Module 2 · Communication · Lesson 6 of 10

Asking better questions

Open and closed questions, and questions that help someone think.

6 min read · Level: Beginner · Free — no account needed to read

The idea

Closed questions can be answered with a word: “Did you like it?” Open questions invite a story: “What was it like?” Both are useful — closed questions to confirm facts, open ones to understand.

The best questions help the other person think. “What made you choose that?”, “What part of it is hardest?”, “What would you do if you weren’t worried about that?” Asking better questions is often more valuable than having better answers.

Why it matters

Questions show interest, move conversations beyond small talk, and help you understand before you judge.

See it happen

Omar asks his younger sister, “Was school okay?” every day. She says “fine” every day.

The first reaction

He decides she just doesn’t want to talk to him.

With the idea

He tries, “What was the most annoying part of today?” She laughs and tells him a long story about a group project.

What changed

An open, specific question gave her something real to answer.

Easy to get wrong

• Asking several questions at once so the person doesn’t know which to answer.
• Asking leading questions that contain your answer: “Don’t you think you should…?”

Try it now: Open it up

1. Write three closed questions you often ask people.
2. Rewrite each as an open question starting with “what” or “how”.
3. Pick one to try this week.

Questions to think about

• What question has someone asked you that really made you think?
• Which of your usual questions only ever get one-word answers?

Your challenge this week

Swap one yes-or-no question for an open one in three conversations this week.