Closed, open, springboard, speculative, rumour-mongering and loaded are six question types it’s important not only to understand, but to feel.

By feeling them, I want you to recognize them quickly, almost instinctively when they come at you, but not mull over each question wondering which type it might be. There are some other interesting types of questions I will cover in later blogs but for the next six weeks this is our theme.

Closed: Closed questions make you feel like there’s only one quick way to answer; for example, Where do you live? Vancouver. But instead of offering the usual one-word reply, you can use even closed questions to create a dialogue by answering, then “bridging” to another point or asking a question in response. Vancouver, have you ever been there? It has the most amazing setting of mountains and ocean. Bridging to another point also can slow down a series of closed questions and allow you to steer the exchange to areas you want to discuss.

I had a friend who was a tough negotiator. He used the closed question technique to drive his opposition into a box so they had to come to agreement with him. It was wild to watch. He delivered rapid-fire dissertations of stats and facts, always ending with a closed question such as, “Is that correct?” After an hour or so of this, the person would be so weary they would agree to anything and my friend would win. Not nice, but effective for his type of job.

If you are facing a barrage of closed questions, you are most likely in some type of confrontation or, at minimum, with someone who has an agenda. If you find yourself giving one-word answers, you also may be feeling pressured and defensive. The best way to stop a closed-question scenario is to pause, take time to think about your response, and find a bridge to get the conversation to a new place. At times, there is a tendency to resort to pushing back with one-word answers followed by an equally confrontational question. We see quite a bit of this online. Better to try to move on to a more reasoned dialogue.

Some closed questions can be quite tricky. When will you stop polluting the environment? The best way out of these landmines is to take it global. I don’t think anyone can lay claim to not having some impact on the environment, but what I am doing is …

Get to know the closed question, feel it and take control. Would love to create a handout for my workshops of a top 10 list of the toughest closed questions you can imagine. Please send me yours. Next Question type to dissect: The Open.