The Science and Syntax behind asking the Right Questions…..

There are essentially 3 Types of Questions:  Firstly; ‘Open’ Questions as they open a conversation and replies can be openly chosen by the person who answers them.   Secondly, ‘Closed’ questions that get you a ‘single word answer’ or ‘limited reply’. There are third type of Yes/NO questions that get you a clear positive or negative answers. 

In our conversation in English Classes at all levels we cover the syntax and structure of making all the three types of questions as above plus we also discuss more on implied meaning of some of the questions like ‘Why don’t we…’. Before you begin to Answer the questions you must understand ‘What exactly is the question?’ and ‘How can the answer be framed?’ In this post we will deal with when to ask what type of questions and what are the kind of questions that should not be asked particularly from strangers in the first meeting. Some of what we discuss here will sound quite logical to you (in any language) so we call this topic : ‘Science of Asking Right Questions’…in everyday situations.

Could I ask you a question?   (this is polite request often put even before you ask for directions or views  and if it is a personal question make it clear)

Do you all agree that ‘Questioning is an important speaking skill’?

We speak to deliver a message when we answer but sometimes we may want to: gather information about the back-ground of a person before we start friendship or know something from someone find out their ideas or views,  We may also need to confirm details. To be able to do these, we need to know how ask the right questions.

We speak to deliver a message, but sometimes we may want to:

• Get some more information
• Understand something from someone
• Know their ideas or opinions,
• Find out or confirm details.

To be able to do these, you need to know how to ask the right questions. As I said, you may ask 3 types of questions.
Usually you start with open questions to gather general information about the issue.
Then you can use closed questions to find out specific information or confirm some facts. We may use yes/no questions to further check or confirm the listener’s responses as also to para-phrase what you have understood (Don’t over do it !).

Open Questions: encourage your partner to speak freely so we can gather facts, knowledge-able insights, and opinions they may have on an issue. It’s a good way to start a conversation.

Open questions usually begin with:

• What?
• Could you explain?
• How? or How to?
• and sometimes Why?

This type of question gives listeners a chance to explain their views, thoughts, feelings and opinions. Avoid too many ‘Why?’ questions as they make the other person defending his opinions and give justification for everything. Remember: in casual conversations there are no easy answers to “Why do you like me?” so re-frame it to ask “What are the things that you like about me?”

Closed Questions: when you want to know more, we can use them to establish facts and details. You will get limited word response of comparison of preference sometimes quantity or other adjectives as well.

Closed questions typically begin with:

• When?
• Where?
• Which?
• Who?
• How many? or How much?

This type of question requires a specific answer, and there’s usually only one answer. Some people may also give you 2-3 answers the first one beginning with ‘usually’ and the second with ‘sometimes’ . See the following example:

Person 1: When do you get ready for the office?

Person 2: I am usually ready by 8am but sometimes I get-up late so I am ready by 8.30am (on sundays or when i have some late-night work to do)

Yes/no Questions: that allow listeners to answer just yes or no. This type of question is useful for checking the listener’s responses. You should be careful when to use yes/no questions because they discourage further discussion.

Here are examples of Simple conversations with yes/no questions.

Understand this conversation between Sahil and Soloni…in two Situations watch and observe what types of questions Sahil uses and what Saloni’s responses are.

Situation 1

Asking Y/N questions – not interested in relationship. Completes formalities

Sahil: Good morning, can I help you?
Saloni: Yes, I’m here to pay the fee for Simran. I registered her for a ‘conversation in English’ program last week.
Sahil: Sure. What’s your complete name please?
Saloni: Khurana, I’m Saloni Khurana and her name is Simran Khurana
Sahil: Is your registration no. 1254?
Saloni: Yes.
Sahil: And your contact number is 93-101-6543? ……      wrong question
Saloni: Actually, I changed my phone – here’s my new number  xx-xxx-xxxx.
Sahil: Is she coming for our the regular – word-play program?
Saloni: Yes.
Sahil: Is there anything else or any specific problem?
Saloni: No, I don’t think so… I just came here to pay my fee on tell you the problems! (she says this with irritation)

(It is not very pleasant conversation as Sahil acts like ‘he is just filling-up a form’ or ‘completing some formality’ isn’t it? Yes/no and closed questions are not designed to encourage listener’s participation. These questions should be used only for finding or confirming facts and details. It’s easy to see why Saloni gets annoyed or not very engaged in the dialogue . She feels like she is being interrogated in court – and gives to the point replies. Now let’s continue the same situation again, but with a different questioning technique from Sahil.)

Situation 2

After asking a few closed and yes/no questions to establish and confirm Saloni’s identity and details. Sahil starts using open questions as a good teacher should -he wants to find out about Simran’s performance ‘outside’ the classroom.

The Relationship gets established – both are discussing something important.

Sahil: And how is Simran?
Saloni: She is doing very well! She is a Nice learner and reads all the mails sent by your institute T.r.i.c.k.s !
Sahil: Yes. I’m very happy with it. How happy are you with her progress?
Saloni:  Thanks for asking this. Yes, I am satisfied that she is learning English, I think I heard her speak to her friends on phone. She was doing her gossip in English and was very easily talking to her class-mates and friends
Sahil: Really!  We do encourage her to speak more. When did you start to notice this change?
Saloni: About a week ago.
Sahil: Was it a big discussion or a small discussion that she had with her friends?
Saloni: A small one, I think… but her English and confidence to speak seems to get a bit better every-week. I also talk to her in English she replies to all my questions easily 🙂 Maybe she also needs to start asking questions in English… you are the trainer for her so you decide. Just my feedback. Overall she is doing good and I am happy with her classes.

Notes on Types of Questions:
Saloni is a happier customer this time. Sahil is also uncovering a potential good learner in Simran. This can save him time and encourage Simran later on in the class ‘to ask her questions’. As you can see, open questions allow Saloni to speak freely, so Sahil can gather as much information as he can about her daughter. He uses closed questions to establish facts about the student. He uses yes/no questions to confirm Saloni’s details for the fee deposit.

 In this topic, we have learned that there are three types of questions we can use.

• Open questions to gather more information, views opinions.
• Closed questions to establish facts and details.
• Yes/no questions to clarify facts and details.

I leave the ‘Art of Asking Questions’ for my next post as also what are powerful questions. We will also discuss Question behind any question in my subsequent posts… stay tuned!

Do you think you can GET SELECTED by ‘Cramming’ a few interview questions? if yes, How Many will you do? How much time will it take?

‘How Do I prepare for my Interview?’, ‘When do I start the Preparation?’ There are many questions in (confused) Rohit’s mind plus he also needs to know if there are any tips that can help him to GET SELECTED. Similar questions do crop-up in your mind after you graduate, so you need an uncle like I had in 1994 or a big brother like Shashank for our friend Rohit.  His concerns are:  he may NOT be late to start preparing, what if he gets Rejected in the Communication and/or HR round; what if it takes more than 2 Months? what about the gap year?

Interview Preparation Tips

Back in September 1994, when I passed out with a Computer Science Degree in hand – not many companies had computers or EDP Department as they were called. There were no Information Technology or Knowledge jobs to apply for; As I got a letter calling me for an interview (it was a letter as email came much later).  I went to meet my uncle- a GM in a Public Sector Bank, in order to get some tips on ‘interview preparation’. He gave me a few words of advice, I still remember his valuable words, “how you dress and address  or say good morning etc.  leaves your first impression as a professional – this makes all the difference.” He continued to tell me, ” dress decently, address the interviewer with a smile, use polite language and don’t worry you will get it”. I must have done well in my life’s first Job interview at DCM-Shriram group that I Got Selected as an  Executive Trainee or ET  (same as the alien character in a Hollywood movie ET). In a staff of over 250 people in their HO I was the first and only EDP person or computer literate! After some confusion in the HR, I was placed in the MIS-section as only they had a computer. With zero knowledge of MIS it was as if I had landed at USHA like an extra terrestrial 🙂 

Are you a final year student of B.Tech, BE or MBA? Do you have Similar Questions? Who is the big brother you have in the industry to help you? Read the post for some tips from communication experts as you prepare to appear for an interview – in-campus or outside the campus.

Competition is intense and Preparation is a must!

Now, we get a a series of questions from many graduate, post-graduate students who are looking for the right career opportunities to work in Delhi/NCR and many of those who look for ‘better prospects’ after some years of work experience. We get these questions everyday by email, on phone or in person as people come to meet us at T.r.i.c.k.s – Personality Development and English Learning Center. We answer all your questions on How to: make ‘a good first impression and stand-out in the crowd’.

‘Common Sense’ approach still remains the best – always will! 

So, coming back to your curiosity on what is happening in HR circles, how are hiring managers finding the right candidates, why would they take you. I need to know more about you, I do it with some questions, I ask them in face-to-face counseling or consultation with each of my students  before I answer their Interview related questions. WE Need to Know:

• Are you a final year student, if yes from where: A) private institutes that is well-known; B) government aided college; C) top rated college?
  •  No, I have passed out last year (2012) or last to last year (2011); I have experience and I am doing a course in networking/web-design
• Does your Collage hold ‘campus-interviews’ A) yes, they are being announced and I will get an interview; B) Yes, BUT we don’t get many companies only top students are given the chance – I am not there; C) Yes, we are assured 100% placement by our institute.
• Are you confident to GET an offer: A) I can clear the technical round but not too sure of the HR/Communication Round; B) I just need some tips.
• Are you good in your English and are updated on the current events?
  • Yes, I read the newspaper in English everyday and know what is happening on: Aadhaar card, story of -an alleged Rapist Godman etc.
  • No, but I have good English  and will catch-up on the current affairs after submitting my project report, i have two months
• How much time do you have  A) No time to prepare for interview – just give me quick tips; B) I have 2 months but can spend extra time, if needed
• What are your concerns regarding your Communication skills  A) difficulty in answering tough questions in the personality round; B) cannot clear group discussions; C) I have been rejected earlier so I need to re-build my confidence… remove my hesitation.

The reality is that the Job scene is getting tougher and competition is intense, your chances to GET SELECTED depend 100% on How much well prepared and confident you are for you Next interview. Come and meet me or my counselor in Noida, if you need tips to succeed with you Interview and or a BOOST of confidence. Tips given by T.r.i.c.k.s are absolutely free (as I also got them from my uncle). We only charge for the Skills that we impart!

I am afraid to say, that there are centers in India, that call themselves ‘interview prep’ but actually run cramming workshops…they may suit you for some jobs that are standardized in nature

Times have changed, HR people are smart to pick the right people. NO standard answers could serve your need; but there sure are some Tips that work for most people!

Some Common Sense Tips we give to our candidates  who go for interviews to get hired in a professional company or an MNC Job are:

• Review the company’s strengths and goals: It is always important to know what the company wants to achieve. The more you already know from website/brochure, the more impressed the interviewer will be.
• Have some information on the Job role (KRAs/KPIs for experienced people). You don’t want to go into an interview knowing nothing about what are expected to do. You can read the JD and ask around to understand more as you clear the rounds: technical-communication
• What to wear for an interview: Do wear your Smile 🙂 and keep a positive attitude On clothing most experts agree that formal is best. This means wearing a full-sleeve shirt and good professional looking tie- if you can carry it well. Shoes should be clean and in good condition – color matching your belt. Women should wear closed toed without heels and formals with well tied hair. Be sure to look clean, neat and nicely groomed. Your interview attire should look great to leave a positive first impression.
• Preparing for interview questions: Questions can range from your education and background to your personality. We could give you many standard questions as we get them from the engineering/MBA students who appear for the interview. And I have also gathered some from my HR friends. We also take Mock-Interviews (and pretty tough ones – with my own experience as a GM)

• Answering Questions: We at T.r.i.c.k.s give you suggestions on how to answer a particular type of question and in other cases the standard or best answers for a particular situation job/role or a profile. We discuss the interview outcomes one-to-one in a friendly  manner almost everyday. But Cramming does not work for any Knowledge related Job that an engineer/MBA would need… you have to be very lucky for it to work!
• Memorizing of standard answers may be okay in certain type of Jobs like Domestic BPOs where a given script needs to be delivered. I repeat: cramming answers does not suite Engineering or management jobs profiles where you need to talk to natural speakers of English like software developers, web-site developers, mechanical engineers, team leaders, project managers or any kind of sales and marketing jobs: Such professions by the nature of the Job itself need good communication skills or ability to express themselves in Business English.
• My most important Tip: DO Ask Back an Intelligent Question When the interviewer says ‘Do you have any question for me?’  We cover asking powerful questions in our Conversation Skills program, we call the program GET SELECTED 

Beware: Don’t pay any money to recruiting company. Any company asking for Money may not be the right place for you to work.

As you GET to join a professional set-up at the right role you will come to realize that communication is life! And By the way, Rohit was rejected once, but in the 2nd attempt after working well on his communication skills, he got a job offer of Rs. 2.4 lac. pa!

We only charge for the Skills we impart under the GET SELECTED program – which covers communication in English, Mock Interviews and Personality Development. We do get many calls from HR asking for good people, we don’t charge for placement support  – we are corporate trainers not placement providers!) 

If you need more of Tips from our communication experts at any time during the interview process – or need to prepare well , you can drop in an email with some more information on your back-ground…..All the best for GETTING PLACED WELL and well in time!