basic and essential information through a question with limited answers, but you will also find out the "why" behind the answer.
For example, if you ask a multiple choice question such as "How often do you visit the local public library? A) Often, B) Sometimes or C) Never, you can follow up with questions such as:" If you chose A, what aspects of our library keep you coming back? "or" If you chose C, what prevents or discourages you from visiting the library? "
Step 6. Review your questions to make sure they are open
When you finish writing them, review each one and think about how they could be answered. If you can imagine different long and deep answers, the question is well formulated. If a particular answer is highly favorable or can be answered with one word, revise it for a longer discussion or a more thorough answer.