CSA Sentinel Article

Third Quarter 2007 • Vol. 11 • No. 3

Quick Tips: How to Ask the Right Questions

Asking the right questions up front can help practitioners identify problems before planning an assessment.

JOHN J. MCKEEVER
PRESIDENT, CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS CONCEPTS LLC.

How you ask questions is an important factor in establishing a foundation for effective communication — an essential component of any self-assessment effort. By asking the right questions, you open the door to knowledge and understanding, which is the first step in conducting a successful CSA. While the act of asking questions is easy, determining the right questions to ask is more challenging.

Types of Questions

Open questions are useful in getting another person to speak. They often begin with the words who, what, when, or why and can sometimes be statements. For example, "Tell me about ," or "Give me examples of ." Open questions can prompt the person to provide a good deal of information.

Closed questions require a yes or no answer and are useful for checking facts. However, they should be used with care because too many closed questions can interrupt the conversation's flow.

Specific questions are used to determine facts. For example, "How much did you spend on that?"

Probing questions check for more detail or clarification and allow you to explore specific areas. However, use these types of questions sparingly because they can easily make people feel like they are being interrogated.

Hypothetical questions pose a theoretical situation in the future. For example, "What would you do if ?" These can be used to get others to think of new situations and to find out how people might cope with new situations.

Reflective questions can be used to check understanding by reflecting back what you think a speaker has said.

Leading questions are used to gain acceptance of your view and are not useful in providing honest views and opinions. If you say to someone, "You won't mind working this weekend, will you?" they may not feel like they can disagree.

Of the most recognized types of questions (see sidebar), three tend to work best for assessment purposes: open, specific, and probing. These types of questions solicit a more thoughtful, developed response from participants and can't simply be answered with a yes or no.

ASKING QUESTIONS

So, when conducting an assessment, what questions are effective? Examples of questions that can help CSA practitioners understand the client's problems, which in turn will better equip practitioners to plan the CSA, follow.

Open Questions

What is the major problem?
How did it originate?
When did it originate?
Tell me what you think is the problem's root cause.
What do others (e.g., management, staff) think the problem is?
What would you be willing to give up to solve the problem?
What could prevent resolution?
What new products or services do you see as vital in the next five? Ten years?
What is the biggest problem you have to deal with?

Specific Questions

How great is your organization's pattern of staff turnover?
How long have specific management persons or technical employees been in this organization?
How far in advance do you make decisions about expansion or reduction?
How are your sales as compared to similar industries?
What problems do you face that are shared throughout the industry?
What problems do you have that are unique to this geographic area?
What is the greatest area of potential growth that did not materialize in the last two years?

Probing Questions

How do you know that you are getting a payback on training?
How is the communication in your organization?
How do you plan to deal with a capital crunch?
In what ways has inadequate planning affected this organization's profits?
In what ways is this organization made less profitable by government laws or regulations?

These three types of questions require some analysis on the part of the person, thereby enabling the auditor to glean valuable information from those closest to the problem.

ACHIEVING SUCCESS

Always keep in mind that the purpose of CSA is to help the client succeed. However, before success can be attained, it is necessary that the issues impeding success be identified. Addressing these issues will facilitate the success process, and the best way to do this is by asking the right questions.