Title: Questioning Skills and Techniques | SkillsYouNeed
Headings: 
Questioning Skills and Techniques
This page covers verbal questioning.
Why Ask Questions?
Although the following list is not exhaustive it outlines the main reasons questions are asked in common situations.
To Obtain Information:
To help maintain control of a conversation
Express an interest in the other person
To clarify a point
To explore the personality and or difficulties the other person may have
To test knowledge
To encourage further thought
In group situations
How to Ask Questions
Being Structured
Use Silence
Using silence is a powerful way of delivering questions.
Encouraging Participation
In group situations leaders often want to involve as many people as possible in the discussion or debate.
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Content: Questioning Skills and Techniques | SkillsYouNeed










Questioning Skills and Techniques
See also: Types of Question
Gathering information is a basic human activity – we use information to learn, to help us solve problems, to aid our decision making processes and to understand each other more clearly. Questioning is the key to gaining more information and without it interpersonal communications can fail. Questioning is fundamental to successful communication - we all ask and are asked questions when engaged in conversation. We find questions and answers fascinating and entertaining – politicians, reporters, celebrities and entrepreneurs are often successful based on their questioning skills – asking the right questions at the right time and also answering (or not) appropriately. Although questions are usually verbal in nature, they can also be non-verbal. Raising of the eyebrows could, for example, be asking, “Are you sure?” facial expressions can ask all sorts of subtle questions at different times and in different contexts. See our pages: Verbal Communication and Non-Verbal Communication for more.