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How to ask a question
2
• Easily understood • No longer than it needs to be • Takes account of what’s been said or done
previously • Thought-provoking
A good question is…
What’s the syntax of a question?
Subject: what are we talking about?
Query: what do you want to know about it?
Questions have two parts
Let’s talk about ice cream
Subject: what are we talking about?
Subject and query are best separated
What’s your favourite flavour?
Query: what do you want to know about it?
Subject and query are best separated
Let’s talk about ice cream
What’s your favourite flavour?
Subject and query are best separated
The next thing I’m going to ask you about is front doors, which is something that we’ll talk about now, and then later on in the interviews, but in the meantime I want to ask you about it initially.
What colour’s yours?
Subject shouldn’t be too long
The next thing I’m going to ask you about is front doors, which is something that we’ll talk about now, and then later on in the interview, but in the meantime I want to ask you about it initially.
So. What colour’s your front door?
Subject shouldn’t be too long
Let’s talk about ice cream
What’s your favourite flavour?
Avoid assumptions: establish relevance
Do you like ice cream?
What’s your favourite flavour?
Let’s talk about ice cream Subject
Relevance
Query
Avoid assumptions: establish relevance
Do you like ice cream?
What’s your favourite flavour?
Relevance
Query
Subject
Avoid assumptions: establish relevance
Let’s talk about going on holiday
Have you been away this summer?
Where to?
Yes
Lisbon
Create question chains
What made you choose Lisbon?
Why did you choose Lisbon?
What drew you to Lisbon?
How come Lisbon?
Have you been away this summer?
Where to?
Yes
Lisbon
What drew you to Lisbon?
Have you been away this summer?
Where to?
Yes
Lisbon
It was a great deal, and it’s a bit unusual
What drew you to Lisbon?
Where to?
Lisbon
It was a great deal, and it’s a bit unusual
‘Authentic’ ‘Fresh’ ‘Exclusive’
‘Gritty’ ‘Accessible’ ‘My kind of place’
What drew you to Lisbon?
Where to?
Lisbon
It was a great deal, and it’s a bit unusual
When you say ‘unusual’…?
It was a great deal, and it’s unusual
When you say ‘unusual’…?
…
Earlier, you described it as ‘unusual’, but you’ve just said it’s ‘predictable’
I chose Lisbon because it’s predictable
Let’s talk about going on holiday
Have you been away this summer?
Where to?
When you say ‘unusual’…?
Earlier, you described it as ‘unusual’, but you’ve just said it’s ‘predictable’
Subject
Relevance
Query
Probe
Challenge
A good question • Easily understood • No longer than it needs to be • Situated in a chain • A reflection of what’s been said previously • Draws on participant’s own language • Thought-provoking
What’s the perfect
question?
Question chains
Different for every interviewee
Showing, not asking
Your own style
Silence
