The ability to ask the right questions facilitates communication with the person. This is equally true for both sales and coaching or personal conversations. An effective dialogue tool - open questions. What is it and how to learn to ask them? How are they useful? Why do coaches, trainers and sales assistants pay so much attention to open questions? Is it possible to do without them? We will try to answer all this. And in order to make it easier to understand open questions, examples of them will also be given in the publication.
What is an open question?
An open question is a question that suggests a detailed answer. It is impossible to answer simply "yes" or "no." It involves the involvement of knowledge, experience or emotions of a person. It should be constructed so that it is interesting to answer. This open question is different from the closed and alternative. The answer to a closed (simple) question is agreement or disagreement. The alternative offers the person the answers between which he needs to choose. There is also the notion of tail questions, which are only supposed to be an affirmative answer. "You want to earn more, don't you?" But all of them, in contrast to open-ended questions, do not make it possible to fully know the opinion of the client, being somewhat manipulative.
Open questions perform the following practical tasks:
- Start a conversation with a client;
- Collect additional information about him;
- Understand his motives and goals;
- Direct communication in the right direction;
- Intensify the human thought process;
- Win time to think about next steps;
- Create a comfortable dialogue environment;
- Strengthen partnerships with customers.
The technology of open questions is a component of coaching, one of its main mechanisms, with the help of which it is possible to analyze a client’s worldview, to unobtrusively correct his decisions in the right direction.
It is advisable to avoid a common mistake. It is not recommended to ask a person on an abstract topic. Communication can go to the non-constructive side, only taking time and moral strength. Veiled advice, recriminations, accusations should be avoided. People have a negative attitude to the slightest pressure on them. Guilt or anxiety are bad allies for making contacts. No one wants to communicate with the person causing such emotions.
How to ask open-ended questions?
The ability to ask correctly is difficult to overestimate when it is necessary to get to know the client better and hold him as long as possible. There are a number of tricks to learn to ask. Conventionally, they can be combined into three groups.
Supplement simple questions
People are easier to ask an easy question. For example, "Do you find this training useful?" etc. Most often, in response, we hear "yes" or "no." But with the help of one little trick, you can transform the phrase. It is enough to ask the interlocutor to argue his answer. "Do you find this training useful? If so, why?" This trick will help the client to talk, giving the necessary information about him. Also, thanks to this technique, you can gain time to plan the continuation of the dialogue.
Ask clarifying questions
This method is a base for questions funnel, which literally draws the client into a dialogue. First of all, we find out its need for development. Next, we specify what exactly does not suit him. Then please describe the expected result, etc. The main thing is not to lose at a certain moment the main motive of the conversation. Even worse, start yawning, showing your fatigue. Interest in obtaining information is the most important attribute of the funnel of questions. You can keep yourself in good shape from time to time remembering the benefits that the client will bring if you can make a deal with him.
Use special words
It is enough just to get the necessary information from someone, if you initially provide it in your question. It is advisable to ask in such a way that a person can not get rid of consent or denial.
For these purposes, the following words should be used: why, why, how, what, what, etc. Answer them banal "yes" or "no" will not work. You can also start a conversation with the words "tell", "what do you think about this," "how do you feel about this situation," etc. This is quite a subtle psychological device that appeals to vanity. After all, everyone is pleased when asked for their opinion.
Open question examples
In order to better consolidate the understanding of what open questions are, examples of some of them are given below.
- "What brought you to us?"
- "Tell me, what do you expect from today's training?"
- "Please tell us about your concerns?"
- "What do you think prevents you from achieving your goals?"
- "Why do you think about the need for self-development?"
But do not think that in the process of communication will not be useful closed and alternative ways. In fact, dialogue is a game like chess. You can’t walk all the time.
Thus, the real example of communication is as follows:
- "Do you want to improve your life?"(closed);
- "Yes"- the beginning of the contact is established;
- "What do you think can help with this?"(open);
- The client gives an extended answer, providing the necessary information for further dialogue;
- "Perhaps the desire to develop - the first step towards the realization of your goals, is not it?"(no alternative);
- "I think yes"- begins to form a trust relationship.
You can continue this example as long as you like, but its essence is clear even from the first lines. It is necessary to engage the client in a dialogue, identify his needs, and only then begin the presentation of his service or product. Otherwise, you can quickly turn into an obsessive seller who will only cause irritation and antipathy.
Open-ended questions are effective in solving a variety of tasks in coaching or sales. Their essence is unchanged, regardless of the scope. First, to incline the person to dialogue. Secondly, it is better to understand his motives and needs. Third, gain time to think about their next steps. Time for an open question - this is the best way to keep the interlocutor. The main thing is to take care of your and other people's opinions so that the constructive dialogue does not turn into idle chatter.
