Transcript Delivering A+ I&R

Exploring the when, why and how
of effective questioning.
Jacky Roddy
AIRS 2012
SESSION OBJECTIVES
 To identify why we ask questions
 To identify different types of questions
 To learn when to use what types of
questions
 To identify questioning strategies
Why Ask Questions
 Build rapport
 Complete an assessment
 Get the facts
 Guide the conversation
 Clarify and Confirm Understanding
BUILD RAPPORT
 People generally respond positively if you ask about
what they think or feel about a situation or enquire
about their opinions.
 Allows you to connect with the caller in a more
meaningful way.
 Questions say you care enough to be engaged
QUESTIONS & THE NEEDS
ASSESSMENT
 Assessment is critical for effective information
and referral.
 You must ask questions of the client before
you can give information.
 Asking questions helps identify, analyze and
prioritize the clients needs.
QUESTIONS & THE NEEDS
ASSESSMENT
 A needs assessment involves asking the right questions in
the right way
 It is sometimes necessary to ask the client a number of
questions to understand the details of their situation
 It is sometimes necessary to ask the same question but in a
different way.
 There should always be a reason for every question you ask
the client and it is important to let the client know why you
are asking.
GET THE FACTS
 urgency (how quickly do they need the service?)
 who the service is for?
 health status
 age
 family composition
 previous attempts at getting help for the situation
 address or general location
 access to the Internet
GUIDE THE CONVERSATION
As the I&R provider it is important that you stay in
control of the interaction.
Asking questions helps you stay in the drivers seat of the
interaction
With an angry or upset caller questions can help diffuse
the situation
CLARIFY AND CONFIRM
UNDERSTANDING
 Asking directly if your understanding of the situation
is correct goes a long way in avoiding
misunderstanding
QUESTIONING SKILLS
Asking questions often comes naturally
Asking the right type of question, at the right time is a
skill
Knowing the types of questions is the first step in
honing the skill of asking questions.
Types of Questions
 Open Questions
 Closed Questions
 Funnel Questions
 Probing Questions
 Leading Questions
 Reflective Questions
Open Questions
 Builds relationship, tells the client you are interested
 Provides detail
 Allows for empathetic listening
 Elicit responses that are more than one or two words
 What happened when…How do you feel…
CAUTION
Easy to loose control of interaction and keep the client
on track
Closed Questions
 Typically yes/no response or short answer
 Provides essential facts, (postal code, age)
 Getting talkative clients back on track
 Closing a call
CAUTION
May feel like an interrogation
Can shut down a conversation particularly if the answer
is unknown
Funnel Technique
Involves starting with a general question then narrowing to
the more specific
“Have you contacted any services regarding...?”
Yes a few.
“What services have you tried?”
The XYZ and ABC
“What happened when you contacted service XYZ?”
Funnel questions usually start with closed questions and
move to open questions.
CAUTION
Don’t get caught in just exploring the funnel direction
Probing
 Probing questions are used to check for more detail or
clarification
 Cannot be planned in advance
 Difficult to construct therefore often avoided
 Essential to a complete and thorough needs assessment
TIPS FOR PROBING QUESTIONS
 Check to see if you have a “right” answer in mind. If so
don’t ask it.
 Refer to the client’s original question/focus point.
 Try using verbs: What do you fear? Assume? Expect?
 Think about the concentric circles of comfort, risk and
danger. Use these as a barometer. Don’t avoid risk, but
don’t push the client into a situation of discomfort or
distrust.
Concentric Circles of
Comfort, Risk & Danger
Comfort Zone - At ease, place to
retreat to, place where the client
is seeking affirmation for
decision made
Risk Zone – Place of learning, often
where our first time callers might
be just in calling us
Danger Zone - full of
defenses, fears, red-lights,
desire for escape. Not a
productive place for you or
the client to work from
GOOD PROBING QUESTIONS
 Don’t place blame on anyone
 Allow for multiple responses
 Empower the client
 Avoid yes/no responses
 Are usually brief
 Move thinking from reaction to reflection
PROBING STEMS
 What do you think would happen if…?
 How was…different from…?
 What is the connection between…and…?
 What other approaches have you considered ...?
CAUTION
Don’t let probing slide into prying...know why you are
asking every question you ask.
Avoid “Why” questions they may come across as blaming
and judgemental.
Leading
Leading questions leads the client to answer in a
particular way and to answer at all.
Used to wrap up a call, get a clients opinions/feelings,
clarify a clients understanding of actions
CAUTION
Can be viewed as manipulative
REFLECTIVE
Reflects back to the client what has been said or the
action plan for the client.
Reflective questions can also be used to defuse situations
“How do you feel about calling XYZ agency?”
CAUTION
Remember your limitations...you are not a
psychotherapist
QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES
You have probably used all of these questioning
techniques before in your everyday life, at work and at
home.
But by consciously applying the appropriate kind of
questioning, you can gain the information, response or
outcome that enables an effective I&R interaction.
What to use when
Using the 3C model:
Contact – Ask open ended questions
Clarification – Ask probing, funnel, and some closed
questions
Closure – Ask closed and reflective questions
What to use when
Talkative Client – closed questions
Hostile or Upset Client – Reflective Questions, Open
Ended Questions
Confused Client – Funnel Questions; Probing Questions
Non trusting Client – Open Ended
Questioning Strategies
 Watch your timing
 Have a plan
 Ask permission
 Go from broad to narrow
 Use simple language, watch acronyms and technical terms
 Be non-threatening, non-manipulative and non-blaming
 Take a consultation approach, be empathetic and understanding
Summary
Questions are asked to get the facts but also to build
rapport, guide the conversation and clarify your
understanding.
There are many different types of questions but when to
use them and how to word them correctly is a skill.
There are strategies to effective questioning that can be
learnt and practiced.
ANY QUESTIONS
&
THANK YOU