Open vs. Closed Questions

A key part of creating surveys or extracting appropriate information from a conversation, includes the ability to effectively use both open-ended and closed-ended questions.

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Closed-ended questions limit answers in a very specific way, thus being able to report better data from the questions.

Open-ended questions prompt people to share more, using sentences, lists, and stories, giving deeper answers and new insights.

If you can answer a question with a limited set of options, such as a "yes" or "no" then you are answering a closed-ended type of question.

Examples of closed-ended questions are:

• Are you feeling good today?

• Is that your final answer?

• May I be of service to you?

• Do you know how to program?

• Did that man walk by the house before?

Open-ended questions require multiple words to answer. The answers could come in the form of a sentence, a few sentences, a list, or something longer such as a speech, paragraph or essay.

Examples of open-ended questions:

• What are you planning to buy today at the grocery store?

• What worked well for you?

• How might this change the way you do that today?

• In what ways are you satisfied with this process?

Use closed-ended questions to:

1. Gather quantifiable data (for reports, graphs)

2. Engage an audience that isn’t directly interested in your topic

3. Categorize respondents

Use open-ended questions to:

1. interview subject matter experts

2. Conduct preliminary research

3. Collect open feedback

Generally, closed-ended questions are ideal for many respondents where averages and percentages can be tabulated from the data. Open-ended questions are ideal for a single or a few, where in-depth answers are ideal.

Think about applying both types in your every day life.

Ask open-ended questions when you're trying to get to know someone, as they are great conversation prompts.

Ask closed-ended questions when you're trying to determine facts, particularly if you're planning on aggregating them.

Today, make an effort to ask someone an open-ended question. You might learn something new!