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Using Open Ended Questions

What is Open Ended Questioning?

Open ended questioning is an easy to use communication skill you can use to encourage dialogue and discussion, and to enhance understanding. The use of questions that are open ended send a message to the other person that you are a) interested in them and b) want to share information and control of the conversation with them, rather than only send information and control things.

Basically, an open ended question is one that cannot be answered in a yes, or no fashion, or in a one word way. For example, "Why did you go to the store?" is open ended. On the other hand, "Did you go to the store" is not open-ended but is close-ended, because its obvious answer is either yes or no.