Leading Questions are a key factors in any workplace, it’s challenging to ask good questions and get useful answers. Often, people are afraid of saying the wrong thing or coming off as interrogative. In fact, the fear of asking questions is so widespread that researchers have identified it as the ‘VEDS’ phenomenon — meaning ‘Verbally Expressive Distance Syndrome’.
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| Leading Questions |
Leading Questions
Understanding someone else’s point of view or probing for more details can be tricky when you don’t know how they will react. Luckily, there are a range of practices that make it easier to ask good questions and get useful answers. These practices are called ‘leading questions’ and they help us get to the heart of the matter with less awkwardness and more efficiency.
What’s a Leading Question?
A leading question is any question that directs a person’s response towards a conclusion or a specific point of view. Some examples of leading questions are:
1- “Do you think the new CEO is doing a good job?”
2- “Is there any way we can improve our process?”
3- “Do you like your manager?”
The first two questions present a conclusion as a question. The third question assumes a specific point of view and frames the answer around it. A leading question may be appropriate in some situations and inappropriate in others. Whether a question is leading or not depends on its intent. If the intent is to get people thinking and talking, a leading question may be just what’s needed. However, if the intent is to get a clear and specific answer, then a leading question may not be appropriate.
Why Ask Leading Questions?
1- Leading questions are used to encourage people to talk freely, share their ideas, and explore new ways of thinking.
2- They are useful in any situation where you want to get people talking and thinking. For example, leading questions can be used in meetings to spark discussion, in one-on-one conversations to probe more deeply, and in coaching and mentoring situations to promote learning and insight.
Leading questions can be useful in several ways:
1- To explore ideas and issues more deeply.
2- To help people discover new insights or solutions.
3- To expand people’s knowledge and perspective.
4- To get people to commit to a particular course of action or way of thinking.
5- To generate new ideas and approaches.
Types of Leading Questions
Depending on the situation, there are several types of leading questions that you can use to spark conversation, get people thinking, and generate new insights. While there is no right or wrong type of question to use — it depends on your purpose — there are some types of questions that are more likely to be misinterpreted or misunderstood. Here are the more common types of leading questions and some examples of how to use them:
1- Open-ended questions - Open-ended questions are best for getting people talking about broad topics and exploring their points of view. They are general questions that don't push people towards a specific conclusion or require a particular response. Some examples include:
- Tell me about your relationship with your supervisor.
- How do you see your future?
- Tell me about the children in this photograph.
- What is the purpose of government?
- Why did you choose that answer?
2- Closed-ended questions - Closed-ended questions are best for getting specific information or facts. They are questions that have a clear and obvious answer. Some examples include:
- Were you born in 2010?
- Is Lyon the capital of France?
- Did you steal the money?
3- Neutral questions - Neutral questions are best for getting people to be open and honest. They are questions that are not biased towards a particular conclusion or point of view. Some examples include:
- Tell me more about how you see Carol?
- Can you help me understand how you get on with Carol.
- When was the last time you spoke to Carol? What happened?
4- Leading questions - Leading questions are best for setting a direction for the conversation and encouraging people to explore a certain point of view or solution. Some examples include:
- How would you rate our new offering?
- The right question to ask in this context would be: How satisfied are you with our products?
- The right question to ask in this context would be: How frequently do you consume fast food?
3 Strategies for Using Leading Questions
There are three key strategies for using leading questions effectively:
1- Ask open-ended questions - Open-ended questions are best for getting people talking about broad topics and exploring their points of view. They are general questions that don’t push people towards a specific conclusion or require a particular response. Asking open-ended questions can help you get people thinking, exploring new ideas, and sharing their thoughts and feelings.
2- Ask closed-ended questions - Closed-ended questions are best for getting specific information or facts. They are questions that have a clear and obvious answer. Asking closed-ended questions can help you get the information you need to make a decision or move a project forward.
3- Ask neutral questions - Neutral questions are best for getting people to be open and honest. They are questions that are not biased towards a particular conclusion or point of view. Asking neutral questions can help you encourage a more objective discussion that steers clear of bias and strong opinions. Some examples include:
Bottom line
Leading questions are used to encourage people to talk freely, share their ideas, and explore new ways of thinking. They are useful in any situation where you want to get people talking and thinking. For example, leading questions can be used in meetings to spark discussion, in one-on-one conversations to probe more deeply, and in coaching and mentoring situations to promote learning and insight.