Open-Ended Questions vs Close-Ended Questions
When it comes to increasing engagement with your audience, there is no better way than through the use of open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions are those that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no,” and they tend to produce less engaging responses.
Open-ended questions, on the other hand, are those that require more thought, and they generate far more interesting replies. In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of using open-ended questions, as well as provide some examples of how you can use them in your own content.
In sales conversations, both open-ended and closed-ended questions are appropriate. Asking a closed-ended question is a good strategy if you only need one-word or quantitative responses.
On the other hand, open-ended questions can go a long way in learning qualitative information during your initial discovery calls with prospects or new customers.
Reasons for Using Open-Ended Questions
More space for creativity. With an open-ended question, people feel more encouraged to answer freely, express their opinions, or express anything on their minds. This is an advantage in creative environments when you want ideas flowing.
A better understanding of your audience. Open-ended questions let respondents express their genuine thoughts and feelings toward a topic.
On the other hand, a closed-ended question doesn’t have this impact. Using open-ended questions can get you a much better understanding of your audience, and most importantly, you can learn from them.
More suitable for complicated situations. When you want to receive detailed feedback in certain situations, it’s best to use this type of open-ended question, as people tend to expand their responses.
Great for follow-up questions. Keep the discussion going; dig further into it and explore different concerns.
Tips for Asking Effective Open-Ended Questions
Follow these tips for asking effective open-ended questions:
- Create a list of open-ended questions with an FAQ (frequently asked questions.
See the Publer example below of open-ended questions. Instead of asking a question in the chat, you can also go through the most frequently asked questions that describe your concern in detail.
This also saves you time, and you get the answer quickly.
- Follow up a closed-ended question with an open-ended question: This trick works wonders. It’s not always possible to convert a closed-ended question into an open one, but you can follow up by getting a question answered.
- Use open-ended questions to start a conversation. Keep in mind that open-ended questions are designed to start a conversation with people, which can turn into a successful one.
Examples of Open-Ended Questions
Examples are the best way to learn from. That’s why we have put together some of them and categorized them into prospects and sales, team meetings, and interviews.
Example Open-Ended Questions for Prospects and Sales
Open-ended questions are essential when it comes to customer service and sales. Start your questions with “How” and “What,” so you are “urging” the respondent to give a detailed answer instead of requiring a super-short response.
Also, with open-ended questions, sales professionals or customer service can build positive relationships with the audience and engage them in an efficient conversation.
Check out these open-ended questions examples:
- How can I assist you with that?
- How may I be of service?
- What can I help you find?
- What features are most important to you?
- Which of our products are your favorites?
Here are open-ended questions examples from Publer Help Center:
Example Open-Ended Questions for Team Meetings
- How could we improve our meetings?
- What are the best and worst parts of these meetings, and why?
- What does a good team meeting consist of?
- How would you compare our team meetings to others at the company?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of online meetings?
Example Open-Ended Questions for Interviews
- Why are you interested in working here?
- Why should we hire you?
- What skills and abilities uniquely qualify you for this job?
- How would your last team members describe you as an employee?
- Describe what your best quality is as an employee.
- How can your top qualities help our company to thrive?
Key Takeaways
And that’s a wrap!
- Become a better business communicator as you’ll get more information from people.
- Make yourself a better leader.
- You will improve as a team member and sales professional.
- You will build more trust by asking questions and listening to feedback.
Did you find this article helpful? Do you prefer more open-ended questions or close-ended questions?
Either way, let us know in the comments!