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Open questions invite detailed, thoughtful responses, while closed questions elicit brief, specific answers.

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Definitions

Open Questions

Open ended questions are designed to allow respondents to answer in their own words, providing detailed, thoughtful, or creative responses. They often begin with words like what, how, why, describe, or tell me about and encourage elaboration, reflection, and explanation.

 

Examples include: “What challenges did you face while completing the project?” or “How did you decide on your career path?”

 

Open questions are commonly used in interviews, counseling, research, and situations where understanding reasoning, opinions, or experiences is important. "Open questions take time and can be difficult for some people.

Closed Questions

Closed ended questions restrict responses to specific options, often requiring a yes/no answer or a choice from a limited set. They are useful for gathering factual information quickly or confirming details.

 

Examples include: “Did you attend the meeting?”, “Do you like vanilla ice cream?”, or “Would you prefer coffee or tea?”

 

Closed questions are effective in surveys, fact-finding, or when a concise answer is needed. 

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Leading Questions

When questioning someone it is vital that we don’t use leading questions Leading questions are questions phrased to guide someone toward a specific answer, often introducing bias and compromising the accuracy of responses.

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A leading question is designed in a way that suggests the answer the questioner wants to hear, rather than allowing the respondent to provide an unbiased response.

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The use of leading questions can skew answers and  reduce reliability, Questions often start with  “Don’t you agree” “You saw /heard/did” etc.

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To ensure unbiased and reliable feedback, questions should be neutral, clear, and open-ended.