Questioning Formats

When selecting questions to ask, there is a broad range of questions from which to choose. Each of these question formats achieves a slightly different outcome.

Fact-finding questions are targeted at verifiable data such as who, what, when, where and how much. Use them to gather information about the current situation.

e.g. "What kind of computer equipment are you now using?"
"How much training did staff receive at the start?"


Feeling-finding questions ask for subjective information that gets at the participants’ opinions, feelings, values and beliefs. They help you understand views, and they contain words like think or feel.

e.g. "How do you feel about the effectiveness of the new equipment?"
"Do you think the staff felt they received enough training?" 


Tell-me-more questions can help you find out more about what the participants are saying. They encourage the speaker to provide more details.

e.g. "Tell me more." "Can you elaborate on that?"
"Can you be more specific?"


Best/least questions help you understand potential opportunities in the present situation. They let you test for the outer limits of participants’ wants and needs.
 
e.g. "What’s the best thing about receiving a new computer?"
"What’s the worst thing about the new equipment?"

Project Confidence

1. Watch yourself rehearse on video.  Watching your performance is the easiest way to recognize room for improvement.  As you watch, look for moments that seem awkward or unconvincing. Notice if you break eye contact, and monitor the enthusiasm in your voice and body.  Try to remember what you were thinking or feeling during the weaker moments -- addressing any doubts or anxieties will help you move past them.

2. Speak from memory.  When you're presenting an idea, it's easy to lose your passion as you're plodding through the details.  To appear confident, pull yourself away from power point slides or notes.  The pitch needs to come from emotion.  That's what's most effective -- when people just speak from the heart.  Imagine you're at a party telling a friend what your company does and why it matters.  Show your conviction and belief in the product.  That emotional energy appears more confident and inspires others to believe in what you're doing.