Creative Questioning

Parents, listen up. I am about to give some great advice about how to learn more about your children’s life. Sounds too good to be true? It isn’t. Just simply stop asking your kids yes or no questions. Then they will be forced to give you answers! Or at least answers longer than one or two words. (I’m not a miracle worker).

Here are some examples of how to turn basic close-ended questions into enlightening open-ended insights.

Instead of asking “Have you ever sent a text message while driving?” – ask “What past situations have required you to text while driving?” or “When do you think it is acceptable for drivers to text while driving?” These two example questions will then compel respondents to tell the inquirer about a specific time when they, or their peers, have texted while driving. The answer will also include details surrounding the event, which will give the interviewer greater insight into the particular set of circumstances of the situation.

Furthermore, instead of asking “Would you say you travel abroad frequently?” – ask “How often do you travel abroad?” or “How many times have you traveled abroad and where did you visit?” Both of these questions will turn the answer from a simply yes, to a response about the places they visited, when they trips occurred, and possibly who went with them.

Have you ever asked “Do you post a lot of pictures on Instagram?” and you receive an unenthused “yeah”? In its place, you should ask “How frequently do you use Instagram?” or “What rate do you typically post photos on Instagram?”

If you ask “Do you prefer to shop at big boxes or locally owned stores?,” you will receive a confused and uncertain “locally owned stores, I guess?” in response. However, you could ask, “What types of purchases have you made at big box stores and locally owned stores, respectively?” or “Why would you go to a locally owned store over a big box store, and visa versa?”

A question that I personally would like to not be asked due to embarrassment is, “How often do you eat sweets?” because my answer would be way too high. Instead, I would love to be asked, “On what occasions do you eat sweets?” or “How often to you gift sweets versus keep them for yourself?”

“Do you tend to buy things that are on sale?” Well of course everyone attempts to buy items on sale, but unfortunately the stores we like to shop at don’t always agree with our purchasing needs. Therefore, ask “In what scenario would you alter your shopping list based on what may be on sale at the store?” or “Is it important to you to only buy items that are on sale?”

If you are trying to gauge how healthy someone’s diet is, don’t ask “Do you like to eat wheat bread?” Instead, ask “What recipes do you make that require bread?” or “How frequently do you eat wheat bread versus other types?”

By now you should get the idea behind what I’m trying to explain. If your end goal is to appear like you care, then go right on ahead and ask those easy yes or no questions. But if you are really trying to get to the root of the issue and learn a little something about your child, then get creative.